The Verb Ser (to Be) in Spanish – Lesson 17

Ser: to be (part 1 of 2)

Today’s verb is a big one: ser, which means “to be”. It’s one of the most used verbs in Spanish, so it’s really worth learning well.

Here’s the twist: Spanish has two verbs for “to be”. Today we learn ser, and in the next lesson we learn the other one: estar. Each has its own job.

When do you use ser? For characteristics

We use ser when we talk about characteristics: things that describe who or what someone or something is. For example:

• I am a man. That’s a characteristic.
• He is smart. Also a characteristic.
• You are from Europe. Where someone is from is a characteristic too.

In all of these, Spanish uses ser. For states, like how you feel right now or where something is, Spanish uses estar. Don’t worry about that yet: we’ll get to it in the next lesson.

Ser conjugation: present tense

Pronoun	Ser	English
yo	soy	I am
tú	eres	you are
él / ella / usted	es	he / she is, you (formal) are
nosotros / nosotras	somos	we are
vosotros / vosotras	sois	you all are (Spain)
ustedes	son	you all are
ellos / ellas	son	they are

As you can see, ser is very irregular: from ser to soy to eres to es… every form looks different. So this one you really have to learn by heart. Grab your notebook and let’s go through them one by one!

Yo soy: I am

You already know this one from lesson 4: soy de Holanda. Being a man is a characteristic, so:

Tú eres: you are

Él / ella / usted es: he / she is, you (formal) are

Remember: to make a question in Spanish, you don’t change the word order. You just add the question marks and use a questioning tone of voice (see lesson 8).

Also, look at inteligente. It looks a lot like the English (and especially British English) word intelligent. Many Spanish words are similar to English words, so if you don’t know a word, try to think of an English word that looks like it. It works surprisingly often!

Nosotros / nosotras somos: we are

Notice: when nosotros becomes nosotras, the verb doesn’t change. It’s still somos. Only the pronoun changes.

Vosotros / vosotras sois: you all are (Spain)

Ustedes son: you all are

Abuelo means grandpa, abuela means grandma, and abuelos means grandparents (or grandpas).

Ellos / ellas son: they are

Simpático means friendly or nice (stress on the pá). And here’s something new: when we talk about a group of women, simpáticos also changes to simpáticas. Describing words (adjectives) change with the person they describe. That’s tricky at first, and even advanced learners get it wrong sometimes. Just keep practicing!

Ser vs estar: a first look

In short: ser is for characteristics (what someone or something is), and estar is for states (how or where someone or something is right now).

Ser: characteristics	Estar: states
Soy Wes. (I’m Wes.)	Estoy bien. (I’m good.)
Soy de Holanda. (I’m from the Netherlands.)	Estoy cansado. (I’m tired.)

You’ve already seen estoy in estoy bien and estoy aprendiendo español. We’ll dive into estar properly in the next lesson.

Want to see ser in every tense? Check out my full ser conjugation chart.

Recap: ser (to be)

Spanish	English
yo soy	I am
tú eres	you are
él / ella / usted es	he / she is, you (formal) are
nosotros / nosotras somos	we are
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

+ 3 more verb forms

Get all 7 verb forms on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.

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Practice: fill in ser

Which form of ser fits? Say the full sentence out loud, then click to check.

1. Yo ___ de Holanda. (I’m from the Netherlands.)

Yo soy de Holanda.

2. Tú ___ simpático. (You are friendly.)

Tú eres simpático.

3. Ella ___ inteligente. (She is smart.)

Ella es inteligente.

4. Nosotras ___ amigas. (We are friends.)

Nosotras somos amigas.

5. ¿Vosotros ___ estudiantes? (Are you all students? Spain)

¿Vosotros sois estudiantes?

6. Ustedes ___ de Europa. (You all are from Europe.)

Ustedes son de Europa.

7. Ellos ___ abuelos. (They are grandparents.)

Ellos son abuelos.

8. ¿Usted ___ el profesor? (Are you the teacher? formal)

¿Usted es el profesor?

Quiz: ser (to be)

10 questions. Let’s see if ser is in your head!

Frequently asked questions

Why does Spanish have two verbs for “to be”?

Because Spanish makes a difference between what something is (ser) and how or where it is right now (estar). English uses “to be” for both. It takes some getting used to, but after a while it starts to feel natural.

Is “soy” the only irregular form?

No, ser is irregular in almost every form: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. That’s why it’s best to just learn the whole list by heart.

Before you go to the next lesson

Study the conjugations of ser before moving on, because in the next lesson we learn its partner, estar. Grab the free reference sheet below, and ¡hasta la próxima!