Portuguese ser, estar and ficar | Free Language Courses

The forms

and both mean “to be”, and often does too. All three are used every day, so learn their present forms by heart. and are irregular; is a regular -ar verb.

In speech, is often shortened: (), (), (). means “OK”. You'll hear these all the time, but write the full forms.

Person


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Ser: what something is

Use for who or what someone or something is: name, job, nationality and origin, and features that describe what someone or something is like. Also use it for the time, the day, the total price () and where an event takes place.

Marital status normally takes in Brazil: (I'm married.)

Eu sou a Camila. Sou de Curitiba.I'm Camila. I'm from Curitiba.
Meu pai é enfermeiro.My father is a nurse.
O apartamento é pequeno, mas é bonito.The flat is small, but it's nice.
Hoje é sexta. São cinco horas.Today is Friday. It's five o'clock.
A festa é na casa da Larissa.The party is at Larissa's house.

Estar: how and where, now

Use for states and feelings, how someone or something is at the moment: tired, ill, happy, busy, open, closed. Also use it for the weather (), for where people and movable things are, and with the gerund (the -ndo form) for what is happening now: .

+ a noun describes how you feel: (I'm hungry), (I'm cold).

Tudo bem? — Tô bem, e você?How are you? — I'm fine, and you? · is spoken
Estou cansado hoje.I'm tired today. · said by a man
Cadê as chaves? — Estão na mesa.Where are the keys? — They're on the table.
A farmácia está fechada.The pharmacy is closed.
Estamos jantando.We're having dinner.

Ficar: places, staying and becoming

has three common uses. First, it says where buildings, streets, towns and other fixed places are: (Where is the station?) You'll also hear for this, especially for rooms: For people and things that move, use .

Second, means “to stay”: (I stayed at home). Third, with an adjective it means “to get” or “to become”: (I was happy, I became happy), (it got cold).

O banco fica na praça.The bank is in the square.
Salvador fica na Bahia.Salvador is in Bahia.
Hoje eu fico em casa.Today I'm staying at home.
Ela ficou muito feliz com a notícia.She was very happy about the news.

Same adjective, different meaning

With you say what someone or something is like in general; with you say how they are now or how they seem at the moment. Sometimes the meaning changes quite a lot.

With	Meaning	With	Meaning
	She's pretty.		She looks nice (today).
	Rio is hot (it has a hot climate).		It's hot today.
	He's boring, annoying.		He's being annoying today.
	Paulo is a nervous person.		Paulo is nervous (now).
	The cake is good (a good recipe).		The cake tastes good.