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Estar, Ser, and Subject Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Singular Plural
yo     I nosotros     we
tú     you vosotros     you
The familiar singular form tú is used with friends and family; its usage varies from country to country. The familiar plural form vosotros is used only in Spain.
él     he ellos     they
The masculine plural form ellos refers to a group of males or to a group that includes both males and females.
ella     she ellas     they
The feminine plural form ellas refers to a group that includes only females.
usted     you ustedes     you
Usted is more formal than tú. It is used when meeting people for the first time, in business situations, and with a person you might not know well. Its abbreviation is Ud. The plural form ustedes is used to address more than one person. Latin Americans use ustedes for the plural of both tú and Ud. (since vosotros is used only in Spain). Its abbreviation is Uds.
There is no subject pronoun it in Spanish. É1 and ella refer to people and sometimes to animals, but not to things.

Estar (to be)

Spanish has two verbs that are equivalent to English to be. Begin with the conjugation of the verb estar.
yo estoy I am
tú estás you are
él está he is
ella está she is
Ud. está you are
nosotros estamos we are
vosotros estáis you are
ellos están they are
ellas están they are
Uds. están you are
Practice the conjugations of the verb aloud. Notice that él, ella, and Ud. have the same form of the verb (the third-person singular). Notice also that ellos, ellas, and Uds. have the same form of the verb (the third-person plural).
Estar is used to express four basic concepts: location, health, changing mood or condition, and personal opinion in terms of taste or appearance.
•    Location
Estar is used to describe where something or someone is physically located.
Yo estoy en la clase. I am in the class.
Nosotros estamos en el carro. We are in the car.
El restaurante está en la ciudad. The restaurant is in the city.
Ellas están en el baño. They are in the bathroom.
¿Estás tú en el hospital? Are you in the hospital?
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The verb, which carries the action of the phrase, is the essential element of the Spanish sentence or question because of the amount of information it contains.
Verb Definitions
The infinitive is the unconjugated form of the verb. For example, to be is an infinitive in English. The conjugations are the forms of the verb that belong to a particular pronoun or noun subject. I am and he is are examples of conjugations of the infinitive to be.
•    Health
Yo estoy bien, gracias. I am fine, thanks.
Ella está enferma. She is sick.
Los doctores están enfermos. The doctors are sick.
¿Cómo están Uds.? How are you?
Estamos bien. We are well.
•    Changing Mood or Condition
La muchacha está contenta. The girl is happy.
Estoy feliz. I am happy.
Los hombres están cansados. The men are tired.
Estamos alegres. We are happy.
¿Estás enojado? Are you angry?
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Often the pronouns yo, tú, and nosotros are omitted. This is possible because estoy can only mean I am, estás means you are whether tú is included or not, and estamos carries the meaning we are.
•    Personal opinion in terms of taste or appearance
When estar is used with food, the English equivalent is taste or tastes. When estar is used with appearance, the English equivalent is look or looks.
La comida está buena. The meal is (tastes) good.
El pescado está delicioso. The fish is (tastes) delicious.
La sopa está sabrosa. The soup is (tastes) delicious.
Ella está hermosa hoy. She is (looks) pretty today.
Él está guapo. He is (looks) handsome.
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A Word About Word Order
As you begin learning the basic structure of the Spanish language, you will discover that the word order of English and Spanish is essentially the same for the material covered in Part I, which includes the basic elements of a sentence.
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Key Vocabulary

These words will help enhance your ability to communicate. As you learn them, remember to practice them aloud.

Interrogative Words

¿cómo? how?
¿dónde? where?
¿quién? who?

Adverbs of Location

aquí, acá here
allí, allá there

Adjectives

alegre happy (merry)
bonito pretty
bueno good
cansado tired
contento happy (contented)
delicioso delicious
enfermo sick
enojado angry
feliz happy
guapo beautiful, handsome
hermoso beautiful, handsome
lindo pretty
sabroso delicious
NOTE: Guapo describes people only; bonito, hermoso, and lindo are used to describe both people and things.
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Exercise 2.1

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of estar. Pay attention to the meaning of each sentence. Then indicate whether the sentence expresses health, location, changing mood, or changing condition.
EXAMPLES    Nosotros   estamos   en la clase. (  location  )
La profesora   está   enferma. (  health  )
1.  Daniel _________________ muy cansado hoy. (_________________)
2.  El teléfono y el libro _________________ en la mesa. (_________________)
3.  La mujer _________________ bien; el hombre _________________ enfermo. (_________________)
4.  ¿Cómo _________________ Uds.? (_________________)
5.  ¿Dónde _________________ ellos? (_________________)
6.  ¿Dónde _________________ el baño, por favor? (_________________)
7.  El niño _________________ enojado y la niña _________________ triste. (_________________)
8.  Los muchachos _________________ alegres. (_________________)
9.  Yo _________________ contento. (_________________)
10.  ¿Quién _________________ aquí? (_________________)
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Exercise 2.2

Translate the following sentences into Spanish.
1.  I am in the yellow house. Where are you?
2.  The red blouses are in the big store.
3.  The white flower is in the window.
4.  We are in the train.
5.  How are you? I am fine, thanks.
6.  We are tired, and we are happy.

Ser (to be)

The Spanish verb ser is also equivalent to English to be.
In English, there is a single verb that means to be. We say, for example:
The dog is here. (location)
The dog is brown. (description)
The verb is the same in both cases. But in Spanish, there is a difference, and you have to choose the correct verb.
yo soy I am
tú eres you are
él es he is
ella es she is
Ud. es you are
nosotros somos we are
vosotros sois you are
ellos son they are
ellas son they are
Uds. son you are
Ser is used to express seven basic concepts: description, profession, point of origin, identification, material, possession or ownership, and where an event takes place.
•    Description
La casa es roja. The house is red.
El libro es azul. The book is blue.
Los carros son viejos. The cars are old.
Somos simpáticos. We are nice.
¿Es la flor amarilla? Is the flower yellow?
•    Profession
Yo soy estudiante. I am a student.
Él es arquitecto. He is an architect.
Ellas son maestras excelentes. They are excellent teachers.
Somos doctores. We are doctors.
Roberto es abogado. Robert is a lawyer.
¿Eres tú ingeniero? Are you an engineer?
Spanish does not translate a/an when stating an unmodified profession.
Unmodified José es estudiante.
Modified José es un estudiante fantástico.
•    Point of origin
De here means from.
¿De dónde es Ud.? Where are you from? (sing.)
¿De dónde son Uds.? Where are you from? (pl.)
Yo soy de Nueva York. I am from New York.
¿De dónde es ella? Where is she from?
Somos de Italia. We are from Italy.
Ellos son de los Estados Unidos. They are from the United States.
El vino es de Portugal. The wine is from Portugal.
La cerveza es de México. The beer is from Mexico.
El café es de Brazil. The coffee is from Brazil.
In common English usage, we often end a sentence with a preposition, for example, Where are you from? This never occurs in Spanish; the preposition cannot ever end a sentence, so the preposition, in this case de, is placed in front of the interrogative word dónde.
•    Identification
Identification specifies characteristics such as relationship, nationality, race, or religion.
Somos amigos. We are friends.
José y Eduardo son hermanos. Joe and Ed are brothers.
Pablo es español. Paul is Spanish.
¿Eres tú cubano? Are you Cuban?
Ella es católica. She is Catholic.
•    Material
De here means of.
La mesa es de madera. The table is of wood.
La bolsa es de plástico. The bag is of plastic.
Los zapatos son de cuero. The shoes are of leather.
Las ventanas son de vidrio. The windows are of glass.
La casa es de piedra. The house is of stone.
•    Possession or ownership
De here means of.
La muñeca es de la niña. It’s the child’s doll.
    (The doll is of the child.)
Los amigos son de María. They are María’s friends.
    (The friends are of María.)
La idea es de Pedro. The idea is Pedro’s.
    (The idea is of Pedro.)
El barco es del hombre rico. The boat belongs to the rich man.
    (The boat is of the rich man.)
Los perros son del muchacho. The dogs belong to the boy.
    (The dogs are of the boy.)
Los gatos son del niño. The cats belong to the child.
    (The cats are of the child.)
El carro es de los amigos. The car belongs to the friends.
    (The car is of the friends.)
NOTE:  The contraction: de + el (of + the) = del. There are only two contractions in the Spanish language; del is one of them. Use de (English of) to express possession or ownership. When de (English of) is followed by the masculine el (English the), the words contract to del, meaning of the.
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A Word About Possessives
You can see that the translations above are not exact. There is no apostrophe in Spanish, so when you think of Peter’s car, for example, the Spanish structure is el carro de Pedro (the car of Peter). Make sure you understand this concept and use whichever English translation seems clearest to you.
•    Where an event takes place
La fiesta es en la casa de José. The party is (takes place) in Joe’s house.
El concierto es en el club. The concert is (takes place) in the club.
La protesta es en la capital. The protest is (takes place) in the capital.
The equivalent English translation is take or takes place.
The party takes place at Joe’s house.
The concert takes place at the club.
The protest takes place in the capital.
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Exercise 2.3

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of ser in each blank. Indicate whether the sentence expresses description, profession, point of origin, identification, material, or possession in parentheses.
EXAMPLE    El hombre   es   guapo. La mujer   es   guapa también. (  description  )
1.  El café ______________ de Colombia. (_________________)
2.  Ellos ______________ doctores. Ella ______________ profesora. (_________________)
3.  ¿De dónde ______________ los turistas? (_________________)
4.  Los hermanos de Pablo ______________ simpáticos. (_________________)
5.  El hotel viejo ______________ excelente. (_________________)
6.  Nosotros ______________ amigos de Raúl. (_________________)
7.  Los zapatos ______________ de cuero. (_________________)
8.  La mujer y el hombre ______________ de Ecuador. (_________________)
9.  Yo ______________ de Puerto Rico. ¿De dónde ______________ Ud.? (_________________)
10.  El apartamento ______________ de los estudiantes jóvenes. (_________________)
11.  ¿______________ tú una estudiante maravillosa? (_________________)
12.  Los tomates ______________ verdes y rojos. (_________________)
13.  ¿Quién ______________ el presidente de los Estados Unidos? (_________________)
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Exercise 2.4

A.    Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of ser. Indicate the reason for your choice in parentheses.
1.  Helena ______________ de Colombia. (_________________)
2.  El hermano de ella ______________ católico. (_________________)
3.  Ellos ______________ profesores excelentes. (_________________)
4.  Los carros ______________ grises. (_________________)
5.  Nosotros ______________ estudiantes. (_________________)
B.    Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of estar. Indicate the reason for your choice in parentheses.
1.  San Francisco _________________ en California. (_________________)
2.  ¿Córno _________________ Ud.? Yo _________________ bien. (_________________)
3.  El profesor _________________ enfermo. (_________________)
4.  Nosotros _________________ en la clase. (_________________)
5.  ¿_________________ tú triste? (_________________)
6.  Los perros _________________ en el carro. (_________________)
C.    Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of either ser or estar. Indicate the reason for each choice in parentheses.
EXAMPLES    Yo   soy   español. (  identification  )
Ellos   están  aqui (  location  )
1.  José y Juan _________________ enfermos. (_________________)
2.  Tú _________________ abogado. (_________________)
3.  La lección _________________ fácil. (_________________)
4.  Los estudiantes _________________ en la ciudad. (_________________)
5.  ¿Cómo _________________ Uds.? Nosotros _________________ bien, gracias. (_________________, _________________)
6.  Elias _________________ inteligentes. (_________________)
7.  ¿Dónde _________________ los doctores? (_________________)
8.  El profesor _________________ contento. (_________________)
9.  Los espejos en el baño _________________ grandes. (_________________)
10.  La mesa, las sillas blancas y la lámpara _________________ en la casa, pero la casa _________________ pequeña. (_________________, _________________)
11.  La amiga de Sara _________________ enferma y Sara _________________ triste. (_________________, _________________)
12.  Las puertas de la casa _________________ fuertes. (_________________)
13.  Los tomates _________________ en la tienda. Los tomates verdes _________________ de California; los tomates rojos _________________ de Guatemala. (_________________, _________________, _________________)
14.  ¿(De dónde _________________ el vino blanco? (_________________)
15.  Los muchachos y las muchachas _________________ en el tren. Ellos _________________ contentos porque _________________ amigos. (_________________, _________________, _________________)
16.  ¿Quién _________________ en el baño? (_________________)
17.  ¿Dónde _________________ la familia de Fernando? (_________________)
18.  Nosotros _________________ contentes porque nosotros _________________ estudiantes excelentes. (_________________, _________________)
19.  ¿________________ Ud. de Suramérica? Ellos ________________ de España. (_________________, _________________)
20.  Julia _________________ alegre porque la fiesta _________________ fantástica. (_________________, _________________)
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Exercise 2.5

Answer the following questions aloud using the appropriate form of ser or estar.
1.  ¿Cómo estás?
2.  ¿Dónde está la hermana de Teresa?
3.  ¿De dónde es Ud.?
4.  ¿Quién está en el carro caro?
5.  ¿Dónde es el concierto?
6.  ¿Está Ud. alegre?
7.  ¿Es fácil la lección?
8.  ¿Dónde están las flores hermosas? ¿De dónde son?
9.  ¿Es grande el apartamento de Tomás?
10.  ¿Estás cansado?
11.  ¿Están los periódicos en la casa de Alicia?
12.  ¿Dónde está el restaurante barato de la ciudad?
13.  ¿Es Ud. de Europa?
14.  ¿Eres estudiante o profesor?
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Exercise 2.6

Complete the following letter with the appropriate form of ser or estar.
Queridos amigos,
¿Cómo _________________ (1.) Uds.? Yo _________________ (2.) aquí en Madrid. La ciudad _________________ (3.) hermosa. El museo del Prado _________________ (4.) en el centro de la ciudad y _________________ (5.) muy interesante. La gente _________________ (6.) simpática y la comida _________________ (7.) deliciosa. Hasta luego.
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    Reading Comprehension

La casa

Mi casa es vieja y grande, con muchas ventanas. Las cortinas en toda la casa son gruesas. Las paredes del interior de la casa son blancas; el exterior es gris. El patio es bonito, con flores todavía. Un espejo antiguo y una mesa de madera fina están en el vestíbulo. El comedor es sencillo, con una mesa y seis sillas; la alfombra es roja y azul marino. La cocina es amplia, con paredes amarillas y gabinetes blancos.
La nevera es bastante grande, y la estufa y el horno están limpios. Dos sillones cómodos y un piano están en la sala. Mi alcoba con un baño privado es azul y blanca. Mis libros, mis cuadernos, mis lápices y bolígrafos, mi colección de discos compactos, y mis videos están en el estudio. Hoy es un día hermoso.

Nombres (Nouns)

la alcoba the bedroom,
la alfombra the rug
el bolígrafo the ballpoint pen
la cocina the kitchen
la colección the collection
el comedor the dining room,
la cortina the curtain
el cuaderno the notebook
el espejo the mirror
el estudio the study
la estufa the stove
el gabinete the cabinet
el horno the oven
el lápiz the pencil
la madera the wood
la nevera the refrigerator
la pared the wall
el patio the yard
la sala the living room
el sillón the easy chair
el vestíbulo the entryway
el video the video

Adjetivos (Adjectives)

amplio ample
antiguo old
azul marino navy blue
cómodo comfortable
fino fine, delicate
grueso thick
limpio clean
mi, mis my (sing., pi.)
privado private
sencillo simple
todo all

Adverbios (Adverbs)

bastante enough
todavía still
Preguntas (Questions)
After you have read the selection, answer the following questions in Spanish.
1.  ¿Es nueva la casa? ___________________________________________
2.  ¿Es bonito el día? ___________________________________________
3.  ¿Es grande la cocina? ___________________________________________
4.  ¿Dónde está el piano? ___________________________________________