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SPANISH VERB

ser

to be

  • #1 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Gerund: siendo
  • Past participle: sido

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I am
  2. tú you are
  3. usted, él, ella he/she is
  4. nosotros we are
  5. vosotros Spain you all are
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they are

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I was
  2. tú you were
  3. usted, él, ella he/she was
  4. nosotros we were
  5. vosotros Spain you all were
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they were

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to be
  2. tú you used to be
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to be
  4. nosotros we used to be
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to be
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to be

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will be
  2. tú you will be
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will be
  4. nosotros we will be
  5. vosotros Spain you all will be
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will be

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would be
  2. tú you would be
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would be
  4. nosotros we would be
  5. vosotros Spain you all would be
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would be

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I be
  2. tú (that) you be
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she be
  4. nosotros (that) we be
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all be
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they be

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I were
  2. tú (if) you were
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she were
  4. nosotros (if) we were
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all were
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they were

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú be!
  2. usted be! (formal)
  3. nosotros be! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain be! (all of you)
  5. ustedes be! (all of you)

How to use ser

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Mi hermano es médico en Guadalajara.

    My brother is a doctor in Guadalajara.

  2. Past

    La boda fue en la playa, ¡preciosa!

    The wedding was on the beach, gorgeous!

  3. Imperfect

    De niña, yo era muy tímida.

    As a girl, I was very shy.

  4. Future

    Mañana será un día largo en la oficina.

    Tomorrow will be a long day at the office.

  5. Conditional

    Sería mejor salir temprano, ¿no crees?

    It would be better to leave early, don't you think?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Espero que seas muy feliz aquí.

    I hope you are very happy here.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Si fuera rica, viajaría todo el año.

    If I were rich, I would travel all year.

  8. Imperative

    Sé puntual, el camión no espera.

    Be on time, the bus doesn't wait.

Good to know

  • Ser is for what something is; estar for how or where it is right now.
  • Ser also gives the time and the date: son las tres, hoy es lunes.

Where you hear ser

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 1

  • Yo soy de la Ciudad de México. I'm from Mexico City.
  • Ayer fue un día muy bueno. Yesterday was a very good day.
  • Mañana va a ser un día bonito. Tomorrow is going to be a nice day.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Es una fiesta, no es triste. It's a party, it's not sad.
  • Mi mamá era muy alegre. My mom was very cheerful.
  • Va a ser un viaje increíble. It's going to be an incredible trip.
1
Welcome to Mexico

Beginner Level 1 · eres · soy · no soy · Soy yo.

Free 2
Where Are You From?

Beginner Level 1 · eres · Soy de · es

Free 3
This Is Your Room

Beginner Level 1 · este es

Needs a subscription 5
Two Tacos, Please

Beginner Level 1 · son

Needs a subscription 14
When I Was a Child

Beginner Level 2 · era · eras · ser

Needs a subscription 17
Two Thousand Years Ago

Beginner Level 2 · estas son

Needs a subscription 1
How Long Will You Stay?

Beginner Level 3 · será

Free 6
Could You Recommend Something?

Beginner Level 3 · sería

Needs a subscription 11
Renting a Car

Beginner Level 3 · es cierto

Needs a subscription 15
A Flat Tyre

Beginner Level 3 · así es

Needs a subscription 17
The Lights Go Out

Beginner Level 3 · cuando era niña

Needs a subscription 19
Friends?

Beginner Level 3 · es broma

Needs a subscription

And 37 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.