Ser
The irregular verb ‘ser‘, meaning ‘to be’, is the most frequently used verb in the Spanish language.
It is a confusing verb to say the least as it is one of two verbs in Spanish that mean ‘to be’, the other being ‘estar’.
In English, both ‘ser’ and ‘estar’ may well have
the same meaning but each of them are very distinctive verbs but even
though this is the case it can be very hard to explain one without
making reference to the other and for newcomers to the Spanish language,
the confusion about the choice of using ‘ser’ or ‘estar’ is almost inevitable to begin with!
Here we have a basic conjugation of the verb ‘ser’ in the present tense only.
(For a complete and printable conjugation sheet, click on the image on the left or here)
Yo soy
I am
Tú eres
You are (familiar)
Él es
He is
Ella es
She is
Nosotros somos
We are
Vosotros sois
You are
Ellos son
They are
‘Ser’ is used to explain the following:
1. Identity: If you are announcing yourself you use ser.
Yo soy Juan
I am John
Nosotros somos la familia de Martinez
We are the Martinez family
2. Occupation:
Yo soy un estudiante
I am a student
Tú eres médico
You are a doctor
3. Characteristics or Quality:
El niño es alto
The boy is tall
Nosotros somos inteligentes
We are intelligent
4. Origin:
Nosotros somos de España
We are from Spain
Vosotros sois mejicanos
You are Mexican
5. Possession:
Los libros son míos
The books are mine
6. Time, Date or Day:
¿Qué hora es? Son las cuatro
What time is it? It is four o’clock
Hoy es miércoles
Today is Wednesday
7. Religious, Political or ideological affiliation:
Ella es hindú
She is Hindu
Ellas son comunistas
They(feminine)are communists
8. Location of an event:
El concierto es en la playa
The concert is on the beach
La fiesta será en mi casa
The party will be at my house
9. Impersonal expressions:
Es importante
It is important
Es mi elección
It’s my choice
Fue difícil pero necesario
It was difficult but necessary
Es sorprendente que no puedas hacerlo
It is surprising that you can’t do it
10. The material that something is made from:
La casa es de madera
The house is made of wood
11. Relationships:
Ana es mi madre
Ana is my mother
12. Passiveness: The use of past participles to form the passive voice is much less common in Spanish than it is in English.
La canción fue oída
The song was heard
Son usados para comer
They are used for eating
El governador fue arrestado en su propia casa
The governor was arrested in his own home
Other posts and pages about Ser that you may find interesting:
How to Conjugate Ser in the Preterite Tense