New
New
Year 5

Today vs in general: 'soy' and 'estoy', 'es' and 'está'

I can say how I and others are today and in general.

New
New
Year 5

Today vs in general: 'soy' and 'estoy', 'es' and 'está'

I can say how I and others are today and in general.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Practising vocabulary reinforces learning and improves communication. There are many ways to practise, including games.
  2. 'Ser' ('to be, being') is used for general traits; 'soy' means 'I am' and 'es' means 'she, he, it is'.
  3. 'Estar' ('to be, being') is used for location and temporary states; 'estoy' means 'I am' and 'está' - 'she, he, it is'.
  4. 'Estar' and 'ser' can be combined with adjectives to say describe how someone is feeling and in general.
  5. Adverbs 'normalmente', 'siempre', and 'hoy' add detail when differentiating between your feelings today and in general.

Keywords

  • Estoy - part of the verb ‘estar’ meaning 'I am'

  • Está - part of the verb ‘estar’ meaning 'she, he, it is'

  • Soy - part of the verb ‘ser’ meaning 'I am'

  • Es - part of the verb ‘ser’ meaning 'she, he, it is'

Common misconception

There is only one verb for 'to be, being' in Spanish.

There are two verbs for to be in Spanish: 'estar' for location and temporary states and 'ser' for general traits.


To help you plan your year 5 spanish lesson on: Today vs in general: 'soy' and 'estoy', 'es' and 'está', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The final writing task could be made into a class challenge where each child is given the name of another pupil to describe today and in general. These could form part of a class display. It would be helpful to rehearse these orally first to practise the use of 'ser' and 'estar'.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Tengo un gato nervioso'. Choose the correct missing word.
de
Correct answer: muy
por
también
y
Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:amigo (m),friend

friend

Correct Answer:frase (f),sentence

sentence

Correct Answer:montaña (f),mountain

mountain

Correct Answer:mañana (f),morning

morning

Correct Answer:persona (f),person

person

Correct Answer:playa (f),beach

beach

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:contento,pleased, happy

pleased, happy

Correct Answer:lento,slow

slow

Correct Answer:perdido,lost

lost

Correct Answer:preparado,ready, prepared

ready, prepared

Correct Answer:triste,sad

sad

Correct Answer:tonto,silly

silly

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'a funny teacher and a fast answer'.
1 - un
2 - profesor
3 - divertido
4 - y
5 - una
6 - respuesta
7 - rápida
Q5.
Write in English: 'necesito escuchar en clase'.
Correct Answer: I need to listen in class.
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'she buys a game'.
Correct Answer: Compra un juego., Ella compra un juego.

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:aprender,to learn, learning

to learn, learning

Correct Answer:buscar,to search, searching

to search, searching

Correct Answer:caminar,to walk, walking

to walk, walking

Correct Answer:leer,to read, reading

to read, reading

Correct Answer:presentar,to present, presenting

to present, presenting

Correct Answer:pronunciar,to pronounce, pronouncing

to pronounce, pronouncing

Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:estar,to be, being (location, temporary states)

to be, being (location, temporary states)

Correct Answer:estoy,I am (location, temporary states)

I am (location, temporary states)

Correct Answer:está,she, he, it is (location, temporary states)

she, he, it is (location, temporary states)

Correct Answer:ser,to be, being (general traits)

to be, being (general traits)

Correct Answer:soy,I am (general traits)

I am (general traits)

Correct Answer:es,she, he, it is (general traits)

she, he, it is (general traits)

Q3.
'Normalmente _____ serio y siempre _____tranquilo'. Choose the correct missing verbs.
estoy, estoy
Correct answer: soy, soy
estoy, soy
soy, estoy
Q4.
Order the words to say: 'he is ill today but he is an active person'.
1 - está
2 - enfermo
3 - pero
4 - es
5 - activo
Q5.
Write in Spanish: 'she is always healthy'.
Correct Answer: Siempre es sana., Ella siempre es sana.
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'today she is tired'.
Correct Answer: Hoy está cansada., Hoy ella está cansada., Está cansada hoy., Ella está cansada hoy.

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