Soy vs. Estoy in Spanish — Here’s the Difference

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Spanish has lots of pairs of words that have similar meanings (or, when translating into English, are the same word) but which are slightly different. 

These pesky pairs include ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’ (to know), ‘ir’ and ‘irse’ (to go and to leave) and ‘pedir’ and ‘preguntar’ (to ask.)

One of the first pesky pairs we encounter in our Spanish studies is ‘soy’ and ‘estoy’ (I am).

So, if you’re finding it a challenge to know when you should say ‘soy’ (I am) and when you should say ‘estoy’ (I am) then worry no more! 

This blog post will teach you the key differences between these two very important verbs.

Let’s start with a quick overview of the differences.

 

What is the difference between “soy” and “estoy”?

“Soy” and “estoy” are both first-person present tense conjugations of verbs meaning ‘to be.’ That is to say, they both mean ‘I am.’ “Soy” is used when you’re talking about permanent, unchanging or rarely changing things. “Estoy” is used when you’re talking about things that do vary regularly. 

 

How to use soy

Soy means ‘I am’ when talking about permanent or long-lasting attributes. 

As a rule of thumb, we can use the acronym DOCTOR to help us remember when to use soy:

• Descriptions 
• Occupations 
• Characteristics 
• Time 
• Origin 
• Relationships. 

 

Descriptions

Descriptions include things such as names, physicality, nationality and personality. These are things that are generally permanent (or, at least, that we assume won’t change in the near future!)

Let’s look at some examples of descriptions. 

Examples:

 

Occupations

For the purposes of our acronym, an occupation is what you do for a living or your hobby. Pretty much any way that you spend time uses soy.

Examples:

 

Characteristics

Characteristics are descriptions of your personality. It’s an extension of the idea of ‘descriptions.’

Examples:

 

Time

Time refers to days of the week, months of the year, and the time of day.

Be careful, because when we talk about our age, we don’t use ‘soy.’ We use ‘tengo.’ So you probably won’t be using ‘soy’ for any of these, but you can use other conjugations of the verb ‘ser’.

 

Origin

Origin refers primarily to where someone or something is from. It can also mean the material something is made from (using ‘es’ or ‘son’ rather than ‘soy).

Examples:

 

Relationships

Any personal relationships (family, friendship, romantic relationships etc) are also discussed with soy.

Examples:

 

 

When to use “estoy”

Estoy is used to talk about temporary states and locations. 

The acronym PLACE is commonly used by Spanish learners to help us remember when to correctly use estoy.

 

Position

Position refers to the physical position or posture you are in.

Examples:

 

Location

Your location refers to where you physically are. Unlike the other uses of estoy, which are temporary, this could also be permanently or theoretically.

Examples:

 

Actions

Estoy is combined with the present participle to describe ongoing actions. This is just like the English construction “I am doing something.”

Examples:

 

Conditions

Physical and mental conditions are described using estoy. Things that are likely to change over the course of hours, days, or even years can fall into this category.

Examples:

 

Emotions

How you are feeling is also described using estoy. This is related to conditions because your feelings are likely to change over time.

 

Why is it important to know the difference between soy and estoy?

As well as helping you to sound fluent, knowing the difference between soy and estoy can stop you from accidentally saying something you don’t mean.

Some words can be used with either “soy” or “estoy”, and they change their meaning depending on the verb you use. 

 

How to use soy and estoy in a sentence

 

 

Conclusion

As you can see, the differences between “soy” and “estoy” are subtle but very important to make sure you can be understood fully.

But don’t worry. While it might be challenging at first to have to think about which version of “I am” you want to use, the more you practise the easier it gets until, eventually, you will no longer have to think about it!