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.