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

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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

The envelope, please… Yo soy estudiante del teatro.

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

The envelope, please! Tú eres estudiante del arte.

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

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

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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