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      A trip to Asturias: 'ser' and 'estar' 1st and 3rd person

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use the 1st and 3rd person forms of 'ser' and 'estar', as well as comparative structures, to describe a trip to Asturias.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. In Spanish there are two verbs for 'to be'. Use 'estar' for location, state or mood and 'ser' for permanent traits.
      2. Some adjectives can only be used with ‘estar’ because they only describe a state, not a permanent trait.
      3. The 1st person singular of 'estar' is 'estoy' and the plural is 'estamos'; for 'ser', it is 'soy' and 'somos'.
      4. The 3rd person singular of 'estar' is 'está', and the plural is 'están'; for 'ser', it is 'es' and 'son'.
      5. To say 'more … than' in Spanish, use 'más' + adjective + 'que'; to say 'less … than', use 'menos' + adjective + 'que'.

      Keywords

      • Ser - verb 'to be, being' used to describe permanent traits

      • Estar - verb 'to be, being' used to describe temporary state/mood and location

      • Comparative - form of an adjective or adverb used to used to compare people, things or ideas

      • Que - conjunction used in comparative structures meaning 'than'

      Common misconception

      It doesn't matter which Spanish translation of the verb 'to be' we use, as they both mean 'to be, being'.

      The verb 'ser' is for permanent traits, and the verb 'estar' is for temporary states/moods and location. It sounds as odd to a Spanish person if we use the wrong verb 'to be' as it does when someone says 'I make sport' or 'I do a cake' in English.

      Teacher tip

      To develop Task C1, teachers can encourage students to identify all the comparative structures and follow up by asking them to create their own comparative sentences, using the 1st and 3rd person forms of 'ser' and 'estar'.

      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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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which word means 'worse'?

      hoy
      menos
      más
      muy
      Correct answer: peor

      Q2.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:claro,clear
      Correct Answer:feliz,happy
      Correct Answer:oscuro,dark
      Correct Answer:seco,dry
      Correct Answer:serio,serious
      Correct Answer:tonto,silly

      Q3.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:campo (m),countryside
      Correct Answer:lluvia (f),rain
      Correct Answer:naturaleza (f),nature
      Correct Answer:paisaje (m),landscape
      Correct Answer:pueblo (m),town, village
      Correct Answer:montaña (f),mountain

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'he is cheerful and she is tired'.

      1 - él
      2 - es
      3 - alegre
      4 - y
      5 - ella
      6 - está
      7 - cansada

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'eres una persona activa'.

      Correct Answer: you are an active person, you're an active person

      Q6.
      Write in English: '¿Porqué estás triste?'.

      Correct Answer: Why are you sad

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:estoy,I am (state, location)
      Correct Answer:está,she, he, it is (state, location)
      Correct Answer:están,they are (state, location)
      Correct Answer:soy,I am (trait)
      Correct Answer:es,she, he, it is (trait)
      Correct Answer:son,they are (trait)

      Q2.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:estamos aburridos,we are bored
      Correct Answer:somos aburridos,we are boring
      Correct Answer:estamos listos,we are ready
      Correct Answer:somos listos,we are clever
      Correct Answer:estamos malos,we are ill
      Correct Answer:somos malos,we are bad

      Q3.
      Order the words to say: 'Saturday is more fun than Sunday'.

      1 - el sábado
      2 - es
      3 - más
      4 - divertido
      5 - que
      6 - el domingo

      Q4.
      Write in Spanish: 'she is angry'.

      Correct Answer: está enojada, ella está enojada

      To help you plan your 9 Spanish lesson on: A trip to Asturias: 'ser' and 'estar' 1st and 3rd person, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...