icon-background-square
New
New
Year 8

People: 'ser' and 'estar' singular persons

Learning outcomes

I can talk about people's traits and states using 'ser' and 'estar'.

I can read words that contain the weak vowel [u] correctly.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 8

People: 'ser' and 'estar' singular persons

Learning outcomes

I can talk about people's traits and states using 'ser' and 'estar'.

I can read words that contain the weak vowel [u] correctly.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The weak vowel [u] when next to [a], [e] and [o] becomes a single syllable.
  2. The verb 'ser' means 'to, be, being' and it is used to describe permanent traits.
  3. The verb 'estar' means 'to, be, being' and it is used to describe temporary states/moods.
  4. Adjectives like 'listo' and 'malo' have different meanings depending on which verb is used: 'ser' or 'estar'.

Keywords

  • Weak vowel - vowel that is not strong or dominant in pronunciation, e.g. the letter [u]

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

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

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 used to talk about permanent traits, and the verb 'estar' is used to talk about temporary states/moods and location.


To help you plan your year 8 spanish lesson on: People: 'ser' and 'estar' singular persons, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The teacher might want to set a different time limit for task B1.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

copyright

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

Loading...

Some of our videos, including non-English language videos, do not have captions.

6 Questions

Q1.
The verb 'ser' means 'to be, being' and is used to describe traits.
Correct Answer: permanent
Q2.
The verb 'estar' means 'to be, being' and is used to describe states/moods.
Correct Answer: temporary
Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:soy,I am
tick

I am

Correct Answer:eres,you are
tick

you are

Correct Answer:es,she, he, it is
tick

she, he, it is

Correct Answer:somos,we are
tick

we are

Correct Answer:son,they are
tick

they are

Q4.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:estoy,I am
tick

I am

Correct Answer:estás,you are
tick

you are

Correct Answer:está,she, he, it is
tick

she, he, it is

Correct Answer:estamos,we are
tick

we are

Correct Answer:están,they are
tick

they are

Q5.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:feo,ugly
tick

ugly

Correct Answer:guapo,beautiful
tick

beautiful

Correct Answer:raro,strange
tick

strange

Correct Answer:alegre,cheerful
tick

cheerful

Correct Answer:simpático,nice
tick

nice

Correct Answer:feliz,happy
tick

happy

Q6.
Translate into Spanish: 'She is normally calm.'
Correct Answer: Normalmente es tranquila., Es tranquila normalmente.

6 Questions

Q1.
What happens when a weak vowel is next to a strong vowel?
The [u] becomes a separate syllable.
Correct answer: The [u] merges with the strong vowel to form one syllable.
The [u] always carries the stress in the word.
The [u] disappears from the pronunciation.
Q2.
Which word does not include a weak vowel and strong vowel combination?
igual
puerta
aguantar
Correct answer: idea
lengua
Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:contento,happy
tick

happy

Correct Answer:listo,smart, ready
tick

smart, ready

Correct Answer:malo,ill, bad
tick

ill, bad

Correct Answer:triste,sad
tick

sad

Correct Answer:fuerte,strong
tick

strong

Q4.
Which words have a similar meaning to 'contento'?
Correct answer: feliz
igual
limpio
Correct answer: alegre
triste
Q5.
'You are clever.' Choose the correct translation.
Estoy listo.
Soy listo.
Está listo.
Correct answer: Eres listo.
Es listo.
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'I am ill.'
Correct Answer: Estoy malo.

Additional material

Download additional material