Portuguese 2.3. The Verb “To Be”: “Ser” vs. “Estar”

When to use “Ser” vs. “Estar” is one of the challenging topics in Portuguese. Here, we seek understanding the difference between the two verbs: “Ser” and “Estar,” both meaning “to be” in English.

It is often tricky for English speakers to wrap their heads around the difference, but we will explain the difference in a simple manner. Before we do that, you need to recognize the two verbs in their present tense indicative conjugated forms.

	ser	estar
eu	sou	estou
ele/ela/você	é	está
nós	somos	estamos
eles/elas/vocês	são	estão

We have encountered the verbs “ser” and “estar” in Lesson 2 of this level. We have seen that the verb “estar” is irregular only in the first-person “eu” form and is regular in all other forms. On the other hand, the verb “ser” is irregular in all its forms. Thus, it must be memorized because it is a very important verb that you will encounter frequently.

Now, let us look at the difference in meaning between “ser” and “estar.” The easiest way to distinguish between the two is to remember the uses of “estar.” These tend to be more limited than the uses of “ser.” If you remember the uses of “estar,” you can safely assume that everything else should take the verb “ser.”

Uses of the Verb “estar”

1. To describe location, e.g., “Onde está ele?” (Where is he?), “Estou aqui” (I am here), “Eu não sei onde estão as chaves” (I don’t know where the keys are). There are two exceptions:

• To describe a permanent geographical location, we use the verb “ser,” e.g., “São Paulo é no Brasil” (Sao Paulo is in Brazil), “Manaus é no norte do Brasil” (Manaus is in the north of Brazil), etc. Alternatively, the verb “ficar” can be used instead of “ser” to provide the same meaning, e.g., “São Paulo fica no Brasil” (Sao Paulo is in Brazil).
• Another notable exception is when we describe where an event (and not a physical thing) is taking place. In that case, we use “ser,” e.g., “O jogo é no estádio” (The match is in the stadium), “Onde é o encontro?” (Where is the meeting?), etc.

2. To describe a temporary state, condition, or emotion, e.g., “Estou deitado” (I am lying down), “Meu amigo está doente” (My friend is sick), “Eles estão felizes” (They are happy).

As you can observe, lying down, being sick, and being happy are temporary states. Therefore, we use the verb “estar.” There are a few exceptions:

• Occupation, religion, nationality, and political affiliation: Although one may change any of those, we use the verb “ser” to describe these states, e.g., “Sou engenheiro” (I am an engineer), “Ela é católica” (She is Catholic), “Ele é português” (He is Portuguese), “Eles são socialistas” (They are socialists), etc.
• Time: Although time changes, we use the verb “ser” to describe it, e.g., “Que horas são?” (What time is it?), “São 9 horas” (It is 9 o’clock), “Hoje é sexta-feira” (Today is Friday), etc.
• Physical description: Although one may grow up taller, lose, or gain weight, we still use the verb “ser,” e.g., “Ele é alto e magro” (He is tall and thin).
• Relationships: whether they are unchangeable, e.g., “Ela é minha mãe” (She is my mother), or changeable, e.g., “Ele é meu chefe” (He is my boss), “Ela é minha esposa” (She is my spouse), etc.

Uses of the Verb “ser”

Most other cases use the verb “ser,” especially if they describe the essence, origin, or characteristics of something or someone, e.g., “Sou Diego” (I am Diego), “Ela é do Chile” (She is from Chile), “Essa cadeira é de madeira” (This chair is made of wood), “Ele é amigável” (He is friendly), “Ela é inteligente” (She is intelligent), etc.

Different Meaning using “Ser” vs. “Estar”

In some cases, using “ser” or “estar” can convey a different meaning. For example, “Ele é ciumento” and “Ele está ciumento” both are translated as “He is jealous.” However, “Ele é ciumento” conveys that someone is jealous by nature and that this is a characteristic of him, whereas “Ele está ciumento” conveys that he is feeling jealous in response to a certain condition or event.

The statement “O sorvete é delicioso” (Ice cream is delicious) means that ice cream, in general, has the characteristic of being delicious, whereas “O sorvete está delicioso” likely refers to a specific ice cream that tastes delicious because of its ingredients, flavor, preparation, etc.

Similarly, “A maçã é verde” and “A maçã está verde” both are translated as “The apple is green.” However, “A maçã é verde” describes the color of the apple as an intrinsic characteristic of the apple, whereas “A maçã está verde” refers more to the state of the apple being unripe.

Another more common example is when we describe the climate of a place versus the weather at a particular time, e.g., “Canadá é muito frio” (Canada is very cold) describes Canada as a cold place, indicating that being cold is a permanent trait of the place. On the other hand, “Está frio hoje” (It is cold today) simply means that the weather is cold at a specific time, that is, today.

Describing Being Dead using “Estar”

We use the verb “estar” to describe being alive, that is “vivo,” or dead, that is “morto.” For example, we say “Está morto,” referring to a dead male person, or “Está morta,” referring to a dead female person. We do not use “ser” in this case. To describe one’s marital status, we use “ser” even though marital status is subject to change, e.g., “Sou casado” (I am married), “É soltera” (She is single), etc.

The Verb “ficar” meaning “to be”

In general, the verb “ficar” means “to stay” or “to be located.”  For example:

Você pode ficar conosco hoje.	You can stay with us today.
Onde fica o escritório do gerente?	Where is the manager’s office?

Notice that when used to describe a permanent geographical location, it is equivalent to the verb “ser” as discussed earlier.

Another use of the verb “ficar” is to describe change of a feeling or emotion. Depending on the context, it can mean “to be,” “to get,” or even sometimes “to stay.” For example:

Fiquei surpreso por ele ter decidido renunciar.	I was surprised he decided to resign.
Ela ficou triste quando contei a ela.	She got sad when I told her.
Ele sempre fica calmo sob pressão.	He always stays calm under pressure.

The general rule is to use “ficar” instead of “estar” if the verb is followed by a word that indicates emotion and the context implies a change in emotion. We could still use “ficar” to describe a change in non-emotional state. In this case, it is often translated as “to get.” For example:

Eles ficaram ricos trabalhando duro.	They got rich by working hard.
Ficou tarde e tivemos que ir embora.	It got late and we had to leave.

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