The Spanish verb SER is one of the two ways to say «to be«. It is not only the most important verb but also the most irregular one but no worries, you will use it so much that in a couple of weeks, you will not notice the irregularities. First, we are going to learn how to form it in the present tense, after that we will see how to use it.
SER in the present tense
Below you can see the conjugation of the verb SER in the present tense.
Now we are going to practice the conjugation of the present tense with a memory game. In the link, you can check the whole conjugation of SER.
When to use verb SER in Spanish
1. with an adjective when talking about a characteristic or relatively permanent quality, for example, shape, size, height, color, material, nationality;
Pau Gasol es muy alto (Pau Gasol is very tall).
Cristina es inteligente (Cristina is intelligent).
Rafa Nadal es moreno (Rafa Nadal’s dark haired)
Penelope Cruz es muy guapa (Penelope Cruz is very pretty)
El coche/carro es rojo (The car is red).
La blusa es de seda (The blouse is made of silk).
Sus padres son españoles (His parents are Spanish).
Es joven/viejo (He’s young/old).
Son muy ricos/pobres (They’re very rich/poor).
2. with a following noun or pronoun that tells you what someone or something is:
Andrés es mecánico (Andrés is a mechanic).
Soy yo, Fernando (It’s me, Fernando).
Santiago es la capital de Chile (Santiago is the capital of Chile).
3. to say that something belongs to someone:
La casa es de mi abuelo (The house belongs to my grandfather).
Es mío (It’s mine).
4. to talk about where someone or something comes from:
(Yo) soy de Perú ( I’m from Peru).
Carlos es argentino (Carlos is Argentinian).
Mi familia es de Guadalajara ( My family is from Guadalajara).
5. to say what time it is or what the date is:
Son las nueve y media (It’s half past nine).
Mañana es lunes (Tomorrow is Monday).
6. in calculations:
cinco y tres son ocho (five and three are eight).
– ¿Cuánto es todo? -Son doce euros (-How much is all together? -It’s twelve euros).
7. when followed by an infinitive:
Lo importante es decir la verdad (The important thing is to tell the truth).
8. to describe actions using the passive (for example they are made, it is sold):
Son fabricados en China (They are made in China).
9. to talk about where an event is taking place:
El concierto es en el Teatro Real de Madrid (The concert is at Madrid’s Royal Theatre).
Exercises and practice with verb SER
Now we have a quiz game to check how much you have learned about the Spanish verb SER. Please don’t hesitate to contact your tutor with any questions you have. Don’t you have a Spanish tutor yet?
Notice that, in Spanish, we have another verb meaning to be. It is the Spanish verb ESTAR; click on the link to learn more about this verb. Hasta pronto!