Two verbs, both meaning "to be", and no way to avoid choosing between them. Ser and estar account for more corrections than anything else English speakers say in Portuguese, partly because English gives you no reason to expect the distinction and partly because the rule everybody learns first is wrong.
The rule you were taught, and why it fails
Permanent takes ser, temporary takes estar. It gets you through the first month and then starts producing errors, because plenty of permanent things take estar and plenty of temporary ones take ser.
A better version: ser is for what something is, its identity, origin, profession, material, the time of day. Estar is for what something is doing or how it currently stands, states, conditions, where it happens to be. Death takes estar, which tells you the permanent/temporary rule was never really the point.
| Use SER for... |
Use ESTAR for... |
| Identity / origin: Sou português | Physical/emotional states: Estou cansado |
| Profession: É médica | Location of people/objects: O livro está na mesa |
| Nationality / religion / political affiliation | Progressive action (estar a + inf.): Estou a ler |
| Inherent properties: O ouro é precioso | Result of an action: A porta está aberta |
| Time / dates: São três horas | With bem/mal: Estou bem |
| Material: A mesa é de madeira | Appearance / clothing: Está de fato |
| Relationships: Ela é minha mãe | Weather conditions: Está frio hoje |
| Passive voice (ser + past participle): Foi construído em 1900 | Marital status: Está casado |
SER, all the tenses you need
| Tense |
eu |
tu |
ele/ela |
nós |
eles/elas |
| Present | sou | és | é | somos | são |
| Imperfect | era | eras | era | éramos | eram |
| Preterite | fui | foste | foi | fomos | foram |
| Future | serei | serás | será | seremos | serão |
| Conditional | seria | serias | seria | seríamos | seriam |
| Present Subj. | seja | sejas | seja | sejamos | sejam |
The preterite is the one to look at twice. Fui, foste, foi are shared with ir, so fui ao Porto is "I went" and fui professor is "I was". Context is the only thing separating them, and it always does.
ESTAR, all the tenses you need
| Tense |
eu |
tu |
ele/ela |
nós |
eles/elas |
| Present | estou | estás | está | estamos | estão |
| Imperfect | estava | estavas | estava | estávamos | estavam |
| Preterite | estive | estiveste | esteve | estivemos | estiveram |
| Future | estarei | estarás | estará | estaremos | estarão |
| Conditional | estaria | estarias | estaria | estaríamos | estariam |
| Present Subj. | esteja | estejas | esteja | estejamos | estejam |
Eight sentences worth reading twice
- "Sou de Lisboa, mas estou em Porto esta semana." I'm from Lisbon, but I'm in Porto this week. Both verbs in one sentence: ser for where you are from, estar for where you happen to be.
- "A Maria é professora e está muito cansada hoje." Maria is a teacher and is very tired today. Ser for the job, estar for the state.
- "O café está quente, mas o chá é melhor." The coffee is hot, but the tea is better. Temperature now, quality always.
- "Estávamos a jantar quando telefonaste." We were having dinner when you called. Estar a plus infinitive is how Portugal builds the progressive.
- "A porta está aberta." The door is open. Somebody opened it, so it is a resulting state.
- "Ele é alto e está de fato hoje." He is tall and is wearing a suit today. Height does not change, the suit does.
- "São cinco horas da tarde." It's five in the afternoon. Time always takes ser, without exception.
- "Estou bem, obrigado." I'm well, thank you. Sou bem is not a thing anyone says.
The awkward ones
- Cold soup and cold winters. A sopa está fria, the soup has gone cold. O inverno é frio, winter is a cold thing by nature.
- Events sit still, objects move. An event takes ser: O concerto é no Coliseu. A thing or a person takes estar: O carro está na garagem. This one feels backwards to most learners and is worth memorising rather than reasoning about.
- Death takes estar. Está morto. Portuguese treats it as the state resulting from an event, and ser here is simply wrong.
- Some adjectives change meaning entirely. É chato means he is a boring person. Está chato means he is in a bad mood today. Same adjective, and the verb decides whether you have insulted someone's character or noticed their afternoon.
One difference from Brazil
The rules themselves are the same on both sides of the Atlantic. What differs is the progressive: Portugal says estou a comer, Brazil says estou comendo. Use the gerund in Lisbon and you will be understood immediately and placed just as fast.
What English speakers actually get wrong
- Sou cansado ✗, Estou cansado ✓. The first says tiredness is part of who you are, which is a bleaker statement than you meant.
- Estou médico ✗, Sou médico ✓. Your profession is an identity.
- Feelings always take estar. Estou feliz, estou triste, estou preocupado.
- Estou casado ✓. Marriage is treated as a state you ended up in rather than a thing you are.
Practice these verbs in context: A1 ser story, A1 estar story, B1 sentir story
Related: Understanding European Portuguese Verbs, The Ultimate Grammar Guide