Ser vs. Estar | The Easiest Way to Understand It

[00:00:00]Want to learn Portuguese fast? Today, we will learn the easiest way to understand said versus shad in Portuguese, so you can stop guessing and start choosing the right one naturally.

[00:00:12]Let's go.

[00:00:14]Vamos.

[00:00:16]Said versus e shad. The very simple beginner version. Label or status.

[00:00:23]English uses one word. Am or is or are. Portuguese usually makes you choose. For example, in English, you would say, "I am American." Or you would say, "I am tired." Both use am in English, but they're different ideas.

[00:00:43]Portuguese asks, "What is it?" or "How is it right now?"

[00:00:49]The word said is a label. It tells what someone or something is. The word shad is a status update. It tells how or where something is now.

[00:01:02]Said tells what someone or something is.

[00:01:05]Think of it as a label. Use said for labels like these. Your identity, so who you are, a job or role, what you do, or your nationality, where are you from?

[00:01:19]Let's go over some examples. I am Nikki.

[00:01:23]So uh Nikki.

[00:01:27]So uh Nikki. So uh Nikki.

[00:01:31]This is who I am.

[00:01:36]I am American.

[00:01:38]So uh Americana.

[00:01:42]So Americana. So Americana. This tells where I am from.

[00:01:49]I am a teacher.

[00:01:51]So professora.

[00:01:56]So professora.

[00:01:59]So >> So So professora.

[00:02:05]So professora.

[00:02:08]This tells my role.

[00:02:11]The house is big.

[00:02:14]A casa é grande.

[00:02:19]A casa é grande.

[00:02:23]A casa é grande.

[00:02:25]This describes what the house is like.

[00:02:30]Ice is cold.

[00:02:32]O gelo é frio.

[00:02:37]O gelo é frio.

[00:02:40]O gelo é frio.

[00:02:44]Cold is part of what ice is.

[00:02:49]Again, ser is what it is.

[00:02:52]Ask what is this person or thing.

[00:02:56]Now let's focus on the word estar. Estar tells how or where something is right now.

[00:03:03]Estar focuses on status. Use estar for statuses like these.

[00:03:09]How you feel, where you are, or how it is now.

[00:03:15]Let's go over some examples. I am tired.

[00:03:19]Eu estou cansada.

[00:03:24]Eu estou cansada.

[00:03:27]Estou cansada.

[00:03:30]This is how I feel right now.

[00:03:34]He is sick.

[00:03:36]Ele está doente.

[00:03:40]Ele está doente.

[00:03:44]Ele está doente.

[00:03:47]This is his condition right now.

[00:03:52]I am at home.

[00:03:54]Eu >> This tells where I am right now.

[00:04:04]The coffee is cold.

[00:04:20]The coffee is cold right now.

[00:04:25]The door is open.

[00:04:44]Open is the door's current state.

[00:04:48]Estar focuses on how or where it is now.

[00:04:52]Ask, "What is the current status?"

[00:04:55]Now we can compare them. Same English word, different Portuguese idea.

[00:05:00]She is nice.

[00:05:02]In Portuguese, we need to know what you mean.

[00:05:05]She is a nice person.

[00:05:20]This is a personality label. She is being nice today.

[00:05:40]In this sentence, we are talking about her status today.

[00:05:52]>> Let's go over another example. He is quiet. Does this mean his personality or just right now?

[00:06:01]He is a quiet person.

[00:06:13]This describes his personality.

[00:06:16]He is quiet right now.

[00:06:29]Right now, he is not talking.

[00:06:40]The food is good.

[00:06:42]Do you mean food in general or this meal right now? The food is good.

[00:06:59]This sentence describes the food generally.

[00:07:03]This food tastes good right now.

[00:07:18]This describes this meal right now.

[00:07:31]She is beautiful.

[00:07:33]Do you mean generally beautiful or looking beautiful today?

[00:07:38]She is beautiful.

[00:07:49]>> This describes what she is like generally.

[00:07:53]She looks beautiful today.

[00:08:09]This describes how she looks today.

[00:08:19]The house is clean.

[00:08:22]Do you mean it is usually clean or clean right now? The house is clean.

[00:08:38]This describes the house generally.

[00:08:41]The house is clean right now.

[00:08:57]This describes the current condition of the house.

[00:09:07]You say when asking what it is.

[00:09:10]You say when asking what is the status. Before you choose, ask, am I giving a label or a status update?

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