ser & estar: forms and core uses

What it is

Portuguese has two verbs for "to be", just like Spanish. ser says what or who someone or something is: a name, an origin, a job, a personality, the day or the time. estar says how or where someone or something is at the moment: a feeling, a location, the weather.

A quick test: if the sentence answers "what is it?" or "what is it like?", use ser. If it answers "how is it right now?" or "where is it?", use estar. Both verbs are irregular, and both are among the most frequent words in the language.

How to form it

• é has an accent. Without it, e means "and".
• está has one too. Without it, esta means "this" (esta casa).
• são and estão end in nasal -ão. Portuguese has no -an ending here.
• a gente, the everyday "we", takes the singular: a gente é, a gente tá.
• In speech, estar drops its first syllable: tô, tá, tão. That is how most Brazilians talk and text, at any age and in every region. In formal writing, use estou, está, estão.

When to use it

ser says what or who:

• Sou de Porto Alegre.I’m from Porto Alegre.origin
• A Camila é enfermeira.Camila is a nurse.job, with no article
• Meu avô é muito calmo.My grandfather is very calm.personality
• O Rafael é casado.Rafael is married.marital status
• Hoje é sexta. São oito horas.Today is Friday. It’s eight o’clock.days and time
• A festa é na casa da Luana.The party is at Luana’s place.where an event takes place

estar says how or where, right now:

• Tô cansada hoje.I’m tired today.how you feel now
• A Ana tá em casa.Ana is at home.where a person is
• As chaves estão na mesa.The keys are on the table.where a thing is
• Tá frio em Curitiba.It’s cold in Curitiba.the weather right now
• Tô com fome.I’m hungry.estar com + noun

Contrasts and traps

• Places that don’t move take ficar ("to be located") or ser: Onde fica o banco? A praia é perto. People and things that move take estar: A Ana tá no banco. As chaves estão na mesa.
• Hungry, thirsty, sleepy, cold, in a hurry: estar com + noun. Tô com fome, com sede, com sono, com frio, com pressa. Compare tô com frio (I feel cold) with tá frio (the weather is cold).
• Married, single, divorced take ser: Sou solteira. O Rafael é casado.
• Jobs take ser and no article: Ela é enfermeira, not uma enfermeira.
• Feelings take estar: Tô feliz hoje. English "I am" hides the choice, so ask yourself: is this what she is, or how she is right now?
• Greetings use estar: Como você está? — Tô bem, e você? But Como você é? asks what someone is like.

If you speak Spanish

Your instincts about ser and estar work most of the time, so trust them. Watch three exceptions. Fixed places take ficar: ¿Dónde está el banco? is Onde fica o banco? Tener hambre, sed, sueño, frío or prisa becomes estar com: tô com fome. And está casado is é casado. Also check the spelling of the forms you will type every day: é, são, estão, never es, son, están.