When do you use ser?
Spanish splits English to be into two verbs: ser and estar. How someone is doing and where something is belongs to estar. This lesson is about ser.
Conjugating ser
Ser is completely irregular in the present: you cannot derive a single form from the infinitive, so the six forms have to be memorised. English to be is irregular too (am, are, is), so the idea is familiar.
ser (to be) — presente
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | I am |
| tú | eres | you are (one person, informal) |
| él/ella/usted | es | he / she / it is, you are (polite) |
| nosotros/as | somos | we are |
| vosotros/as | sois | you all are (Spain) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | son | they are, you all are |
ser
All six forms in a sentence
Yo soy profesor.
I am a teacher.
Tú eres muy amable.
You are very kind.
Ella es abogada.
She is a lawyer.
Nosotros somos amigos.
We are friends.
Vosotros sois estudiantes.
You are students.
Ellos son de México.
They are from Mexico.
What ser is used for
Who someone is: name, profession, family
Soy María.
I am María.
Es mi hermano.
He is my brother.
Mi madre es médica.
My mother is a doctor.
no word for a before the job
Origin and nationality
¿De dónde eres?
Where are you from?
Soy de Alemania.
I am from Germany.
Eres español.
You are Spanish.
nationalities are written in lower case
Qualities
Mi hermano es simpático.
My brother is nice.
La casa es grande.
The house is big.
Time and day of the week
Son las tres.
It is three o'clock.
plural in Spanish — the verb agrees with las tres, not with an English it
Hoy es lunes.
Today is Monday.
