Ser vs estar: identity, state and location
The “permanent vs temporary” shortcut is unreliable. Ser commonly identifies or classifies: Soy australiano. Estar commonly describes state or location: Estoy cansado; Sídney está en Australia.
Some adjectives change meaning: es aburrido can mean “is boring”, while está aburrido means “is bored”. Yesterday’s hay vs tener lesson also showed why function matters more than a word-for-word English translation.
Quick check
Which sentence correctly gives Sydney's location?
Practise Spanish in complete sentences with audio and spaced repetition.
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