Below is a list of example adjectives changing meaning when used with ser vs estar. This list is not exhaustive. In reality, you can use ser and estar with any adjective. And your choice between them will always influence the meaning of the adjective and the sentence to some degree. Sometimes the difference will be very small, sometimes significant.

In general, an adjective used with the verb ser describes a characteristic of the subject, something that identifies the subject. An adjective used with the verb estar describes subject’s state of being, condition, appearance.

The differences between ser and estar are explained in detail in a separate article titled Ser vs Estar – the Definitive Guide.

adjective	meaning with ser	meaning with estar	examples
aburrido	to be boring	to be bored	La fiesta no es aburrida, sólo estoy muy cansada y necesito dormir. The party is not boring, I’m just tired and need to sleep. Nunca estoy aburrido en mi trabajo porque hay un montón de cosas interesantes para hacer. I’m never bored at work because there are plenty of interesting things to do.
atento	to be polite to be kind to be helpful	to pay attention to be focused to be alert	Prefiero este hotel porque el personal es muy atento y la comida muy variada. I prefer this hotel because the staff is very helpful and the food very varied. El deportista debe estar atento a las instrucciones de los ejercicios. The athlete must pay attention to the instructions of the exercises.
borracho	to be a drunkard to be an alcoholic	to be drunk	Luis perdió su trabajo porque es un borracho y cuando toma insulta a la gente. Luis lost his job because he’s a drunkard and when he drinks he insults people. Desde el accidente Pedro está borracho cada día y no habla con nadie. Since the accident Pedro is drunk every day and doesn’t talk to anyone.
bueno	to be good	to be well to taste good to look attractive	¿Cuánto alcohol diario es bueno para la salud? How much alcohol daily is good for the health? Esta ensalada está mucho mejor fría, aunque también está buena templada. This salad is much better cold, but it is good lukewarm as well.
cansado	to be tiring to be tiresome	to be tired	Nada es cansado cuando haces lo que te gusta. Nothing is tiring when you do what you like. Decidieron volver a casa porque estaban cansados de esta situación. They decided to go back home because they were tired of this situation.
despierto	to be sharp to be smart to be alert	to be awake	La vida me enseñó que hay que ser despierto en cada momento. Life taught me that you have to be alert at all times. Comía solo y estaba despierto durante la noche, mientras todos dormían. He ate alone and was awake during the night, while everyone was asleep.
divertido	to be amusing to be entertaining	to be amused	Es divertido hablar otras idiomas porque se puede comunicar con mucha gente. It’s fun to speak other languages ​​because you can communicate with many people. Alicia estaba divertida de verme en el disfraz. Alicia was amused to see me in disguise.
grave	to be serious to be severe (situation, error)	to be seriously ill to be in critical condition	Si el error es grave, se desactivarán todas las sistemas automáticamente. If the error is serious, all systems will deactivate automatically. Un niño de cinco años atropellado por un camión está grave. A five year old boy hit by a truck is in critical condition.
guapo	to be handsome to be pretty	to look handsome to look pretty	Casi me atrevo a decir que es más guapa que su hija. I almost dare to say that she is more beautiful than her daughter. Manuel está muy guapo hoy con su traje nuevo. Manuel looks very handsome today in his new suit.
interesado	to be selfish	to be interested	Es triste que ellos crean que su hijo es interesado y materialista. It’s sad that they think their son is selfish and materialistic. Siempre estaba interesada en ver programas de televisión sobre el mundo submarino. She was always interested in watching TV shows about the underwater world.
listo	to be clever to be smart	to be ready to be prepared	¿Si eres tan listo, por qué no lo haces tú mismo? If you are so smart, why don’t you do it yourself? Sólo tengo que escribir un mensaje a mis padres y estoy listo para salir. I just have to write a message to my parents and I’m ready to go.
malo	to be bad to be evil to be wicked	to be ill to be in bad shape	¿Cómo saber cuando un perro es malo y muerde? How to know when a dog is bad and bites? Otra vez estoy malo con el virus de la gripe que ataca al intestino. I’m sick again with the flu virus that attacks the intestine.
molesto	to be annoying to be irritating	to be annoyed to be upset	Es verdad que funciona perfectamente pero el ruido es muy molesto. It’s true that it works perfectly but the noise is very annoying. Los padres están molestos porque se preocupan por sus hijos. Parents are upset because they worry about their children.
nervioso	to be easily irritable to be of nervous character	to feel nervous to feel irritated	Fufu es muy nerviosa y tiene mucho miedo de otros perros. Fufu is very nervous and very afraid of other dogs. No podía dormir porque estaba nervioso por mi primer día en la universidad. I couldn’t sleep because I was nervous about my first day in college.
pesado	to be heavy to be tough	to be tiresome to be annoying	Tengo que coger un taxi, mi maleta es demasiado pesada para caminar. I have to take a cab, my suitcase is too heavy for walking. No quiero ir a ninguna parte con ella porque está pesada. I don’t want to go anywhere with her because she’s being annoying.
seguro	to be safe to be reliable to be certain (situation)	to be sure to be certain (person)	Evite beber agua del grifo sin hervir en países donde el suministro de agua no es seguro. Avoid drinking unboiled tap water in countries where the water supply may be unsafe. Estoy seguro que podemos ayudarte a encontrarlo. I’m sure we can help you find it.
vivo	to be sharp to be lively to be intensive	to be alive	Me gusta mucho el color de tu coche, es muy vivo. I like the color of your car, it’s very intensive. No fue una buena experiencia, pero me alegro que aún estoy vivo. It was not a good experience, but I’m glad I’m still alive.

Have you ever been confused by any particular Spanish adjective?

Share a story in a comment below!

---