Start with what you want to say
“Soy de Santiago, pero ahora estoy en La Habana.” One short sentence introduces a person and says where they are. Choosing the verb becomes easier when you separate those two jobs. You do not need to decide whether Santiago or Havana is permanent or temporary.
This guide practises general Spanish grammar in Cuban settings. The rules also apply beyond Cuba. Every dialogue and exercise below is an original teaching example, not a recording, quotation from a Cuban speaker or claim about what all Cubans say. Read the examples aloud, then replace the details with your own.
Introduce a person with ser
Try a short introduction: “Soy Ana. Soy cubana. Soy profesora.” The name identifies Ana, cubana gives her nationality and profesora names her occupation. For someone else, say “Él es músico” or “Ella es de Matanzas.” Keep the usual form without an article when simply naming an occupation: “Soy profesor.”
Practise these present-tense forms as complete phrases: yo soy, tú eres, él/ella/usted es, nosotros/nosotras somos, ellos/ellas/ustedes son. “Usted es profesor” refers to one person; “ustedes son profesores” refers to more than one. Write three true introductions instead of memorising the list without a situation.
Locate people and things with estar
A visitor asks “¿Dónde está el museo?” and a friend answers “Está cerca del parque.” Another message says “Estamos en casa.” You are locating a building or people. A building may remain in the same place for decades; that does not make “el museo es cerca del parque” the right location sentence.
Use estoy, estás, está, estamos and están with the corresponding people. Notice the written accents in estás, está and están. Now change only the person: “Estoy en La Habana”, “Estamos en La Habana”, “Mis amigos están en La Habana.” Keep the place unchanged so that you can hear the verb change clearly.
Ask where an event takes place
Compare two questions: “¿Dónde está el teatro?” asks for the building. “¿Dónde es el concierto?” asks where the event takes place. A possible answer is “El concierto es en el teatro.” The word en alone cannot tell you which verb to choose: ask whether you mean a location or an event happening there.
Make a tiny plan: “La clase es a las diez. Es en la biblioteca. La biblioteca está al lado del parque.” The first sentence gives the class time, the second its venue and the third locates that venue. Draw three boxes labelled time, event and place, then put each sentence in its box.
Describe a person or their current condition
“Luis es tranquilo” describes Luis as a calm person. “Luis está tranquilo” presents him as calm in the situation being discussed. Neither sentence tells you that a personality can never change or that a state must end quickly. Listen for the description the speaker is making rather than applying a stopwatch rule.
Some adjective pairs change meaning more noticeably: “Ana es lista” describes her as clever; “Ana está lista” says she is ready. In an original exchange before leaving, “¿Estás lista?” can receive “Sí, ya estoy lista.” If you want to compliment someone’s intelligence, that is a different message. Keep both examples in your notes with their contexts.
Talk about a drink or a meal
At a table, practise “El café está caliente” and “Los tostones están fríos.” These sentences describe what is being served. “El café es una bebida” puts coffee in a category. You can also say “Esta taza es pequeña”: the cup’s size is a characteristic, while “la taza está vacía” describes its condition.
Here, “está bueno” expresses an opinion about the taste. For a preference, use the companion guide to gustar: “Me gusta el café.” Describing this cup and saying what you generally enjoy are useful, different conversation tasks.
Correct the message, then practise it
Complete four original prompts: “Mi amiga ___ de Cuba”; “Hoy nosotros ___ en el museo”; “La reunión ___ en casa de Ana”; “¿Ya ___ listo para salir?” The answers are es, estamos, es and estás. Explain each choice in plain words: origin, present location, event venue and readiness.
Now record two versions of a short introduction: one about yourself and one about a friend. Add a location and a plan. Listen once for soy/es, once for estoy/está and once for the event sentence. When something goes wrong, rewrite that whole sentence with a real meaning; repeatedly copying one isolated verb gives you less to practise.
Build the next conversation
Use the linked learning guide to choose a wider practice routine. The menu vocabulary page supplies words you can substitute in the food examples, while the past-tense guide helps when you are ready to move from today’s situation to yesterday’s. The related gustar lesson adds questions about what another person likes.
For grammatical reference, consult RAE–ASALE’s Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entries “ser” and “estar”. The activities here are our own applications. Start with one exchange you could actually use, check what each sentence means and try it again without reading. You can build a longer conversation from those few accurate sentences.
For another setting, use the related weather lesson to describe conditions during a day in Cuba. Compare the task in that lesson with locating a person here; do not choose estar merely because both sentences happen to contain a place name.