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Although it is an extremely common verb, ser can be confusing for many Spanish students because it is usually translated as "to be," same as the verb estar. Although they can often be translated the same way, ser and estar are distinct verbs with distinct meanings and are seldom synonymous.
It is probably most helpful to learn the two verbs separately, seeing how they function. A separate lesson looks at estar; this lesson focuses on ser.
Here are the main uses of ser:
To indicate existence
Examples: Ser o no ser, esa es la pregunta. (To be or not to be, that is the question.) Pienso, luego soy. (I think, therefore I am.)
With adjectives to indicate inherent, innate or essential characteristics
Examples: La casa es grande. (The house is big.) Soy feliz. (I am happy by nature.) Las hormigas son negras. (Ants are black.) La nieve es fría. (Snow is cold.)
To indicate origin, nature or identity
Examples: Soy de Argentina. (I am from Argentina.) No soy marinero, soy capitán. (I am not a mariner, I am a captain.) Es Pablo. (He is Paul.) Los billetes son de papel. (The bills are made of paper.)
To indicate possession or ownership
Examples: El coche es mío. (The car is mine.) Es mi casa. (It is my house.)
With past participles to form passive voice
Examples: La canción fue oída. (The song was heard.) Son usados para comer. (They are used for eating.)
To tell the time
Examples: Es la una. (It is 1:00.) Son las dos. (It is 2:00.)
To indicate where an event takes place
Examples: El concierto es en la playa. (The concert is on the beach.) La fiesta será en mi casa. (The party will be at my house.)
In impersonal statements
Examples: Es importante. (It is important.) Fue difícil. (It was difficult.)
As you may have noticed, ser is highly irregular. Following is its conjugation for the tenses most likely to be encountered by beginning students. Irregular forms are in boldface.
| |
Present |
Past (preterite) |
Past (imperfect) |
Future |
| yo |
soy (I am) |
fui (I was) |
era (I was) |
seré (I will be) |
| tú |
eres (you are) |
fuiste (you were) |
eras (you were) |
serás (you will be) |
| él, ella, usted |
es (he is, she is, you are) |
fue (he was, she was, you were) |
era (he was, she was, you were) |
será (he will be, she will be, you will be) |
| nosotros, nosotras |
somos (we are) |
fuimos (we were) |
éramos (we were) |
seremos (we will be) |
| vosotros, vosotras |
sois (you are) |
fuisteis (you were) |
erais (you were) |
seréis (you will be) |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes |
son (they are, you are) |
fueron (they were, you were) |
eran (they were, you were) |
serán (they will be, you will be) |
Note that in the preterite, the conjugation for ser is the same as the conjugation for ir (to go). Usually the context makes clear which verb is being used.
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