Ser or Estar: First Steps
Practice choosing between 'ser' and 'estar' to say who people are, where they are from, what they do, where they are, and how they feel.
Preview
Questions with solutions-
1. Jaza pengo.
Introduce Laura as your sister.
Hola, ella ___ mi hermana Laura.
- es
- está
- soy
- estoy
Use the verb 'ser' to say who someone is.
Show solution
Hola, ella es mi hermana Laura.
Use 'es' (from 'ser') to identify people and talk about family relationships.
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2. Jaza pengo.
Say where you are from.
Yo ___ de Colombia.
- soy
- estoy
- eres
- es
Talking about where someone is from uses the verb 'ser'.
Show solution
Yo soy de Colombia.
To say where someone is from, use 'ser' followed by 'de'. For 'yo', the form is 'soy'.
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3. Jaza pengo.
Ask a group of friends where they are right now.
¿Dónde ___ ustedes ahora?
- están
- son
- estamos
- somos
Use 'estar' to talk about where people are located.
Show solution
¿Dónde están ustedes ahora?
Use 'estar' for locations. With 'ustedes' (you all), the form is 'están'.
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4. Chagua jibu sahihi.
How do you say that your mother is a doctor?
- Mi mamá es doctora.
- Mi mamá está doctora.
- Mi mamá soy doctora.
- Mi mamá están doctora.
Professions and occupations use the verb 'ser'.
Show solution
- Mi mamá es doctora.
Use 'es' (from 'ser') to state someone's profession. Notice that Spanish does not use 'una' before a profession here.
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5. Jaza pengo.
Ask your friend Carlos why he feels sad today.
¿Por qué ___ triste hoy, Carlos?
- estás
- eres
- está
- es
Feelings and emotions take the verb 'estar'.
Show solution
¿Por qué estás triste hoy, Carlos?
Use 'estás' (the 'tú' form of 'estar') to ask a friend how they feel.
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6. Panga maneno kwa mpangilio sahihi.
Say that you and your friends are very happy.
- muy
- contentos.
- estamos
- Nosotros
Use 'estamos' (from 'estar') for feelings.
Show solution
Nosotros estamos muy contentos.
'Estamos' is the 'nosotros' form of 'estar', which is used with feelings and moods like 'contentos' (happy).
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7. Jaza mapengo.
Say where you are from and where you are right now.
Yo ___ de México, pero ahora ___ en Lima.
- soy
- estoy
- es
- está
- somos
Use 'ser' for where you are from ('de') and 'estar' for where you are located ('en').
Show solution
Yo soy de México, pero ahora estoy en Lima.
'Soy de México' tells your origin with 'ser', while 'estoy en Lima' tells your current location with 'estar'.
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8. Chagua jibu sahihi.
Someone asks where you and your family are from. Choose the natural reply.
¿De dónde son ustedes?
- Somos de Argentina.
- Estamos de Argentina.
- Son de Argentina.
- Están en Argentina.
When a question uses 'ustedes' (you all), answer with the 'nosotros' (we) form of 'ser'.
Show solution
- Somos de Argentina.
Since the question asks about origin ('¿De dónde...?'), reply with 'somos' (the 'nosotros' form of 'ser') + 'de'.
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9. Jaza mapengo.
Say what Marco does for work and how he feels today.
Marco ___ cocinero y hoy ___ muy cansado.
- es
- está
- soy
- estoy
- son
Jobs use 'ser', while temporary states like feeling tired use 'estar'.
Show solution
Marco es cocinero y hoy está muy cansado.
'Es cocinero' states Marco's occupation with 'ser', and 'está muy cansado' describes how he feels today with 'estar'.
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10. Panga maneno kwa mpangilio sahihi.
Ask a new classmate where they are from.
- ¿De
- dónde
- tú?
- eres
Start with '¿De dónde...' and use the 'tú' form of 'ser'.
Show solution
¿De dónde eres tú?
'¿De dónde eres tú?' uses 'eres' (from 'ser') because it asks about someone's origin.
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11. Jaza mapengo.
Say who Sofía and Mateo are and where they are right now.
Sofía y Mateo ___ mis amigos y ___ en el café.
- son
- están
- es
- está
- somos
Both blanks need the plural 'ellos' form: first for relationship, then for location.
Show solution
Sofía y Mateo son mis amigos y están en el café.
Use 'son' (from 'ser') to say who Sofía and Mateo are ('mis amigos'), and 'están' (from 'estar') to say where they are ('en el café').