El verbo ser (The Verb “To Be”)
In this section, you will learn about the verb ser, one of the most important verbs in Spanish used to describe identity, origin, and essential characteristics.
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Verbs are the part of speech that we use in order to express actions and states of being. A very commonly used verb in Spanish is the verb ser, which in English means “to be”. Ser is an irregular verb, meaning that, unlike other verbs you will see later on, such as regular verbs, it does not follow a predictable pattern of conjugation.
El verbo ser
Subject Pronoun | Singular Form | Subject Pronoun | Plural Form | |
1ra persona | Yo | soy | Nosotras/os/es | somos |
2da persona | Tú Vos Usted | eres sos es | Ustedes Vosotras/os/es | son sois |
3ra persona | Ella/él/elle | es | Ellas/os/es | son |
The verb ser is used to:
- Express nationality and origin:
– ¿De dónde eres? 🤔
– Yo soy de Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷/Yo soy puertorriqueña. 🇵🇷
(Translation)
– Where are you from?
– I am from Puerto Rico. / I am Puerto Rican.
- Identify people, places and things:
– ¿Quién eres? 🤔
– Soy Lucas. 🙋🏾♂️Soy un chico. Esta es mi tarea de español. 📝
(Translation)
– Who are you?
– I am Lucas. I am a guy. This is my Spanish homework.
- Indicate possession, familiarity:
- Ella es mi profesora. 👩🏿🏫
- She is my professor.
- Express characteristics/inherent qualities:
- Usted es amable 😌y elle es independiente. 💪
- You are kind and they are independent.
- Indicate profession:
- Nosotros somos estudiantes. 👩🏼🎓
- We are students.
- Ellas son artistas. 👩🎨👩🎨
- They are artists.
Please note that unlike English, Spanish does not always need to use the subject pronoun in front of the verb, as it is implied in the verb ending. Always using the subject pronoun in front of the verb may sound repetitive. See the following example:
- She is a student. She is from Nicaragua and she is friendly.
Here is a more common phrasing:
- Ella es estudiante. Es de Nicaragua y es simpática.