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The verb ser in Spanish
09.09.2024
4 minutes to read
The verb ser is one of the most important verbs. It means “to be” or “to appear” and is used when talking about something permanent. For example, if you want to say that you are a student or that something is red in color, you need the verb ser. Memorizing its forms is easy, and you'll come across it often in speech.
Table of contents
The verb ser in Spanish is used when talking about something that doesn't change. For example, about who we are, where we come from, or something that always stays the same. If you want to say that you are from Spain or that your friend is tall, you need ser. This verb helps describe qualities that don't change over time, like age or nationality.
For example:
Yo soy estudiante - I am a student (and that's not going to change right now).
Ella es mi amiga - She is my friend (and that is something permanent).
Also ser is used to describe color, shape, time, and date:
La casa es roja - The house is red (and it always will be).
Hoy es lunes - Today is Monday (and it certainly won't change).
When you need to describe something permanent, ser is your best friend in Spanish!
For example:
Yo soy estudiante - I am a student (and that's not going to change right now).
Ella es mi amiga - She is my friend (and that is something permanent).
Also ser is used to describe color, shape, time, and date:
La casa es roja - The house is red (and it always will be).
Hoy es lunes - Today is Monday (and it certainly won't change).
When you need to describe something permanent, ser is your best friend in Spanish!
What the verb ser means in Spanish
Conjugations of the verb ser
This verb is irregular, meaning it doesn't obey the usual conjugation rules. But the good news is that it's used a lot, so you'll get used to it quickly!
Here's what the conjugation of ser looks like in the present tense:
Yo soy - I am
Tú eres - You are
Él/Ella/Usted es - He/she/you are.
Nosotros somos - We are
Vosotros sois - You are.
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes son - They/You are.
As you can see, the forms are a bit different, but they are common in everyday speech, so it's not hard to learn them. With ser you'll be able to easily talk about who you are, who your friends are, and what's going on around you!
Here's what the conjugation of ser looks like in the present tense:
Yo soy - I am
Tú eres - You are
Él/Ella/Usted es - He/she/you are.
Nosotros somos - We are
Vosotros sois - You are.
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes son - They/You are.
As you can see, the forms are a bit different, but they are common in everyday speech, so it's not hard to learn them. With ser you'll be able to easily talk about who you are, who your friends are, and what's going on around you!
Describing people and objects: when saying who you are or something that doesn't change.
Ella es alta - She is tall.
El perro es pequeño - The dog is small.
Origin: saying where you are from.
Yo soy de España - I am from Spain.
Profession: we say what you do.
Mi padre es doctor - My father is a doctor.
Time and date: use ser to refer to days of the week, time and date.
Hoy es martes - Today is Tuesday.
Son las tres - It is three o'clock.
Nationality: we say what country the person is from.
Ellos son argentinos - They are Argentineans.
Ella es alta - She is tall.
El perro es pequeño - The dog is small.
Origin: saying where you are from.
Yo soy de España - I am from Spain.
Profession: we say what you do.
Mi padre es doctor - My father is a doctor.
Time and date: use ser to refer to days of the week, time and date.
Hoy es martes - Today is Tuesday.
Son las tres - It is three o'clock.
Nationality: we say what country the person is from.
Ellos son argentinos - They are Argentineans.
Rules for using the verb ser in sentences
To ask a question with the verb ser, you need to reverse the word order. The verb is placed before the subject.
Example:
¿Eres tú estudiante? - Are you a student?
¿Es ella tu amiga? - Is she your friend?
As you can see, it's easy to make a question by simply reversing the word order!
Example:
¿Eres tú estudiante? - Are you a student?
¿Es ella tu amiga? - Is she your friend?
As you can see, it's easy to make a question by simply reversing the word order!
Interrogatives
Negatives
For negation in a sentence with ser, simply add the word no before the verb.
Example:
Yo no soy profesor - I am not a teacher.
Ellos no son mis amigos - They are not my friends.
Negative sentences are very simple to construct: add no before ser, and you're done!
Example:
Yo no soy profesor - I am not a teacher.
Ellos no son mis amigos - They are not my friends.
Negative sentences are very simple to construct: add no before ser, and you're done!
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