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Hello, my dear Polly Lingual students! Today I will answer the question about SER e (and) ESTAR. They are both verbs in Portuguese and Spanish that mean TO BE. The difference between SER e(and) ESTAR is very simple. SER is used when you are not waiting for a change and with ESTAR you can always wait for something that will change. For example when you present yourself: "I'M A MAN"(SOU UM HOMEM) or I'M A TEACHER (SOU UM PROFESSOR) but if you talk about the weather you will say: "O TEMPO ESTA' BOM" (THE WEATHER IS GOOD) "aqui temos a grande diferenca" (here is the main difference). SER is always for something that you do not wait to happen or you do not hope will change. That generally will continue the same way as always. ELE E' UM BOM AMIGO (he is a good friend) (that is constant in his friendship) but ELE ESTA' COM DOR DE CABECA (he has a headache)(that will hopefully finish soon). So it is a little confusing at the beginning, mostly if you are a native English speaker and you want to learn this verb duplication because on one side you must remember that SER it is always for when it does not change. EU SOU (I AM without changing) VOCE, ELE, ELA E' (you, he, she is without changing) NOS SOMOS (we are without changing and VOCES, ELES ELAS SAO (You, They are without changing). EU ESTOU (I am for the moment) VOCE, ELE, ELA ESTA" (you, he, she is for the moment) NOS ESTAMOS (we are for the moment) VOCES, ELES, ELAS ESTAO (You, They are for the moment). These are the declinations (conjugations) of both SER