Estoy vs Soy vs Estar vs Ser
Spanish is a very popular European language that is spoken in many parts of America. It is also very interesting to learn but, for those who have an English background, there is a lot of confusion as the language contains two or more words for the same English word. There are two verbs ser and Estar that mean ‘to be’ in English and soy and Estoy are the first person present tense of these two verbs (I am). Students remain confused between soy and Estoy as to which one to use with Estar. This article attempts to remove the confusion from the minds of students of Spanish language regarding the use of soy and Estoy with ser and Estar.
Before jumping on to soy and Estoy, it is better to understand the difference of ser and estar, both of which mean ‘to be’ in English language. One can use either of these two verbs in Spanish to indicate ‘to be’ in different contexts. There are many factors that need to be kept in mind when using ser and estar such as occupation, emotional state, physical state, and so on. There is an acronym DOCTOR made up of description, occupation, characteristic, time, origin, and relationship. These are permanent states that are answered when ser is to be used in a particular context. One the other hand, remember acronym PLACE made up of position, location, action, condition, and emotion that are answered to allow for the use of Estar in the sentence.
Soy is the first person of the verb Ser whereas Estoy is the first person of Estar. When you are describing your occupation as in ‘I am a doctor,’ you are talking of a permanent state necessitating use of Ser. But when you are describing your temporary health like ‘I am ill,’ you have to make use of Estar. When saying that you are a pilot, you say Soy piloto or soy de Paris when you want to say that you come from Paris or belong to Paris. Similarly, you have to use the first person form of Estar which is Estoy when referring to states that are more or less temporary.
What is the difference between Ser, Estar, Soy and Estoy?
• Ser and Estar are two verbs in Spanish language that both mean to be in English.
• The use of Ser and Estar depends upon the state an individual is in. If it is a permanent state such as description, occupation, characteristic, time, origin, and relationship (DOCTOR), ser is used. On the other hand, Estar is used in temporary states such as position, location, action, condition, and emotion (PLACE).
• Soy and Estoy are first person forms of these verbs that mean I am.
• Soy is the first person of the verb Ser whereas Estoy is the first person of Estar.