LingoflyWhat a thing is and what state it's in: ser and estar with objects
With objects the fork between ser and estar decides almost every word about properties. And it decides not by what the adjective means, but by what you are saying about the thing. For example: “La bandeja es ovalada, pero está abollada por un lado” — The tray is oval, but it is dented on one side. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
With objects the fork between ser and estar decides almost every word about properties. And it decides not by what the adjective means, but by what you are saying about the thing.
Ser is what the thing is like by make: la mesa es redonda, el cristal es transparente. Material belongs here too: la caja es de cartón.
Estar is the state it is in now: la camisa está arrugada, la llave está oxidada. If washing, rust or sun produced it, the verb is estar.
The difference rings where both would fit. El pan es duro is that kind of bread; el pan está duro means it has gone stale. La sopa es espesa is the recipe; la sopa está espesa means it was overcooked.
Table
| phrase | verb | what it says |
|---|---|---|
| La mesa es plana | ser | flat by design |
| La mesa está torcida | estar | standing crooked right now |
| El vaso es transparente | ser | made of clear glass |
| El vaso está sucio | estar | nobody washed it |
| El pan es duro | ser | that's the variety |
| El pan está duro | estar | it's gone stale |
| Hay una capa de polvo | haber | introducing it into the conversation |
| La capa está seca | estar | the already-known layer |
By example
- The tray is oval, but it is dented on one side
- There's a hole in the pocket and the lining is worn out
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
What a thing is and what state it's in: how does it work in Spanish?
With objects the fork between ser and estar decides almost every word about properties. And it decides not by what the adjective means, but by what you are saying about the thing.
What does it look like in a Spanish example sentence?
“La bandeja es ovalada, pero está abollada por un lado” — The tray is oval, but it is dented on one side. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.