The English verb to be is usually translated into Spanish as ser or estar. But in Spanish, these two verbs have very different functions and usually are not interchangeable. Today we are going to review ser vs estar with adjectives. Let’s start!

Ser vs Estar with Adjectives

Usually, an adjective that comes after ser is a permanent quality, but when it goes after estar, it expresses a temporary condition.

Antonio es guapo.

Antonio is good-looking.

Antonio está guapo hoy.

Antonio looks nice today.

However, there are certain adjectives that will adopt a different meaning depending on which of these verbs is used. Let’s start learning ser vs estar with adjectives.

Ser bueno vs Estar bueno

Let’s start with ser bueno. This is an evaluation of someone as a person or professional.

Julia es muy buena. La conozco bien; es mi amiga desde la escuela.

Julia is a very nice person. I know her well; she’s my friend from school.

But estar bueno refers to health.

Pablo estuvo enfermo la semana pasada, pero ya está bueno otra vez.

Pablo was sick last week, but he’s feeling well again.

Estar bueno can also be used to talk about the physical appearance of someone. For example, David está bueno (David is good-looking).

Ser malo vs Estar malo

Ser malo means to be evil or bad.

Roberto es muy malo; cada día golpea a un niño diferente.

Roberto is very bad; he hits a different child every day.

But estar malo means to be feeling bad.

Roberto está malo; tuvo fiebre toda la noche y no pudo dormir.

Robeto is feeling bad; he had a fever all night long and he could not sleep.

Ser listo vs Estar listo

To be smart can be expressed by saying ser listo.

¡Mi hija es muy lista! Estudia y saca buenas notas.

My daughter is very smart! She studies and gets good grades.

While estar listo means to be ready.

No he estudiado lo suficiente y no estoy lista para el examen.

I have not studied enough, and I’m not ready for the exam.

Ser rico vs Estar rico

Let’s continue reviewing ser vs estar with adjectives with ser rico (to be rich).

Es rica y viene a pasar sus vacaciones cada año a Mallorca.

She is rich and she comes to spend her holidays every year in Mallorca.

And estar rico means to taste good.

Este cordero está rico. ¿Me darías la receta?

This lamb tastes good. Would you give me the recipe?

Ser igual vs Estar igual

Look at ser igual that is used to express there is no difference. It means to be the same.

Esta mesa es igual a la mesa que tiene María en su casa.

This table is the same as the one María has in her home.

But estar igual states that something or someone hasn’t changed.

Te he podido reconocer porque estás igual que hace diez años.

I was able to recognize you because you look just like ten years ago.

Ser abierto vs Estar abierto

Ser abierto means to be open-minded.

Marta es muy abierta; no tiene prejuicios y se hace amiga de todo el mundo.

Marta is very open-minded; she has no prejudices and makes friends with everyone.

Different is estar abierto, which means to be open.

La ventana estaba abierta y mi gato estaba en el jardín.

The door was open and my cat was in the garden.

Ser cerrado vs Estar cerrado

Let’s finish the list of ser vs estar with adjectives with ser cerrado (to be closed-minded).

Ellas son muy cerradas. No les gustan los cambios ni el progreso.

They are very close-minded. They do not like changes nor progress.

And estar cerrado means to be closed.

La maleta está cerrada y no hay espacio para el pijama.

The suitcase is closed, and there’s no space for the pajamas.

Exercises

Let’s do some exercises to practice ser vs estar with adjectives.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Categorized in:

AdjectivesGrammarVerb EstarVerb Ser