Spanish grammar
Ser vs estar vs hay: when to use each in Spanish
Spanish has three ways to say is. Ser says what something is (identity, origin, profession), estar says where it is or how it is right now, and hay says that something exists at all. The sections below build the split up step by step, from soy and eres to the three-way contrast es, está, hay.
In short
- ser (soy, eres, es, somos, son) says what something is: soy de México, ella es maestra.
- estar (estoy, estás, está, estamos, están) says where something is, or how it is right now: la llave está en la mesa, estamos bien.
- hay never changes and means there is or there are: hay una silla, hay dos libros. After no hay the article drops: no hay dinero.
- hay introduces something new; está locates something already known: ¿hay un banco cerca? Sí, el banco está al lado de la farmacia.
- The pronoun is usually dropped: soy Ana, not yo soy Ana, because the verb ending already says who.
I am, you are
«yo» = I, «tú» = you. «Yo soy Ana» — I am Ana. «Tú eres Diego» — you are Diego. Spanish usually drops the pronoun: «soy Ana» says it all — the verb ending carries the who.
Soy Diego
I'm Diego.
Yo soy Ana
I am Ana
Tú eres Ana
you are Ana
Me llamo
my name is…
He and she
«él» = he, «ella» = she (EH-ya — the ll again). «es» = he/she is. And «estudiante» — student: the same word for everyone.
Ella es estudiante
She is a student.
Él es estudiante
he is a student
Ella es Ana
SHE is Ana
Seis y siete
Six and seven
¿Cómo te llamas?
what's your name?
One word says 'there is' AND 'there are'
«hay» (sounds like English 'eye' — silent h, like hola): there is, there are, one word for both. «hay una silla» — there's a chair. Counting more than one? The noun grows an -s, just like English: «hay dos libros».
La ventana
the window
Hay una ventana y dos sillas
there's a window and two chairs
La casa
the house
Hay dos libros
there are two books
Saying no to hay
«no hay» means there isn't or there aren't: «no hay dinero», «no hay llave». The article drops out after «no hay»: nothing is there to point at, so there is no un or una.
El papel
the sheet of paper
Una llave
a key
Hay una llave aquí
there's a key here
Two different questions
Three words, three jobs. «hay» says something EXISTS: «hay una llave». «está» says WHERE it is: «la llave está aquí», «está en la casa» («en» covers in, on and at). «es» NAMES or identifies: «es un lápiz», «la llave es de Ana» (Ana's key).
La llave está aquí
the key is here
¿Dónde está?
where is it?
La cama
the bed
Está en la mesa
it's on the table
¿Dónde está la llave?
Where's the key?
Es un lápiz
it's a pencil
La llave está en la mesa
the key's on the table
The two forms of «ser» you were missing
«soy», «eres», «es»: I am, you are, he or she is. The table finishes with two more: «somos», we are, and «son», they are. «somos estudiantes», we are students. «ellos son mis amigos», they are my friends. «Ana y Sofía son de México», they are from Mexico. «son» also turns up in telling the time: «son las diez», it is ten o'clock. And one word that loves to follow a we: «juntos», together: «vivimos juntos».
Somos amigos
We are friends
Ana y Diego son estudiantes
Ana and Diego are students
Vivimos juntos en México
We live together in Mexico
Mis amigos son de México y viven aquí
My friends are from Mexico and live here
Somos amigos y vivimos juntos
We are friends and we live together
«estar» in the plural — where, and how
«está»: he or she is, somewhere or somehow. The plural: «estamos», we are; «están», they are, you all are. Where: «estamos en el parque», we are at the park; «ellos están en casa», they are at home. How: «¿cómo están?», how are you all?; «estamos bien», we are well. The ser/estar line holds in the plural: «somos estudiantes» says what we are, «estamos en la escuela» says where we are.
Estamos en casa
We are at home
Ustedes están aquí
You all are here
¿Cómo están ustedes?
How are you all?
Estamos en el cine y ellos están en casa
We are at the cinema and they are at home
Estamos bien y estamos juntos
We are well and we are together
Es, está, hay — the last split
«es» says WHAT something is: «el banco es grande». «está» says WHERE a specific, known place is: «el banco está cerca». «hay» says THAT something exists at all: «hay un banco cerca». Same bank, three different questions, three different verbs.
El banco está cerca, la farmacia está al lado, pero el hospital y el correo están lejos
The bank is close, the pharmacy is beside it, but the hospital and the post office are far
Hay una farmacia cerca, y es nueva
There's a pharmacy close by, and it's new
El hospital es viejo, pero está cerca
The hospital is old, but it's close
Hay un banco cerca — es grande, y está al lado de la farmacia
There's a bank close by; it's big, and it's beside the pharmacy
Check yourself
Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.
1.Which one means 'we are'?
2.Which one means 'we are' (where, or how)?
3.'The supermarket is big': which word fits?
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