This Spanish Easy Review grammar quiz will test you on the verbs ser and estar. Spanish has three types of verbs that include ar verbs, er verbs and ir verbs. In addition, it has regular verbs and irregular verbs. This quiz will cover two irregular verbs but verbs that mean the same thing - sort of. The two verbs covered in this quiz are: ser and estar. Both verbs mean 'to be'.
Both verbs refer to a condition. The verb ser refers to a more permanent condition whereas the verb estar refers to a temporary condition. For example, if you were to say, 'I am a girl', that is a permanent condition so you would use the verb ser to describe what you are.
If, on the other hand, you were to say, 'I am sad', being sad is most likely a temporary condition. In this case you would use the verb estar. So all you have to remember when using these two verbs is whether the condition is permanent or temporary. Now let’s look at how each verb is conjugated.
SER
Pronoun | Present Tense | English Meaning |
yo | soy | I am |
tú | eres | you are (familiar) |
usted | es | you are (formal) |
él | es | he is |
ella | es | she is |
nosotros/as | somos | we are (note the masculine and feminine forms) |
vosotros/as | sois | you are (plural - familiar) |
ustedes | son | you are (plural - formal) |
ellos/ellas | son | they are (note the masculine and feminine forms) |
ESTAR
Pronoun | Present Tense | English Meaning |
yo | estoy | I am |
tú | estás | you are (familiar) |
usted | está | you are (formal) |
él | está | he is |
ella | está | she is |
nosotros/as | estamos | we are (note the masculine and feminine forms) |
vosotros/as | estáis | you are (plural - familiar) |
ustedes | están | you are (plural - formal) |
ellos/ellas | están | they are (note the masculine and feminine forms) |
Pay close attention to the conjugation of the verb ser as it has no rules but is total memorization. Notice that the phonetic pronunciation of 'son' is not like sun but is like the word on with an 's' before it. However, somos is pronounced sō-oōs and sois is pronounced soy-ěs.
As ser is permanent and estar is temporary, you can be fooled if you do not pay attention. When writing, reading and/or speaking you have to think this through because some things can be both permanent and temporary depending on the context. For example, notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.
The apple is green. (Meaning the apple is not ripe. This condition is temporary.)
The apple is green. (Meaning the color of the apple is green. This condition is permanent.)
In the first case, the example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened and is not ready to eat. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened and it can be eaten, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe (red). The verb estar should be used here.
In the second case, the example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened. In other words, it is a permanent condition for the apple to remain green. The verb ser should be used here.
Helpful Hints
The verb ser is used to tell the time and date, place of origin, occupation, nationality, religious and/or political affiliation, the material something is made of, possession, relationship of one person to another, certain impersonal expressions, where an event takes place and qualities. The verb estar is used to express geographical or physical location, temporary or changing conditions such as the weather, feelings, age, many idiomatic expressions and progressive tenses.
Now it is time to move on to the quiz section. Below you will see ten sentences where the verb 'to be' will be shown. From the answers given you must determine the correct conjugated verb and correct 'to be' that should be used in the context of the sentence. Don’t forget to think whether the situation calls for a permanent or temporary condition.