Portuguese Verbs Ser and Estar – What’s the Difference?

In Portuguese, the verbs Ser and Estar both translate to “to be,” but they are not interchangeable. Many language learners struggle with knowing when to use one or the other.

So, how do you decide between Ser and Estar?

The key difference is:

Estar is used for temporary states and conditions.

Ser is used for permanent characteristics and essential qualities.

For example:

➡️ Temporary state: Hoje estou contente. (Today, I am happy.)
➡️ Permanent state: Sou uma pessoa contente. (I am a happy person.)

Getting Ser vs. Estar right is key to speaking Portuguese naturally. Let’s dive in!

Conjugation

Starting with conjugation. Here’s what the conjugation of Ser and Estar looks like in the Present tense:

	Ser	Estar
eu	sou	estou
tu	és	estás
você ele,ela	é	está
nós	somos	estamos
vocês eles, elas	são	estão

Permanent vs. Temporary States

As mentioned, choosing between Ser and Estar often depends on context—specifically, whether something is permanent or temporary.

Think of the difference between climate and weather:

• Weather describes the short-term atmospheric changes that vary from day to day.
• Climate refers to the long-term meteorological conditions of a region.

In this analogy, climate represents a permanent state (Ser), while weather reflects a temporary condition (Estar):

[Climate → Permanent]
A Suécia é um país frio. (Sweden is a cold country.)

[Weather → Temporary]
Hoje está frio na Suécia. (Today it is cold in Sweden.)

The same logic applies when saying, “The Atlantic waters are cold” in Portuguese:

➡️ As águas do Atlântico são frias.

Here, the verb Ser indicates a permanent characteristic—the Atlantic waters are naturally cold.

Now, compare this with:

➡️ O leite está frio. (The milk is cold.)

If you just took the milk out of the fridge, you’re describing a temporary state—one that will change if you leave it out for a few hours. That’s why Estar is used.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each verb in detail.

The Portuguese Verb Ser

In this section, I will walk you through several examples implying permanent states and the use of Ser. I will also point out contextual shifts to temporary states that call to Estar. 

Let me introduce myself:

➡️ Olá! Eu sou o Pedro e sou português. (Hi! I am Pedro, and I am Portuguese.)

It’s no surprise that I used Ser here—after all, I’ll still be Pedro and Portuguese tomorrow and beyond.

Ser is used for permanent states such as name, nationality or profession. Here are two other examples:

➡️ Eu sou canalizador e ela é carpinteira. (I am a plumber, and she is a carpenter.)

➡️ João, esta é a Gabriela. (John, this is Gabriela.)

What’s she like as a person?

Use Ser to describe someone’s personality traits:

➡️ A Sara é uma pessoa sensata. (Sara is a sensible person.)

➡️ O Paulo e o José são teimosos. (Paulo and José are stubborn.)

But what if stubbornness is just temporary?

➡️ Hoje estás teimoso! (You’re being stubborn today!)

Here, Estar is used because the trait is not permanent—just for today!

What do you look like?

I’m curious about you:

➡️ És alto ou baixo? Magro ou rechonchudo? Loiro ou moreno? De que cor são os teus olhos? (Are you tall or short? Thin or chubby? Blond or brunette? What color are your eyes?)

Since physical traits don’t change often, Ser is used.

But what if something has changed?

➡️ Sara, tu estás magra! (Sara, you look thinner!)

Here, Estar is used because Sara’s weight has changed over time—it’s not a permanent state.

What’s her house like?

Use Ser to describe physical attributes of things:

➡️ A casa da Mariana é moderna e espaçosa. (Mariana’s house is modern and spacious.)

But after two decades, things might change:

➡️ A casa da Mariana está num mau estado! (Mariana’s house is in bad shape!)

Again, Estar is used to show a transformation.

Where is Stockholm?

The answer is:

➡️ Estocolmo é na Suécia. (Stockholm is in Sweden.)

Since Stockholm’s location won’t change, Ser is used.

Note that we often use Ficar instead of Ser:

➡️ Estocolmo fica na Suécia. (Stockholm is in Sweden.)

Note! While grammatically incorrect, it’s not uncommon to hear Estar used in this context.

For example, you might hear:

➡️ O arquipélago dos Açores está no meio do Atlântico. (The Azores archipelago is in the middle of the Atlantic.)

Instead of what’s considered grammatically correct:

➡️ O arquipélago dos Açores fica/é no meio do Atlântico.

The Portuguese Verb Estar

Now, let’s shift our focus to Estar and its connection to temporary states. As before, I’ll highlight situations where Estar may be replaced by Ser depending on contextual time shifts.

How Are You?

A common Portuguese greeting is:

➡️ Como estás? (How are you?)

Here, the use of Estar conveys a circumstantial state, meaning how you feel right now. Naturally, the same applies when you respond:

➡️ Estou bem, obrigado. (I am well, thank you.)

Of course, we don’t always feel great. Sometimes, we get sick:

➡️ Hoje estou doente. (I am sick today.)

Whether you’re sick or healthy, happy or sad, hungry or thirsty, you use Estar to describe these temporary physiological and psychological states.

However, when referring to a chronic condition, we switch to Ser:

➡️ Sou diabético. (I am diabetic.)

This shift reflects permanence rather than a temporary state.

How’s Your Tea?

Is it too hot? No worries, just wait a minute or two. See where I’m going with this? The correct verb in this context is Estar:

➡️ Como está o teu chá? Está quente demais? (How’s your tea? Is it too hot?)

We use Estar because tea’s temperature will change over time.

However, when referring to an inherent quality, we use Ser:

➡️ É chá verde ou preto? (Is it green or black tea?)

➡️ Este chá é forte. (This tea is strong.) → Meaning the tea is naturally strong.

But what if the tea only tastes strong because you used too many leaves? Then the strength is circumstantial, so we switch to Estar:

➡️ Este chá está forte! (This tea is strong!)

Where Are You?

Paris? Lisbon? Maybe Dublin next year? Since locations change, we use Estar:

➡️ Onde estás? (Where are you?)

This also applies to objects—we move them around constantly. That’s why we use Estar to ask about misplaced items:

➡️ Mas onde estão o raio das chaves?! (But where the hell are those damn keys?!)

Final Thoughts

Throughout this article, we’ve seen that Ser is generally used for permanent states, while Estar applies to temporary conditions. Keeping this in mind will help you choose the right verb in most contexts.

However, think of this as a guiding principle, not a strict rule.

There are plenty of exceptions. In fact, in some cases, both verbs work just as well. Take, for example:

➡️ Estou casada / Sou casada (I am married).

Both are correct, and there’s no substantial difference. Someone might argue that marriage is permanent (favoring Ser), while others might view it as subject to change (favoring Estar). Either way, these debates are pointless—languages don’t always follow rigid logic (if ever).

Even advanced learners sometimes mix up Ser and Estar—and that’s totally fine. Mastering these nuances comes with time and exposure.

So, be patient, keep practicing, and trust the process. Boa sorte!