what is it?
Spanish has several fixed patterns that use ser or estar in ways that do not follow the general «permanent vs. temporary» rule. This page covers four of them: impersonal ser for time of day and atmospheric conditions (es tarde, es de noche); estar de + noun for a temporary role or occupation (está de camarero); estar a + expression for fluctuating prices or today's date (estamos a quince, están a tres euros el kilo); and parecer + adjective vs. impersonal parece que + indicative. Each pattern is governed by convention, not by the permanent/temporary distinction.
when to use it
Impersonal ser — time of day and atmospheric conditions. Use the third-person singular of ser to state what time it is, whether it is early or late, or what part of the day it is. The subject is always impersonal — there is no «it» in Spanish, but the verb is always singular: es tarde, es pronto, es de noche, es de día, es mediodía.
Estar de + noun — temporary occupation or role. Use estar de followed by a bare noun (no article) when someone is filling a role on a temporary or informal basis. This contrasts with ser + noun, which identifies a permanent profession: es médico (that is his profession) vs. está de médico en ese hospital (he is currently working as a doctor there, possibly temporarily).
Estar a + price or date — fluctuating values. Use estar a to state a current market price or today's date. Both are values that change over time, which is why estar is used. For dates, the first-person plural is standard: estamos a lunes, estamos a quince de mayo. For prices, third-person plural agrees with the goods: están a tres euros el kilo.
Parecer + adjective vs. parece que + indicative. When parecer is followed directly by an adjective, it functions like ser/estar and the adjective agrees with the subject: parece cansado. When it introduces a clause, it is impersonal and always third-person singular: parece que va a llover. The clause after parece que takes the indicative.
formation
The table below shows the forms used in each pattern. Only the relevant persons are listed for each construction.
| pattern | verb form | example |
|---|---|---|
| impersonal time (ser) | es | Es tarde. / Es de noche. |
| estar de + occupation (1st sg.) | estoy de | Estoy de guía este mes. |
| estar de + occupation (3rd sg.) | está de | Está de camarero este verano. |
| estar a + date (1st pl.) | estamos a | Estamos a quince de mayo. |
| estar a + price (3rd pl.) | están a | Están a tres euros el kilo. |
| parece + adjective (3rd sg.) | parece | Parece cansado. |
| parece que + indicative | parece que | Parece que va a llover. |
With estar de, the noun that follows has no article: está de camarero, not está de un camarero. Adding an article changes the meaning or makes the sentence ungrammatical.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Using estar for impersonal time. Learners sometimes say «*está tarde» by analogy with other uses of estar. The correct form is always es tarde. Impersonal time-of-day expressions — es tarde, es pronto, es de noche, es de día — always use ser.
Dropping de in estar de + occupation. «*está camarero» is not grammatical. The preposition de is obligatory in this construction: está de camarero. Without de, the sentence is ungrammatical.
Using ser to state the date. «*somos a quince» is a common error. Dates use estar, not ser: estamos a quince. Think of the date as a position on a calendar that changes every day — a fluctuating value, hence estar.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Este arroz ___ demasiado salado; creo que le han puesto mucha sal. (parecer)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.