Spanish Verb Ser
In English we know the forms of the verb "to be" without thinking. I am. You are. We are. They are. In Spanish, each verb changes to reflect the subject of the verb, as well as the tense (such as present, past, or future). These changes are called conjugations.
Resources for further reading:
Spanish Verb Ser — Conjunctions
The following table shows the conjugations of the verb ser in the present tense.
| Singular Subject | Ser conjugation in present tense |
|---|---|
| Yo (I) | soy |
| Tú (familiar you) | eres |
| Ud., él, ella (polite you, he, she) | es |
| Plural Subject | Ser conjugation in present tense |
|---|---|
| Nosotros/as | somos |
| Vosotros/as | sois |
| Uds, ellos, ellas (you, them) | son |
Por ejemplo:
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Yo soy de España
I am from Spain
Tú eres joven
You are young
Ella es profesora
She is a teacher
Nosotros somos de Nueva Zelanda
We are from New Zealand
Ustedes son muy inteligentes
You are all very intelligent
Drop the Subject
Each conjugation is so precise that you usually don't need to include a subject at all! In Spanish you can simply say the verb:
- Soy de España
- Eres joven
- Somos de Nueva Zelanda
Spanish Verb Ser – Whose it is and where you're from
The word "de" is widely used with the verb ser. It means "of" when used to indicate possession and "from" when used to indicate origin.
Por ejemplo:
¿De quién es el zapato?
Whose shoe is this? Literally: "Of whom is this shoe?"
El zapato es de Mateo
It is Matthew's shoe. Literally: "The shoe is of Matthew."
Esos son los pasaportes de mis padres
Those are my parents' passports (Literally: Those are the passports of my parents.)
¿De dónde es Eduardo?
Where does Edward come from? Literally: "From where is Edward?"
Eduardo es de España
Edward is from Spain
Talking about What You Do for a Living
The verb ser is used to describe occupation. Note that in Spanish you will say, "She is professor" (Ella es profesora), NOT "She is a professor" (Ella es una profesora). When talking about occupation, you should not include either un or una.
Por ejemplo:
José es piloto de aviones
José is an airplane pilot
Yo soy actor
I am an actor.
Ellos son estudiantes
They are students
Be Careful with "To Be" Verbs
Unlike English, there are TWO verbs for "to be" in Spanish!
Check out more Spanish Verbs for useful info!
- Spanish Verbs - Saber and Conocer
- Spanish Verbs Decir & Dar
- Spanish Verbs Pedir and Preguntar
- Spanish Verbs in the Present Tense and Conjugations
See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!
Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish
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