Ser and Estar, two sides of the same coin. But in this case, the coin is the verb to be, and it can be difficult to distinguish one from another! Today is not the day to talk about these verbs (we have done it before, separately and together), but it will be the day when we will test your knowledge about them, and more importantly, how to tell them apart. To be more specific, and as you can see in the title of this worksheet, this is when we will check how well you perform with this pair of verbs if your level is beginner (A).
At the end of this worksheet, you will find the answers, but no sneak-peaking! Trust yourself, read each of the exercises carefully, and stop by our blogs talking about these verbs to review if you need to. Enough talking, let’s get to the questions. Good luck!
Exercise #1: Fill the blank spaces
Oh, no! The following sentences have lost a couple of words, and now we don’t know what they say. Can you complete them? Fill in the blank(s) with the verb Ser or Estar conjugated as appropriate.
- Mi hijo _____ en Francia de vacaciones, (yo) _____ muy feliz por él.
- Nosotros _____ profesores.
- Mi nombre _____ Martín, mucho gusto.
- Yo _____ de Guadalajara, una ciudad que _____ en México.
- El césped _____ verde.
- Las estrellas _____ muy lejos, el Sol _____ la más cercana.
- ¿Qué (tú) _____ estudiando en la universidad?
- ¿Por qué hace tanto frío? Todavía _____ verano.
- Las escobas _____ de madera.
- ¿Quién _____ tu amiga?
Exercise #2: True or false?
Do you know Pinocchio? He has been responsible for writing the following sentences, unfortunately he has a slight tendency to lie. Answer “True” or “False” depending on whether the sentence uses the verbs Ser and Estar correctly or not.
1. Ustedes están valientes.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
2. Ella es de España.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
3. Mi madre es cansada de trabajar.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
4. El vaso está de plástico.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
5. ¿A qué hora está el evento?
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
6. Canadá está al norte de Estados Unidos.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
7. Mis vecinos son muy amables.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
8. No soy trabajando hoy.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
9. ¡Eres muy alto!
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
10. La fiesta está en la oficina.
Verdadero ____ Falso ____
Exercise #3: Unscrambling and Matching
I like my eggs scrambled, and my sentences not scrambled, can you help me untangle these sentences? First unscramble the sentence and then match it with the use of the verb Ser/Estar as appropriate.
| Sentence | Use |
|---|---|
| somos - Londres - de | Profesión |
| libro - el - está - sofá - en - el | Estado civil |
| es - martes - hoy | Acción |
| triste - hoy? - estás - qué - ¿por | Origen |
| las - tarde - cinco - la - de - son | Lugar / posición |
| pintor - yo - soy | Características (temporales) |
| el - jardín - corriendo - estamos - en | Características (permanentes) |
| estoy - poco - un - pálido | Tiempo (hora) |
| ciudad - grande - es - la | Emoción |
| soltera - hermana - mi - está | Tiempo (día) |
Answers
Without further ado, let’s see the answers!
Exercise #1:
- está, estoy
- somos
- es
- soy, está
- es
- están, es
- estás
- es
- son
- es
Exercise #2:
- Falso
- Verdadero
- Falso
- Falso
- Falso
- Verdadero
- Verdadero
- Falso
- Verdadero
- Falso
Exercise #3:
- Somos de Londres – Origen
- El libro está en el sofá – Lugar / posición
- Hoy es martes – Tiempo (día)
- ¿Por qué estás triste hoy? – Emoción
- Son las cinco de la tarde – Tiempo (hora)
- Yo soy pintor – Profesión
- Estamos corriendo en el jardín – Acción
- Estoy un poco pálido – Características (temporales)
- La ciudad es grande – Características (permanentes)
- Mi hermana está soltera (Estado civil)
That’s it, how did you do? If you didn’t get the results you wanted, don’t feel bad! These two verbs can be very complex when you are starting out in Spanish. We recommend reading our blogs on both verbs and, of course, request one of our private lessons with any of our native Spanish-speaking tutors. And if you scored more points than you expected, congratulations! You’re getting closer and closer to mastering this wonderful language, keep it up!
See you next time, friends.
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