We covered when to use ser earlier in this unit, but what about estarto be (temporary) ? The verb estar is generally used for non-permanent (i.e. temporary) conditions, traits, or things, as opposed to serto be(permanent) which tends to be used for more permanent or lasting parameters. Let’s explore many of the common contexts in which you would use estar.
😢 Emotions/Feelings
Estou tão triste.I am so sad.
☔️ Weather
Hoje está calor.It is hot today.
🌡 Temperature
Está muito frio.It is very cold.
🧘🏼♂️ Describing a Temporary Stay
Hoje estou na floresta.Today I am in the forest.
👖 Clothing
Estou de calções azuis, t-shirt branca, e sapatilhas.I am wearing blue shorts, a white t-shirt, and trainers.
🧎🏽♂️Describing Positions
Estar is used to describe the position of your body or how an item is currently positioned.
Tu estás deitado na cama.You are lying on your bed.
A Daniela está sentada.Daniela is sitting down.
🏃🏾♀️ Actions
Use estar to describe an action that is currently happening. Example:
Estou a conduzir.I am driving.
E muito confuso!
When saying “Estou de calções azuis, t-shirt branca, e sapatilhas.”, could it also be “Estou a usar de”, or just “Uso de”?
You can say it a few different ways, such as “Estou de calções…” or “Tenho calções…” or “Estou a usar calções…” (without de) 🙂
Portuguese is definitely a very complex language, both grammatically and in how it is pronounced. Tough slogging ahead.
This sentence confused me : Estou de calções azuis, t-shirt branca, e sapatilhas.
It doesn’t seem to include the word ‘wearing’.
Agreed, this is tough going!
Olá, Heather. There are different ways of describing what you’re wearing, but that one is the most practical and to the point, with the construction estar de. As you said, it doesn’t include any other verb that would correspond to wearing, in English.
– Eu estou de preto. = I’m wearing black.
– Tu estás de vestido vermelho? = Are you wearing a red dress?
‘De’ = ‘in’ in English.
In English we would say ‘I am in black’ instead of ‘I am wearing black’. Depending on the context.
Yes that’s true, an alternate translation would just be “I’m in black”, etc. De corresponds to in in this context (but it also has many other meanings).
why in Portuguese is the correct sentence “A Daniela esta sentada” instead of just starting with the proper noun , as in “Daniela esta sentada?”
Olá, Oscar. On a strictly grammatical level, both are correct. However, for the most part, it’s not idiomatic to drop definite articles before people’s names in European Portuguese. We typically reserve it for formal/literary/journalistic writing. In Brazilian Portuguese, you might notice that they cling less to their definite articles in general 🙂
Thank you very much for your speedy reply.
I will be reading more about other people’s comments in future and also asking for help from time to time.
Your programme is the best I have used to date.
Ugh. I have to consider permanence just to say something “IS?” So I understand “Hoje está calor” because it COULD be cold tomorrow. But Antarctica is ALWAYS ❄️cold and one would say “É calor na Antártica.” I guess the idea is that “WEATHER” changes (or meteorologists would be unemployed). It’s confusing though, because TIME changes and the rule doesn’t seem to apply, but I figured it out…
TEN o’clock ⏰is ALWAYS TEN o’clock 🕙… at TEN o’clock 🕰❗️
Just a little correction so no-one gets confused.
Cold = frio
Hot = calor
It is correct to say “É frio na Antártica” because it is a place that is constantly cold.
I was surprised that the reflexive verb was not used in “Eles estão sentada rather than Eles estão se sentada [As in French but not English?]
Olá, John. The verb ‘sentar’ is usually used reflexively when it’s conjugated, but in “A Daniela está sentada”, all you have is the past participle. It wouldn’t be reflexive in French either, in this case. If you had something like “A Daniela sentou-se” (Daniela sat down), the reflexive aspect would be there 🙂
As with others, I am beginning to feel a bit confused. Encouraged to see I am not the only one though. I’ll keep plugging on and hopefully at some point it will click.
Glad you’re sticking with it! It’s normal for this to be confusing at first because the “rules” are not as clearcut as many other aspects of grammar. We start you out with these general guidelines and examples just to help you build an awareness of these important verbs. Over time, with more exposure to the language, the differences between ser and estar will start to make more sense. Don’t expect it to be crystal clear just yet, but feel free to ask questions when you’re feeling really lost and we are happy to help. 🙂
Thanks Molly! As you say, exposure is going to be key and once I start to “think” in Portuguese it will be much easier. This is my first attempt at learning a 2nd language and I am having a lot of fun!
Compared with Spanish I don’t understand the past participle in these sentences. Estou a conducir. Or eu estou dirigindo in Brazil. But you are firming the present progressive with the past participle A Daniela está sentada. I’m confused.
Olá, Jonathan. “Estou a conduzir” (EU-PT) or “estou dirigindo” (BR-PT) are perfect examples of what corresponds to the present continuous in Portuguese, with the auxiliary verb estar and the main verb in the infinitive or in the gerund (which also has some use in Portugal, by the way).
On the other hand, in “A Daniela está sentada”, the main and only verb is estar, so this is a different structure in Portuguese, even if it would be similarly translated in English. The word sentada obviously looks like the past participle, but grammatically, it works as an adjective here. It could be replaced by any other adjective and the sentence would still make sense:
– A Daniela está [sentada / triste / cansada / doente /…]
Are calor and quente interchangeable in “Hoje está calor”?
Obrigada!
Interesting question… in this particular sentence I guess we could say they are interchangeable! “Hoje está calor” or “Hoje está quente” are both immediately associated with the weather. Though “calor” should be the best option. Calor is more related to the weather or a sensation/feeling. Quente is more of a physical condition, more objectified. So “calor” and “quente” are not often interchangeable even though they’re strictly related.
Olá Joseph,
I was also confused by this structure, but for a slightly different reason. I didn’t understand why it wasn’t “A Daniela está a sentar,” in the present continuous, because the English translation underneath read “Daniela is sitting.” It makes sense that “sentada” is used as an adjective, much like we use regular past participles as adjectives in English. My question is, how do you know when to use one over the other? Is it just a matter of choosing which tense feels best to you in the moment, or is there a rule? This kind of reminds me of how British English speakers would say “Daniela is sat at the table,” as opposed to an American, who would say “Daniela is sitting at the table.” Is it just a matter of preference, like the English example?
Olá! Portuguese and English work differently here. For us, “A Daniela está a sentar-se” can only refer to the action of going from standing (or lying down) to sitting. It’s a dynamic sentence. On the other hand, “A Daniela está sentada” is static – it describes Daniela already stable in a sitting position. The two are not interchangeable in Portuguese 🙂 This dynamic vs. static idea should help you make the appropriate choice.
Note that this varies with context. The verb ‘sentar’ has this dynamic/movement component, but that wouldn’t apply to a verb such as ‘descansar’ (to rest). So, for example, if we wanted to say “Daniela is resting”, we would use “A Daniela está a descansar”, not “A Daniela está descansada”.
Hi and happy new year. In the sentence. (From memory ) Ha 3 horas que estou a espera. I expected the infinitive Esperar. Why is that incorrect?
Obrigado
Les
Feliz Ano Novo! “Estou à espera” (with accent on the A) literally translates to “I am in the wait for”. “Estou a esperar” is what you might recognize as the Portuguese equivalent of the present continuous, meaning “I am waiting for”. Both options are grammatically correct, but the first usually feels more natural for native speakers 🙂
Obrigado Joseph. I now see this specific topic had already been covered with the “Daniela” phrase above. There is so much info on your site I find it difficult to find what I’m looking for. Sorry for having you repeat what had already been extensively covered.
Lester
I wonder something, in a regular situation we would say “eles estão sentatos no banco”. But if we describe the situation in a painting. Would it be with SER, because it’s a constant feature of the characters there?
Olá! We would still use “estar” if we were describing the painting 🙂 In this case, changing the verb from ‘estar’ to ‘ser’ would actually change the meaning:
– Estar sentado = to be sitting down
– Ser sentado = to be put in a sitting position (i.e. to be sat by someone else, e.g. a parent sitting their baby on the couch)
Olá! Eu tenho uma pergunta sobre o verbo “estar” no passado. Eu tenho dificuldades em escolher uma forta certa (pretérito perfeito simples ou imperfeito). Quando é que se usa cada uma?
Por exemplo, 1) ontem eu estive / estava na praia; 2) Onde é que tu estiveste / estavas ontem?; 3) Onde é que tu estiveste / estavas, quando eu te telefonei?
Na verdade, há várias situações em que podem ser utilizados os dois tempos verbais sem grande impacto na intenção da frase. No entanto, usando os exemplos que deu, o pretérito perfeito simples é mais adequado a situações gerais do passado, ou seja, “ontem estive na praia”, “onde estiveste ontem?”, sem referência a uma outra situação específica, presumindo que se refere ao decorrer do dia. O pretérito imperfeito, por sua vez, implica uma situação passada num determinado momento: “ontem estava na praia, quando começou a chover”, “onde estavas ontem, quando te liguei/telefonei?”.
Resumindo: “Yesterday I was at the beach” = “Ontem estive na praia” (algo que FIZ/something I DID)
“Yesterday I was at the beach when it started raining” = “Ontem eu estava na praia quando começou a chover” (algo que ESTAVA A FAZER num momento específico/something I WAS DOING in a specific moment)
“Where were you yesterday?” = “Onde estiveste ontem?” (algo que FIZ/something I DID)
“Where were you yesterday when I called you?” = “Onde é que estavas ontem quando te liguei/telefonei?” (algo que ESTAVA A FAZER num momento específico/something I WAS DOING in a specific moment)
🙂
Obrigada! Foi o que pensei 🙂
Mas agora não tenho dúvidas!
Olá de novo! Eu tenho mais uma pergunta 🙂 Esta é a pergunta sobre a expessão “estar ausente”. Seria correto dizer:
1) Eu estive ausente pela última vez.
2) Eu estive ausente no trabalho por 10 dias.
3) Eu estava ausente no trabalho, quando o cliente telefonou.
Olá Volha!
1) “Eu estive ausente pela última vez” não é comum em português. Poderia ser “Esta foi a última vez que estive ausente” se estiver a referir-se à última ocorrência de uma ausência. Se se quiser referir à última vez que aconteceu algo, poderá dizer “Eu estive ausente [do trabalho/do país/de casa] da última vez que cá estiveste”.
2) “Eu estive ausente no trabalho por 10 dias” não está totalmente correto. Ficaria correto substituindo “no” por “do”: “Eu estive ausente DO trabalho por 10 dias”. Esta frase indica que a ausência já terminou.
3) “Eu estava ausente no trabalho, quando o cliente telefonou” também não está totalmente correta. Da mesma forma que a anterior: “Eu estava ausente DO trabalho, quando o cliente telefonou”. Esta frase descreve uma ação que estava a acontecer no passado durante outra ação.
“Estar ausente” é usado com “de” e não “em”, a menos que se refira a algo mais generalizado como por exemplo: “Estou ausente em funções no estrangeiro”, sendo que este “em” se refere às “funções” e não propriamente ao local da “ausência”.
🙂
Muito obrigada pelos seus comentários! Ajudaram-me muito! Eu não sabia que a expressão “estar ausente” é usada com a proposição “de”. Agora eu sei 🙂
E na primeira frase eu queria dizer que “eu estive ausente da última reunião / do último evento”. Eu não sabia como dizer isto.
I’m not sure if this comment belongs in this section, but here goes. I understand ser refers to permanent situations or characteristics, and estar temporary. Similarly, the past perfect refers to completed actions, the past imperfect to ongoing situations or actions. So, the past perfect of ser seems to be a contradiction – a permanent characteristic which ended in the past. The past imperfect of estar is a little more understandable…a non-permanent characteristic which started in the past but is still ongoing, but I assume is expected to end at some point. Can you clarify the past tenses of ser and estar, and how to use them correctly.
Olá! The temporary vs. permanent distinction is a helpful, but limited, rule of thumb we use as just a starting point to explain the use of these verbs. It’s not always applicable, or not strictly so. This is why we see apparent oddities such as saying “ele está morto” (death is presumably permanent) or “tu és uma criança” (childhood is temporary). Depending on the context, if not ignored altogether, it might be better to rephrase the rule of thumb as short-term vs prolonged, new/changed vs. old, or standard vs. non-standard. More on that on this forum topic: Ser ou Estar … quando usar? | Practice Portuguese)
Anyway, if one specific verb fits in the present tense, save for some exceptions (we always have them in Portuguese!), it should also work in the past tense without second thought or overthinking.
– Eu sou professor. / Eu fui professor. / Eu era professor.
– Ele é um bebé feliz. / Ele foi um bebé feliz. / Ele era um bebé feliz.
– Tu estás doente. / Tu estiveste doente. / Tu estavas doente.
– Estamos em Espanha. / Estivemos em Espanha no mês passado. / Estávamos em Espanha.
– Estou chateado. / Estava chateado. / Estive chateado OR Fiquei chateado. -> moods/emotions are a common exception, where in the simple past the verb ‘ficar’ tends to be used more than ‘estar’.
– Estás grande. / Eras pequeno. -> another common exception is when we’re using the verb ‘estar’ in the present to highlight something new or changed from our perspective; a reference to the past state might be preceded by the verb ‘ser’, depending on the aspect at hand or phrasing. The simple past is generally not applicable in these contexts, only the imperfect.
Can I ask what the plurals of this verb would be, for example, if the table is cold would it be ‘a mesa esta frio’ and if the tables plural are cold would it be ‘as mesas estao frios?’ Sorry for the strange example! Ha! Thanks
Olá. That’s right for the verb 🙂 Just make sure to also align any adjectives with the gender of the concerned noun. The correct sentences would be:
– A mesa está fria (singular)
– As mesas estão frias (plural)
…words like em+o = no , or the one above, em+a = na, and some others?
Thanks
Joao
That’s right! There’s a helpful chart in this Learning Note that covers the rest: Portuguese Contractions
Isn’t “camisa” t shirt?
Olá! In Portugal, we commonly use the term «t-shirt» as well. «Camisa» is translated to «shirt».