To Be: Ser / Estar

To be or not to be

There are two ways to say to be in Portuguese: ser and estar.

You use estar to talk about things that are temporary…

Eu estou bem.

I am fine.

Eu não estou com fome.

I am not hungry.

… while ser describes more permanent qualities.

Eu sou uma mulher.

I am a woman.

Eu sou vegetariano.

I am a vegetarian.

How can you remember this? Just say to yourself: the t in estar is for temporary!

Where's the bathroom?

There are two ways to say where something is in Portuguese. When something can move around, use estar.

Onde está meu relógio?

Where is my clock?

When something is stuck in place, use ser.

Com licença, onde é o banheiro?

Excuse me, where is the bathroom?

You can also use ficar to talk about where a place is.

Onde fica o banheiro?

Where is the restroom?

I stay here

The verb ficar has so many uses! We’ve seen that you can use it to talk about where something is.

Onde fica o restaurante?

Where is the restaurant?

But ficar also means to stay!

Eu fico aqui.

I stay here.

You can also use ficar when a person changes in some way, like if they look different from normal!

Ela fica vermelha.

She blushes. (Literal: She gets red.)