Hey everyone,
How are you? Are you ready to talk about grammar?
"Eu sou um estudante Erasmus" ou "Eu estou em Erasmus"? Do you know the difference between SER and ESTAR?
*Source: Canva
→ Both of these two verbs mean "to be" in English, have distinct uses, and are crucial for expressing identity and temporary states.
Ser: The Verb for Identity
→ A verb that gives a sense of the existence and characteristics of a person or thing!
- Eu sou um estudante Erasmus. (I’m an Erasmus student.)
- Ele é médico. (He is a doctor.)
Estar: The Verb for Temporary States
→ A verb that expresses place and time accurately, it represents a person's state and the delimited moments of an action.
- Estou feliz. (I am happy.)
- Eles estão em casa. (They are at home.)
General Rule
Well, in general, the difference between "ser" and "estar" is as follows: The verb ser is used for permanent characteristics of a person or object, while the verb estar is used for temporary characteristics.
Exceptions
Who doesn't like exceptions? :D This general rule about the difference between "ser" and "estar" has some exceptions. For example, you can say:
- Eu sou professor. (I’m a professor.)
→ The profession might change, but even so, we still use the verb ser.
5 Minute Tip
A tip that can help you understand the difference between ser and estar is to think about a 5-minute interval. You should ask yourself: can this characteristic change in 5 minutes? If the answer is yes, you'll use the verb estar, and if the answer is no, you'll use the verb ser.
So, in that example:
"I am a professor," and 5 minutes later, even if I change, I can still teach and be a professor, so we use the verb "ser."
That's it! I hope these tips have been helpful for you to know a bit more about the difference! Learning requires practice, right? Pay attention to the exercises! Let's see who gets it right first ;)
See you / Até já,
Juliane, OLS Community Manager – Portuguese