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When you are learning Brazilian Portuguese, one of the main difficulties in the beginning is to understand the difference between of SER and ESTAR . Do you know how to use SER and ESTAR in Portuguese?
If you speak Spanish, it is very easy to understand the use of the verbs ser and estar, since the same verbs exist in the Spanish language. But when we translate ser or estar into English, we have only one translation, which is the verb to be.
I have a good tip to help you identify when to use the verb ser and when to use the verb estar.
It is very simple when you learn Portuguese: the verb ser is used to speak of more permanent aspects, whereas the verb estar is used to speak of more temporary states. This tip doesn't work in all cases, but it works in most of them.
The verb ser, for example, when you speak Portuguese is used to say your name, family name, profession, occupation, nationality, marital status, among other things.
Let's see some examples:
Eu sou solteiro. I'm single.
Ela é bonita. She is beautiful.
Nós somos homens. We are men.
Eles são brasileiros. They are Brazilians.
Note that, in Portuguese language both profession and marital status are things that may change eventually, but since we consider them to be long-lasting attributes, we use the verb ser and not the verb estar.
If you already said to yourself "I want to learn Portuguese" you need to know that, the verb estar is used to speak of temporary conditions, such as emotions, health state and location.
Note that sometimes we can use both the verb ser and estar with some adjectives, but the meaning changes according to the verb being used. For example:
Ana é bonita. Ana is pretty.
In this case, the verb ser suggests that Ana is a person who is always pretty.
On the other hand, when you are speaking Portuguese you can also say:
Ana está bonita hoje. Ana is pretty today.
In this case, the verb estar suggests that Ana is pretty today for some special reason.
Let's see some other examples:
Eu sou professor. I am a teacher.
Ela é estudante. She is a student.
Ele é argentino. He is Argentine.
Nós somos mulheres. We are women.
Vocês são casados. You re married.
Elas são solteiras. They are single.
Eu estou em casa. I am at home.
Você está na Europa. You are in Europe.
Ele está com sede. He is thirsty.
Ela está bonita. She is pretty.
Nós estamos na praia. We are on the beach.
Vocês estão animados. You are excited.
Eles estão tristes. They are sad.
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COMO USAR "SER" E "ESTAR"