The verb TO BE (SER) in Spanish
- El verbo SER en español
In this article we are going to learn a basic and important topic of the Spanish language: the verb “ser”.
But, what’s the meaning of “ser”?
Let’s see some examples in English and then compare with those in Spanish.
- I am John and I am Australian.
- I’m tired.
- I’m 27 years old.
In these sentences we use the verb “to be”. But in the first one we are talking about a permanent condition. (Your name, nationality, gender, are permanent conditions).
The second sentence describes a temporary condition. I’m tired now, buy if a have a nap surely I’ll be well.
In Spanish, to express permanent conditions we use the verb “SER”. To refer to temporary conditions, the verb “ESTAR” is used instead,
To talk about someone’s age (as in the third sentence) we use the verb “TENER”. TENER means “have got”. A literal translation shoud be “I have got 27 years”. So, the English verb “TO BE” can be trasnlated in three different meanings in Spanish.
In this lesson we will focus in the verb “SER”. Let’s begin!
The verb SER is used to describe essential characteristics of a person or a thing. Essential characteristics are generally permanent.
- Yo soy Daniel. Soy argentino. - I am Daniel. I'm Argentinean.
- Tú eres simpático. - You are nice.
- María y Pablo son hermanos. - Maria and Pablo are brothers.
- Madrid es la capital de España. - Madrid is the capital of Spain.
- La valija es pesada. - The suitcase is heavy.
How to conjugate the verb SER
The verb "ser" is irregular. Its conjugation in the present is the following.
- Yo soy
- Tú eres
- El / ella es
- Nosotros / nosotras somos
- Vosotros / vosotras sois
- Ellos / ellas son
The verb "SER" in America
Remember that in Argentina, Uruguay and other South American countries "vos" is used instead of "tú" and "ustedes" is used instead of "vosotros or vosotras".
In these cases, the second person singular of the verb "SER" in the present tense is conjugated "vos sos". The second person plural is conjugated "ustedes son".
The verb "SER" formal and informal
While in informal situations we use "tu" or "vos", when we talk to someone in a formal way we use "usted". Then we say"usted es"
In summary
Other uses of the verb SER
We use the verb SER to
- Tell the time: Son las tres. - It's three o'clock
- Indicate property: Este libro es de Ana. - This is Ana's book.
- To say that something happens: El partido es a las seis. The game is at six.
Now is your turn
Conjugate the verb "ser"