Verbs and its meanings can be a subject for countless articles . In this one we are going to talk about what happens when we try to translate the verb “to be” to Portuguese.
As some of you may know, the verb TO BE unfolds in two main verbs, in Portuguese: the verb Ser and the verb Estar .
When we are mentioning a characteristic that is permanent then we use the verb “Ser”. For example, if I say “ O Rui é alto” ( Rui is tall) or “ Eles são inteligentes “ ( They are intelligent) , then the characteristics that are being indicated are permanent ( Rui cannot become small and They will always be intelligent).
However , if you need to mention something that is temporary you use the verb Estar. For example “ Hoje está frio “( today is cold), or “ Ela está triste” ( she is sad).
Today is cold but will not be like that forever and she is sad but she is not always with the same mood. For this reason, Estar is used for something temporary .
Let’s conjugate the verbs we just learned and then make some sentences .
| verbo SER | verbo ESTAR |
| Eu sou Tu és Ele/Ela é Nós somos Vós sois (archaic . Used only in sermons or old texts) Eles/Elas são | Eu estou Tu estás Ele/ ela está Nós estamos Vós estais Eles/elas estão |
- O livro é interessante (the book is interesting).
- A mala está aberta (the bag is open).
- O bebé está a dormir (the baby is sleeping).
Could you understand the difference?
You can always leave a comment, in case you have some question.
Enjoy your learning!