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You are here: Home / Spanish Grammar 109 Ser

Spanish Grammar 109 Ser

Ser – To Be

There are two verbs (ser and estar) which can be translated as “to be” but the use of one or the other completely changes the meaning of a sentence.


Here we’ll look at ‘Ser’, which is the verb used to describe the essential quality of a noun.

The conjugation of the verb ‘Ser’ is:

Singular

Yo soy
Tú eres
Él, Ella, Usted es

Plural

Nosotos somos
Vosotros sois
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes son

Ser is used in Spanish to identify the subject, a person’s name, or a noun:

¿Quién eres tú? – Who are you?
Yo soy Raúl. – I am Raul

¿Qué es? – What is it?
Es una casa. – It’s a house

*Remember that, in Spanish, subject pronouns are used only for emphasis, contrast or to avoid confusion.

Ser is used to express the hour, day, and date:

¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
Son las cinco. – It’s five o’clock.

¿Qué día es hoy? – What day is it today?
Hoy es lunes. – Today’s Monday.

¿Qué fecha es hoy? – What’s the date today?
Es el seis de agosto. – It’s August sixth.

Ser is used to express place of origin:

¿De dónde eres tú? – Where are you from?
Soy de Spain. – I’m from Spain.

Ser is used to express occupation:

¿Cuál es tu trabajo? – What do you do?
Soy jardinero – I’m a gardener

Ser is used to express nationality:

¿Es él colombiano? – Is he Colombian?
No, es mexicano. – No, he’s Mexican

Ser is used to express the material something is made of:

¿De qué material es el reloj? – What’s the watch made of?
Es de oro. – It’s made of gold

Ser is used to express possession:

¿De quién es el coche? – Whose car is it?
Es de Pedro. – It’s Pedro’s

Ser is used to express the relationship of one person to another:

¿Quién es Sara? – Who is Sara?
Es la mujer de Fausto. – She’s Fausto’s wife

Ser is used to say where an event is taking place:

La clase es en el aula seis. – The lessons is in room six
¿Dónde es el partido de futbol? – Where is the football match?

Ser used with an adjective and a noun to denote an attribute:

Victoria es una mujer muy bonita. – Victoria is a beautiful woman.

Ser is used to express religious or political affiliation:

Mis padres son socialistas y catolicos. – My parents are socialist and catholics.

Ser is used to express the relationship of one person to another / family relationship:

Ella es mi hermana. – She is my sister.

Ser is used to express an artistic style:

La iglesia es romanica. – The church is romantic.

Ser is used to express the addressee (person or institution):

La carta es para Marta. – The letter is for Marta.

Ser is used to express price and quantity:

Cuánto es ? – How much is it?
Son 20 euro. – It’s 20 euro

EXERCISE: 109 Ser – To Be | NEXT: 110 Possessive Pronouns

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Spanish Beginners’ Course

Grammar
101 Possessive Adjectives
102 Gender
103 Adjectives
104 Plurals
105 Hay
106 Demonstratives
107 Personal Pronouns
108 Articles
109 Ser - To Be
110 Possessive Pronouns


Exercises
101 Possessive Adjectives
102 Gender
103 Adjectives
104 Plurals
105 Hay
106 Demonstratives
107 Personal Pronouns
108 Articles
109 Ser - To Be
110 Estar - To Be

Vocabulary
101 Family
102 Clothes
103 Travel
104 Personal Information
105 City
106 Body
107 Professions
108 Descriptions
109 Shops
110 Home Contents

Listening practice
101 Possessive Adjectives
102 Gender of nouns
103 Adjectives
104 Plurals
105 Hay
106 Demonstratives
107 Personal pronouns
108 Articles
109 Ser
110 Estar
111 Possessive pronouns

Dialogues
101 Un día en la vida
102 En el aula de clase
103 En la escuela de idiomas
104 Al teléfono
105 Una tarde en la cocina
106 En un hotel
107 Conversación entre una pareja
108 Escuchando la radio
109 En la oficina de turismo
110 En la estación de trenes

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