ser, estar, and ter

What you will practice

• Use ser for identity, origin, and a job.
• Use estar for location and a temporary state.
• Use ter for age and for what someone has.

Explanation

ser

ser says what someone is. Sou a Ana can introduce a name. Sou de Lisboa gives origin. A job uses ser and, in the usual form, no indefinite article: Sou professora. The present forms here are sou, és, and é. Do not use ser for a place. Sou em casa is not the location sentence.

estar

estar says where someone is or how they are now. Estou em casa is a location. Estou cansada is a state, with cansado if the speaker is a man. The forms are estou, estás, and está. A written accent separates está from other short words. European Portuguese uses estar for location in the same way the exercise checks.

ter

Age uses ter: Tenho vinte anos. Sou vinte anos is not Portuguese. Possession uses the same verb: Tenho um irmão. anos stays plural. This is the same family of uses as French avoir, and it is the piece English speakers most often assign to ser.

Examples

1. Sou de Lisboa.origin
2. Sou professora.a job
3. Estou em casa.a location
4. Estou cansada.a temporary state
5. Tenho vinte anos.age

Common mistakes

• Age is Tenho vinte anos, not Sou vinte anos.
• The ordinary job sentence has no uma: Sou professora.