The use of the verbs ser and estar raises some doubts, especially when it comes to expressing the situation. If this is the first time that you study them, take a good look because these verbs in Catalan act differently from Spanish. The problem is that Portuguese, Galician and Spanish took different paths than those followed by French, Italian, and Catalan.
I think that what we will discuss now will also help you a lot. Exactly we will talk about the differences between Catalan and Spanish so that they are not translated the same.
The verb “to be”
To indicate place (punctual)
| Where are the keys?. | On són les claus. |
| Pedro is in class. | En Pere és a classe. |
| The police are next to … | La policia és al costat de… |
| The book is in the drawer. | El llibre és al calaix. |
| The cat is on the roof | La gata és al teulat. |
| The cherries are inside the bowl. | Les cireres són dins el bol. |
| At nine we will be at the top. | A les nou serem al cim. |
| Where is the child? He is in his room. | On és el nen? És a la seva habitació. |
To indicate time (punctual)
| The excursion will be next Tuesday. | L’excursió serà dimarts vinent. |
| The party is in a restaurant. | La festa és en un restaurant |
Permanent Qualities
| Maria is brunette. | La Maria és morena. |
| Nuria is very white | La Núria és molt blanca |
| Ramón is cheerful. | En Ramon és alegre. |
Belonging or origin
| This book is yours. | Aquest llibre is teu. |
| The drawing is of the Rat. | El dibuix és de la Rat. |
| Ana is from Roses. | L’Anna és de Roses. |
Civil Status
| The cat is dead. | El gat és mort. |
| That man is/is married. | Aquell home és/està casat. |
| Pablo is/is single. | En Pau és/està solter. |
Preferences
| The coffee is cold. | El cafè és fred. |
| Cod is salty. | El bacallà és salat. |
Essential qualities
| Snow is white. | La neu és blanca. |
| The cane is crooked. | El bastó és tort. |
| The bar is dirty. | El bar és brut. |
| The vase is made of glass. | |
| The box is made of cardboard. | La capsa és de cartró. |
| The book is cheap. | El llibre és barat. |
What about the verb “estar?
Permanence or duration in a place, stay
| I have been in Olot since 1994. | Estic a Olot des del 1994. |
| I’ll be in the office for two hours. | Estaré dues hores al despatx. |
| I was at the beach for two hours. | Vaig estar dues hores a la platja. |
Non-permanent qualities / states: Non-permanent qualitats / estats
| Maria is dark. | La Maria està morena. |
| Nuria is very white. | La Núria està molt blanca. |
| Ramón is happy. | En Ramon està alegre. |
Some marital statuses (by the influence of Castilian)
| Is married. | Està casat. |
| He is single | Està solter. |
Combination with prepositions
| It is three months old. | Està de tres mesos. |
| We are about to finish. | Estem a punt d’acabar. |
| My cousin is from Girona. | La meva cosina és de Girona. |
To differentiate states
| The frame is crooked. | El quadre està tort. |
| The bar is dirty. | El bar està brut. |
Summarizing
Generally, the verb ser is used to express the mere situation of someone or something in a place, but if you want to add a nuance of permanence or duration, the verb estar is usually used.
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