When do we use these verbs?
Ser (to be)
Ser is used to talk about things that are considered to be permanent/unchanging
and to say who/what you are and where you are from:
- Soy alemán. (I am German.)
- Él es inteligente. (He is intelligent.)
- Ellos son médicos. (They are doctors.)
- Ella es María. (She is Maria.)
- Nosotros somos de Venezuela. (We are from Venezuela.)
Estar (to be)
Estar is used to describe states that are temporary like moods or how you feel, to describe location, and (followed by a gerund) it is also used to say what you’re doing.
- Estoy cansada. (I’m tired.)
- Estamos emocionados. (We’re excited.)
- Ella está muy enojada. (She is very angry.)
- Mi madre está en el supermercado. (My mother is in the supermarket.)
- Juan está en Roma. (Juan is in Rome.)
- Estamos comiendo una ensalada. (We’re eating a salad.)
- ¿Qué están haciendo ellos? (What are they doing?)
Gustar (to like)
To talk about things you like, use “gusta” (singular) or “gustan” (plural). To talk about activities you like doing, use “gusta”). We use the indirect object pronouns: me / te / le / nos / os / les before the verb “gustar” to indicate the person who likes what is being mentioned. To emphasize the person that likes the thing/activity we add the following prepositional phrases: A mí / A tí / A él-ella-usted / A nosotros-as / A vosotros-as / A ellos-ellas-ustedes. Me gusta el café. (I like coffee.) ¿Te gusta el té? (Do you like tea?) ¿Os gusta pasear por el centro? (Do you like walking around downtown ?) Le gusta caminar por la playa. (S/he likes to walk on the beach.) Me gusta la música clásica. (I like classical music.) ¿A tí te gusta el chocolate? (Do you like chocolate?) A ellos les gustan los conciertos. (They like concerts.) A Pedro le gusta practicar deportes. A él le gusta practicar deportes. (He likes doing sports.) A nosotros nos gusta bailar tango. (We like to dance the tango.)Vocabulary
Nouns and adjectives- niño = child (masculine).
- biblioteca = library.
- gimnasio = gym.
- parque de diversiones = amusement park.
- escuela de música = music school.
- músico = musician.
- instrumento musical = musical instrument.
- profesor = teacher.
- salón de clase = classroom.
- artesano = artisan.
- taller = studio, workshop.
- arte = art.
- libros = books.
- estudioso = studious, bookish.
- deportista = sporty, athletic.
- divertido = fun.
- artístico = artistic.
- amable = kind.
- estudiar = to study.
- practicar deportes = to practice sports.
- divertirse = to have fun.
- estar en casa = to be at home.
- tocar (instrumentos) = to play (instruments).
- enseñar = to teach.
- ayudar a las personas = to help people.