Thinkabara

🇪🇸 Spanish for Beginners · Lesson 6 of 8

ser, estar and tener

Google Classroom

Two ways to say “to be”, and “to have”.

ser — who and what something is

yo soyI am
tú eresyou are
él / ella / usted eshe / she / you (formal) is
nosotros somoswe are
ellos / ustedes sonthey / you all are

estar — how and where

yo estoyI am
tú estásyou are
él / ella / usted estáhe / she is
nosotros estamoswe are
ellos / ustedes estánthey are

Which one?

Ser is for things that define: identity, origin, profession, description, time (Soy Ana. Soy de Texas. Es médica. Son las tres.). Estar is for states and location: feelings, conditions, where something is (Estoy cansado. ¿Dónde está el baño? La sopa está fría.).

tener — to have

tengoI have
tienesyou have
tienehe/she has
tenemoswe have
tienenthey have

tener for age and feelings

Spanish uses “have” where English uses “be”: Tengo 15 años (I am 15 — literally “I have 15 years”). Tengo hambre (I’m hungry), tengo sed (thirsty), tengo frío (cold), tengo calor (hot), tengo sueño (sleepy).

Tip

💡 A rhyme to remember: “How you feel and where you are, that is when you use estar.”

✏️ Practice: your turn

  1. Say 3 sentences with ser about yourself
  2. Say 3 sentences with estar: how you feel and where you are
  3. Say your age with tener
  4. Say: tengo hambre, tengo sed, tengo frío

🧠 Quick quiz

Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.

1. “I am tired” in Spanish:
2. “I am from Texas”:
3. “I am 16 years old”:
4. “Where is the bathroom?”:

0 of 4 correct

All lessons in Spanish for Beginners

  1. 🗣️ 1. Pronunciation and lettersFive pure vowels, ñ, ll, j, silent h and rolled rr
  2. 👋 2. Hello, how are you?Greetings, introductions and ¿Cómo te llamas?
  3. 🔢 3. Numbers and colorsNumbers 0–20 and ten colors
  4. 👨‍👩‍👧 4. Family and peopleMom, dad, siblings, el and la, and plurals
  5. 🌮 5. Food, café and restaurantOrder, ask and get the check
  6. ⚖️ 6. ser, estar and tenerTwo ways to say “to be”, and “to have”
  7. ⏰ 7. Days, time and weather¿Qué hora es?, ¿Dónde está…? and question words
  8. 🧳 8. 50 travel phrases, and what’s nextThe phrases that save a trip, and how to keep learning