1. To be, or not to be? Let’s start out with one of the
most important verbs in
Spanish – ser, which means
“to be.”

2. To be, or not to be… Look at the English forms of this verb:
I am, you are, he is, she is,
We are, they are
This verb doesn’t follow an
expected pattern; in other words,
it’s irregular.

3. Ser, o no ser… The Spanish verb ser is also irregular. ser = to be
yo soy = I am
tú eres = you are
él es = he is
ella es = she is
usted es = you are
nosotros somos = we are
ellos son = they are
ellas son = they are
ustedes son = you (all) are

4. Atención!
Unlike English, Spanish sentences do not always require a subject.
Why not?
The Spanish verb always gives us enough information about the subject, so we know who we are talking about.

5. An example, please! Soy de Chicago.
Soy is paired up with yo, so we know that the speaker is talking about him/herself.
Eres de Miami.
Eres is paired up with tú, so we know that the speaker is talking to you (familiar).

6. And in English?
English verbs by themselves don’t carry enough information to tell us who the speaker is talking about:
“work in Chicago” is pretty ambiguous!
It can mean..
I work in Chicago.
You work in Chicago.
They work in Chicago.
We work in Chicago.

7. Trust me on this one! All Spanish verbs change, but
fortunately there are
predictable patterns.
The verb ser just
happens to be the
most irregular verb in
the language.

8. So let’s practice!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to complete the following sentences with the correct for of the verb ser.

9. La forma correcta de “ser”
Yo ______ estudiante del teatro.
I am a student of the theater.

10. The envelope, please…
Yo soy estudiante del teatro.

11. May I have another, please?
Tú _____ estudiante del arte.
You are a student of art.

12. The envelope, please!
Tú eres estudiante del arte.

13. Now, try these! Mi mamá _____ de México. Mi papá ____ de Nicaragua.
Y yo _____ de Chicago.
Nosotros _______ americanos.

14. Is that your final answer?
Mi mamá es de México.
Mi papá es de Nicaragua.
Y yo soy de Chicago.
Nosotros somos americanos.

15. Uses of the verb SER To tell time To say where a person is from
To describe what a person (or thing) is like
To describe what a person is (profession)

16. To tell time Son las nueve de la mañana. It is 9:00 a.m.
Es la una de la tarde.
It is 1:00 p.m.

17. To say where a person is from
Yo soy de los estados unidos.
I am from the United States.
Mi amiga, Sara, es de México.
My friend, Sara, is from Mexico.

18. To describe what a person or thing is like
Tú eres muy deportista, ¿no?
You are very sports-minded, right?
Los libros son interesantes.
The books are interesting.
El taxi es amarillo.
The taxi is yellow.

19. To describe what a person is (profession)
Yo soy profesora de español.
I am a Spanish teacher.
Ustedes son estudiantes.
You all are students.
El papá de mi amiga es dentista.
My friend’s dad is a dentist.

20. To wrap it up… Here are those forms again: yo soy tú eres él es
ella es
usted es
nosotros somos
ellos son
ellas son
ustedes son

21. Online Practice
Click here to go to “ser” practice.