Are you familiar with the verbs serto be (permanent state) and estarto be (temporary state) ? Even with a lot of practice, they are still easy to mix up! Don’t worry: in this unit you’ll learn more about when to use one versus the other.
A Basic Distinction: Ser vs Estar
- Ser is typically used to describe permanent states or conditions. It refers to an immutable or long-lasting attribute of the person or object being described. Here’s the verb conjugated in the present tense:
Indicativo
- Estar is typically used for temporary states or conditions. Here it is in the present tense:
Indicativo
This is the simplest way to think about the difference, but keep in mind that these are just guidelines, not strict rules. Even advanced Portuguese speakers often have to think twice. With more exposure to the language, you’ll gradually get more comfortable with when each verb is used.
Using Estar and Ser in Phrases
As we said, although it’s not infallible, determining whether an attribute is permanent or temporary can often help you decide between ser vs estar in Portuguese.
Even though they both mean to be, the implied meaning can be completely different! For example:
Tu és diferente!You are different! (unique)
Tu estás diferente!You are different! (something has changed)
The former, using serto be (permanent) , suggests that being different is a character trait of this person. They’ve always been like that, or have been like that for some time.
The latter, using estarto be (temporary) , is an acknowledgment that something has changed with this person. It most commonly relates to a change in physical appearance, but could also refer to demeanor, personality, or tastes, for example. It can be positive or negative.
Here are a few more examples:
Ser
- Permanent physical features: Ela é muito alta.She is very tall.
- Permanent (or at least long-term) personality traits: Ele é muito tímido.He is very shy.
- Describing professions: Ela é médica.She is a doctor.
- Read more about Ser
Estar
- Temporary physical states: Nós estamos muito cansados.We are very tired.
- Temporary emotional traits: Tu estás muito nervoso, relaxa!You are very nervous, relax!
- An action that is happening now (as an auxiliary verb): Ele está a trabalhar.He is working.
- Read more about Estar
But What About…
As a beginner, this temporary vs permanent distinction is the most straightforward way to think about ser vs estar in Portuguese. As you continue to learn, however, you’ll probably start to realize that it’s not always that simple! For example, in Portuguese it is correct to say:
- São duas horas da tardeIt's 2 o'clock in the afternoon (Ser – Did time stop? Will it always be 2 p.m.??)
- Os carros são novosThe cars are new (Ser – Do cars never get old in Portugal?)
- Está partidoIt's broken (Estar – Is it still temporary if there’s no way to put it back together?)
- Ele está mortoHe is dead (Estar – I thought death was permanent… Are Portuguese people zombies!? 🧟♂️ )
- O cérebro está na cabeçaThe brain is in the head (Estar – Uhh… I would hope that’s not temporary! This zombie theory is sounding more plausible…)
As you can see, one could analyze each phrase to death 🧟♀️ and still not know which verb to use. Instead, study the general “rules” to help you approach the language, but let your experience from what you hear be your ultimate guide. Getting frequent listening practice allows your brain to pick up the patterns that can’t always be described in words!
If you want to keep nerding out on this topic, continue the discussion in our members forum where Joseph provides more great tips on distinguishing ser vs estar in Portuguese. Or, if you’re ready to just see the verbs in action, continue on to the next lesson!
Let’s Get Started!
In the next lesson, try to decide which verb to use to complete the exercises. Then we’ll go into more detail on when to use ser and when to use estar, including contexts that are a little less obvious.
Helpful explanation.
this is my first exposure to Practice Portuguese and I like it.
Thanks so much, we’re glad you’re liking it! Just let us know if you have any questions or feedback as you continue exploring : [email protected]
Hello! I’m a little confused by the “long-lasting attribute of an object” regarding ser. I’m told by a native that to translate “the vase is broken” I should use “estar”, not “ser”.
Is there a reason behind it or is it just an exception?
Obrigada!
There are many ways of looking at these two verbs, depending on the situation. Sometimes, it’s about what’s long-lasting; others, it’s about what’s intrinsic or expected for that object. And there may not be any explanation at all sometimes! We do use “estar” for broken objects in general. In your example, that would be, “O vaso está partido”. We also say “está morto” instead of “é morto” (is dead). I can’t really say there are good reasons for that 🙂
Well, it might have to do with a religious belief that one day you will be raised from the dead into eternl life , and so physical death is just a temporary state. Gives one solace, no? 🙂
Thanks! I noticed it in the following exercises with dead and “separados” – asked too quickly.
Thank you so much for the answer – I’m still amazed by how nice & helpful people are on PP
I’m gonna pretend the portuguese language carries hope – nothing stays broken, apart or dead forever :p
I like your last sentence in your comments. It’s always great to have hope!
I love your last statement about hope.
For an English speaker, the concept of there being two forms of “to be” is completely foreign. But ultimately it’s not so different than the language having gender based nouns. For example, why is a window feminine (a janela) while a wall is masculine (o muro)? My wife says she finds this whole idea very sexist! And don’t get me started on all those weird verb tenses we’ve never ever heard of in English class. That’s why it takes months, not weeks for most of us to become reasonably competent in a foreign language, and many months more to become fluent. The basics are easy. It’s everything else that’s hard.
That’s true, Peter. Portuguese (and Latin languages in general) comes with a whole set of new challenges for English speakers. But, to add a positive note here, your wife should be pleased to know that while ‘o muro’ is masculine (‘muro’ being a freestanding wall, such as one used to separate plots or territories – e.g. the Berlin wall), ‘a parede’ is feminine (a wall that actually supports a building or is part of its structure). So is ‘a muralha’, a large defensive wall. It all evens out in the end!
Ser/Estar got me defnitely off Spanish when I learned it years ago. Now I live here in Portugal and have to deal with the same c..p … Oh well, sooner or later we will get there…
Hello, just recently started PP and am loving it!
One thing I noticed though is the + to add a word or phrase to the smart review seems like an extra step. Could all the words/phrases automatically be there initially and then maybe give the option to delete unwanted ones? You have probably already addressed this, but just thought I would mention it.
Thanks,
Jess
Hi Jess! The way it works now is that all of the phrases that come up in the lessons themselves are automatically added to Smart Review, and you can use the Manage Phrases page to remove any you don’t want.
Any words/phrases from Learning Notes, blog posts, Shorties, Podcasts, or Videos have to be added manually. The reason is that there are already thousands of phrases that will get added automatically as you work through the units, so we want to make sure that any you add are relevant to you.
However, we’ll definitely consider this. Perhaps in the future it could be something like an option to click one button to add all phrases from that page. 🙂
Apparently death is not a permanent thing in Portuguese because of the Catholic belief in the afterlife!
Haha, could very well be!
Hi Rui and Joel!
I try to differentiate in my mind between “ser” and “estar” by thinking of “ser” being descriptive of a “fact” – “she is thin” – I observe this to be an unchanging fact of this person’s body form, therefore I use “ser”. Likewise, “it is two o’clock” – this is a fact at that time, therefore I use “ser” again.
I think of “estar” being descriptive of a state or situation which might or might not change but when another alternative state or situation IS possible). “Estar” is therefore the right choice for describing a state/situation if someone has lost weight – (“she is (i.e. “looks)” thin”), it is a state I observe she is now in, so I use “estar”, as opposed to her former state). Likewise with the broken glass or a dead person, one uses “estar” because the relevant consideration I am drawing attention to is the state that it/he/she is in (i.e. “broken” as opposed to “in one piece”, “dead” as opposed to “alive”). Consider a phrase which illustrates these differences quite well such as: “it is a fact that it is broken” – the first “is” would be “ser” (its a fact!) and the second “is” would be “estar” (because it is in a particular state).
“Estar” is also the right choice for describing the location or position of where something is (“the brain is in the skull” (location = estar) – note that it is of course perfectly possible to remove a brain from the skull!).
I have spent 30 years learning Spanish which Aleksandar notes has exactly the same challenge. Frankly, I still get it wrong from time to time and frankly “no pasa nada”!
Hope this helps.
(Loving your course!)
Best wishes
Nick Walker
This is a great way to think about it — describing a fact vs. drawing attention to the current state (when another state is possible). Thanks so much for sharing!
Very useful way to think about it. Thank you for explaining 🙂
Something that helped me to remember this was that from the Latin root of the word Ser, in English we get the word essence or ‘in essence’ implying permanence while from Estar in English comes the word station or stationed implying the temporary nature of the situation.
Oh God you’re funny. Tu és magra! Tu estás magra. 😂 It would be funny to mess this up with a friend, but with a stranger, not so much.
And now my pet, Peeve, is racing out of his doghouse… 🐶Você! 🐶Você! 🐶Você! Strange little bark, that Peeve!
You guys make learning so much fun! You are HILARIOUS!
Como você diz “You’re going to make me wet my pants!” em Português?
Haha! This is somewhat ‘rude’ slang, so it should be used with caution, but you could say “Vão fazer-me mijar a rir” (piss from laughing) 🙂
I really don’t plan on saying that…
i’m learning portuguese now. it sure helps to have learned French and Spanish already. in my opinion, regarding the exceptions list, I’d be happy to learn more:
1. using Ser for 2 pm is correct: when the Sun is in the sky at such a time that we measure it 2:00 PM, that is an immutable 2:00 P.M. it’s defined by the orbit of Earth, and doesn’t depend on human measure of time to define itself
2. using Ser for new cars: new cars don’t get newer. it starts at maximum newness, then can ONLY depreciate from there. the minute it leaves the car dealership parking lot, it’s lost value. BRAND NEW car is an immutable attribute.
3. using Estar for broken vase: a vase is defined by being a vase, which is, by default, in one piece. broken is not an intended state for the vase, so it’s not an immutable attribute. while the vase may remain broken forever, it’s not always about “for how long” when asking about “being”, it’s about the actual core state of the thing’s “being”.
4. using Estar for he’s dead: again with the immutable attribute. something has changed if a person is “not” living. what’s more, once that person is buried, cremated, etc., they’ve gone on. the attribute of living is gone, so it becomes estar.
5. using Estar for your brain in your head: when we die, the brain doesn’t remain neatly encased in the skull. it decays, we know that. not using Ser indicates the awareness of that transience.
Thanks! Yes, thinking of ser as being related to immutable or intrinsic attributes is a great way to approach it. Very helpful! 🙂
Just a word of caution, though, as one could easily reason “too far” and end up with the wrong result. For example, one might come to the incorrect conclusion that the transience of time should be expressed by estar, or that since a car can depreciate and get old that “brand new” is not immutable, or that life and death are 2 separate immutable attributes.
We can easily reason backwards once we know whether ser or estar is used, but sometimes the decision gets too philosophical for most learners when it’s unknown. 😅
Hi Molly, For Spanish, I learned in the past that when “to be” has the meaning of “to be located,” “estar” should be used. The same seems to apply for Portuguese? For example, “Roterdão está em Holanda” (while it is a permanent state) or the example above, “O cérebro está na cabeça.” If so, at least in this case, I don’t have to think about the temporary or permanent state. 😀 Thanks, Theo
I would like to raise a question about an exception to the rule. If I’m making a description of an image and I want to say that the houses are next to each other, why must I say As casas estão próximas umas das outras, even though I don’t believe they are going to remove the houses to another place? Is there a logical explantion? TY
Olá! When referring to locations, we commonly use the verbs ser, estar and ficar essentially without distinction. I’m not sure I can give you a great explanation beyond “it’s how the language has evolved!” 🙂 So, all these would be valid and mean the same thing for us:
– As casas estão próximas umas das outras
– As casas são próximas umas das outras
– As casas ficam próximas umas das outras
I’m sorry, but I am aware that “” as casas são próximas umas das outras” is not used. Thanks anyway. In fact this is, as you said, one of those cases where “this is just the way it is”.
Very good article, great choice of exceptions!
That’s hilarious about Estar and Ser, Ela esta morto. ( with the accent on the “a” of course. )the whole funny idea that Portuguese could be people zombies!
so funny!
Love how you explain complicated grammatical rules! I’ll remember the zombie example for long now 😀
Locations and acts of being = estar
Why is “in the” in one sentence “da” and “na” in another?
Olá! It’s because different translations apply to the preposition “in” in each of the examples. This is not only because prepositions are used differently in English and Portuguese, but also because in general, each language has their own idiomatic phrasings for certain things, e.g. telling time.
So, in the first example, “in the” = de (in) + a (the) = da. In the second example, “in the” = em (in) + a (the) = na.
‘Da’ and ‘na’ are contractions of a preposition with a definite article. Here’s more info on prepositions and contractions: Prepositions in Portuguese | Practice Portuguese
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If it helps anyone remember the confusing ‘dead’ coming after estar, you can think of it like this:
He is healthy – Ele está saudável
He is sick – Ele está doente
He is dead – Ele está morto
Ser/Estar…. okay, já é bastante difícil, mas vamos falar de “ficar” também? Parece ser/estar uma terceira possibilidade. Há uma lição sobre este palavra também?
Indeed! Here’s a whole Unit on the verb Ficar: https://www.practiceportuguese.com/units/main/the-verb-ficar/
🙂
Thank you for this excellent article that clearly describes the difference between these two verbs. This detailed context is what really sets this website apart from other language learning applications and websites! Muito obrigado,
For those who struggle, please read below:
(European) Portuguese distinguishes between the verbs “ser” (used for permanent or essential qualities) and “estar” (used for temporary states or conditions). Age or the state of being new or old is perceived as an intrinsic property of an object or person, so the correct verb is “ser”.
For example:
• O carro é novo. (The car is new.)
• A casa é velha. (The house is old.)
On the other side, being dead or something being broken is a condition, hence the use of the verb “estar”.
This follows the same logic as using “ser” for characteristics like height (Ele é alto – “He is tall”) or nationality (Ela é portuguesa – “She is Portuguese”).