Using the verb To be is Spanish might be a bit hard for some English speakers, basically because Spanish uses two different verbs to express To Be: SER- ESTAR
It is important to know the different situations when you should use one or the other.
SER
- To identify: Esta es mi novia. (This is my girlfriend)
- To talk about nationality: Olga es rusa. (Olga is Russian)
- To say your profession: Roberto es peluquero. (Roberto is a hairdresser)
- To describe: Este libro es aburrido. (This book is boring)
- To express property: Este es mi libro. (This is my book)
- To talk about the time: Hoy es jueves. (Today is Thrusday) / Vámonos, ya son las tres. (Let’s go, it’s three oclock already!)
- Place in time and space specific events: La conferencia será en el salón de actos. (The conference will be at the conference room)
ESTAR
- To talk about the location of things or people: Celia está en clase. (Celia is in the classroom).
- To express how you feel: Nuria está preocupada. (Nuria is borried)/ Carlos parece que está enfermo. (Carlos is ill)
- To make staments about things: Tu habitación está muy desordenada. (Your room is very untidy)/ Tu falda está sucia.(Your skirt is dirty).
Some adjetive can be used with both verbs but then their meaning changes.
- If we use SER then we describe the subject of the sentence: Joaquín es alegre.
- If we use ESTAR then we talk about a temporal stament (estado pasajero, temporal): Joaquín está tranquilo (maybe he had been very nervous before).María está contenta (maybe she was very sand before).
Ser and Estar can ve used either way with the following adjetives: soltero, casasdo, divorciado y viudo.