The verb Ser
Ser is the verb to be (I am, You are, He is…) in Spanish, and you need to learn it by heart because it is an irregular verb. This is how it reads:
Yo soy
Tú eres
Él/Ella es
Nosotros somos
Vosotros sois
Ellos son
Uses of the verb Ser
It is used when we describe a characteristic of a person or a thing that is permanent, for example:
Yo soy alto (description)
El cielo es azul (description)
Ella es española (origin)
Tú eres medico (profession)
Ellos son cristianos (religion)
Son las seis (time)
Anna es mi mamá (relationship)
Differences between the Verb Ser and To be
However, the verb Ser does not share some of the uses of the verb to be in English, including:
I am 20 – Yo tengo 20 años (age)
I am hungry – Tengo hambre (temporary state)
Nevertheless, the verb to be is very common in Spanish and you can use it with lots of words such as:
Bueno/malo
Rico/pobre
Amarillo/Azul
Simpático/antipático
Italiano/Francés
Let me teach you some real example in this video.
And, to make things a bit more complicated, in Spanish there is another verb that translate by to be, the verb Estar!
Learn how to use the verb Estar here.