How to Say ‘You Are’ in Spanish: Eres, Estás or Usted Es?

Hola! I’m Mónica, a Spanish teacher from Madrid. English has one “you are”. Spanish has several, because Spanish has two verbs for “to be” (ser and estar) and several ways to say “you”. Don’t panic: here’s the whole thing in one table.

All the ways to say “you are” in Spanish

Who you’re talking to	With SER (identity)	With ESTAR (state, location)
One person, informal (tú)	eres	estás
One person, formal (usted)	es (usted es)	está (usted está)
Several people, informal, Spain (vosotros)	sois	estáis
Several people (ustedes)*	son	están
One person, Argentina & Uruguay (vos)	sos	estás

* In Spain, ustedes is formal. In Latin America (and the Canary Islands) it’s the normal plural for everyone.

Eres or estás? The 5-second rule

• Eres (ser) = who or what you are: identity, origin, profession, personality.
• Estás (estar) = how or where you are: feelings, temporary states, location.

English	Spanish	Why
You are from Madrid.	Eres de Madrid.	Origin → ser
You are in Madrid.	Estás en Madrid.	Location → estar
You are a teacher.	Eres profesor / profesora.	Profession → ser
You are tired.	Estás cansado / cansada.	State → estar
You are very funny.	Eres muy gracioso / graciosa.	Personality → ser
You are angry.	Estás enfadado / enfadada.	Feeling → estar

Same adjective, different meaning

This is where ser and estar get fun (and where learners say funny things by accident):

• Eres aburrido = you are boring. Estás aburrido = you are bored.
• Eres listo = you are clever. Estás listo = you are ready.
• Eres guapa = you are beautiful. Estás guapa = you look beautiful (today).
• Eres malo = you are bad (a bad person). Estás malo = you are ill (in Spain).

When “you are” is NOT eres or estás

Some English “you are” sentences use a completely different verb in Spanish. These are the mistakes I hear most:

English	Spanish	Not
You are right.	Tienes razón.	eres correcto
You are 30 (years old).	Tienes treinta años.	eres treinta
You are hungry / thirsty.	Tienes hambre / sed.	estás hambre
You are cold / hot.	Tienes frío / calor.	estás frío
You are lucky.	Tienes suerte.	eres suerte
You’re welcome.	De nada.	eres bienvenido

Careful with that last one: eres bienvenido exists, but it means “you are welcome (here)”, like welcoming someone to your house. After “thank you”, it’s always de nada.

Tú or usted?

In Spain we use tú almost all the time: with friends, colleagues, waiters, shop assistants, even your boss. Use usted with elderly people, in very formal situations, or when someone uses it with you first. In much of Latin America, usted is more common, so when in doubt there, start with usted.

FAQ

How do you say “you are beautiful” in Spanish?

Eres guapa (to a woman) or eres guapo (to a man). Eres preciosa is stronger and more romantic.

How do you say “you are my friend” in Spanish?

Eres mi amigo (to a man) or eres mi amiga (to a woman).

How do you say “you are not” in Spanish?

Put no in front of the verb: no eres, no estás. More in how to say “not” in Spanish.

And “you were”?

That depends too: eras, estabas, fuiste… I explain it in how to say “was” in Spanish.

Understanding ser and estar is easy. Using them without thinking is the hard part.

Most of my students know the rule. What they can’t do is choose eres or estás in half a second, in a real conversation. That only comes from speaking. If you want to know exactly what’s blocking you, book your Spanish Speaking Roadmap call below.

— Monica Bernabe Perez

Learning Spanish in Australia? I taught Spanish at UWA and now teach learners all over the country, in small groups or one-to-one: Spanish classes in Perth, Spanish lessons in Sydney and Spanish classes in Adelaide.