Spanish has two verbs that mean "to be": ser and estar.
Use ser for identity and traits
Use ser to talk about what someone or something is. This includes essential characteristics, personality traits, and physical descriptions.
| They are nice and happy. | Ellas son simpáticas y felices. |
Use estar for states and conditions
Use estar to talk about how someone feels, where something is located, or temporary conditions (like being open, closed, clean, or dirty).
| The girl is angry at school. | La niña está enojada en la escuela. |
| The office table is clean. | La mesa de la oficina está limpia. |
Seeing them together
It is common to use both verbs in the same sentence to contrast a permanent trait with a temporary condition.
| The car is new, but it is dirty. | El carro es nuevo, pero está sucio. |
| The grandfather is nice, but now he is angry. | El abuelo es simpático, pero ahora está enojado. |
Some adjectives change their meaning depending on which verb you use. For example, aburrido means "boring" with ser, but "bored" with estar.
| boring / bored | aburrido |
| The book is boring and long. | El libro es aburrido y largo. |
| The professor is boring, but the students are not bored. | El profesor es aburrido, pero los estudiantes no están aburridos. |
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