"No somos invisibles" by Bruno Malfondet is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.El presente de ser / the present indicative of ser (to be) |
Spanish | English |
yo soy | I am |
tú eres | you (informal, singular) are |
usted es | you (formal, singular) are |
él / ella es | he / she is |
nosotros / nosotras somos | we are |
vosotros / vosotras sois | you (informal, plural) are |
ustedes son | you (formal, plural) are |
ellos / ellas son | they are |
Uses of ser |
1. Identification | ¿Quién es ella? / Who is she?
- Ella es mi hermana. / She is my sister.
¿Qué es esto? / What is this?
- Es un diccionario. / It is a dictionary. |
2. Origin and nationality | Yo soy de Panamá. / I am from Panamá.
Yo soy panameña. / I am Panamanian. |
3. Personality and physical characteristics | Yo soy simpático / antipático. / I am nice / mean.
Ella es inteligente / no es inteligente. / She is intelligent / is not intelligent.
Nosotros somos activos / no somos activos. / We are active / are not active.
Ellas son atléticas / no son atléticas. / They are athletic / are not athletic. |
| 4. Professions | Nosotros somos estudiantes. / We are students.
Ellos son profesores. / They are professors. |
| 5. Possessions (with de) | ¿De quién es el libro? / Whose book is this?
El libro es de María. / It is María’s book. (Literally, it is the book of María.) |
| 6. Time/hour | Es la 1:00 de la tarde. / It is 1:00 p.m.
Son las 2:00 de la tarde. / It is 2:00 p.m. |
| 7. Where and when an event takes place | ¿Dónde es la fiesta? / Where is the party?
- La fiesta es en el restaurante La Salsa. / The party is at La Salsa restaurant.
¿Cuándo es la fiesta? / When is the party?
- Es en diciembre. / It is in December. |
"Somos de Barrio. Los Estudiantes. Arenoso. Rafael Arias" by Gobierno Danilo Medina is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Use the following link to hear the forms of ser pronounced in Spanish:
Introductory Spanish I - El verbo ser
Actividades de comunicación |
Actividad 1. Identifications.
Work in pairs taking turns. Ask what each object is and let your partner answer the question. (All images in this activity are sourced from openclipart.org, licence CC-PD.)
- Modelo:
- Estudiante 1: ¿Qué es el dibujo (drawing) número siete?
- Estudiante 2: Es un lápiz.
Actividad 2. Nationalities.
Work in pairs taking turns. Using the map below as a guide, ask where each person is from and let your partner answer the question.
- Modelo:
- Estudiante 1: ¿De dónde son Fernando y María?
- Estudiante 2: Fernando y María son de Argentina.
The original image by Haylli is licensed under CC BY.Actividad 3. Professions.
Work in groups of four or more. One member will perform a profession and the rest will guess what it is.
- Modelo:
- Estudiante 1: Acts out a profession
- Otros estudiantes: Tú eres profesor.
- Estudiante 1: No, no soy profesor. OR ¡Sí, soy profesor!
Possible professions:
Spanish | English |
actor | actor |
actriz | actress |
escritor(a) | writer |
artista | artist |
bombero(a) | firefighter |
fontanero(a) | plumber |
taxista | taxi driver |
cantante | singer |
albañil | construction worker |
médico(a) | doctor |
Actividad 4. Possessions.
Work in pairs taking turns. Say to whom these things belong. (All images in this activity are sourced from openclipart.org, licence CC-PD.)
Modelo: | 
Berta
|
- Estudiante 1: ¿De quién son los libros? (Whose books are they?)
- Estudiante 2: Los libros son de Berta. (They are Berta’s books)
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