Up to this point, you have noted that the verb “to be” has two meanings in spanish: ser or estar.
In this lesson, we are going to focus on ser.
We will learn when and how to use it, and all the conjugations. Let’s start!
When do we use “Ser”?
- To talk about physical descriptions.
- To talk about time and dates.
- To talk about professions and relationships.
- To describe the character of a person.
Ser Conjugation
Well, now that we know when to use it, let’s see how to use it.
There are plenty of conjugations in Spanish, so let’s start with the most used.
Indicative Mood/Present Simple
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | soy |
| Tú | eres |
| Él/ella/usted | es |
| Nosotros | somos |
| Ustedes | son |
For example:
- Yo soy feliz.-I’m happy.
- Tu eres alto.-You’re tall.
- Ella es médica.-She’s a doctor.
- La fiesta es el 15 de Diciembre.-The party is on December 15.
- Nosotros somos hermanos.-We’re siblings.
- Ellos son agradables.-They’re nice.
Indicative Mood/Past Simple
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | fui |
| Tú | fuiste |
| Él/ella/usted | fue |
| Nosotros | fuimos |
| Ustedes | fueron |
| Ellos | fueron |
For example:
- Yo fui feliz ese día.-I was happy that day.
- Tu fuiste expulsado de la escuela a los 5 años.-You were expelled from school when you were 5.
- Ella fue médica por un día.-She was a doctor during a day.
- La fiesta fue el 15 de Diciembre.-The party was on December 15.
- Nosotros fuimos pareja de baile.-We were dance partners.
- Ellos fueron agradables con nosotros.-They were nice with us.
Indicative Mood/Past Imperfect
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | era |
| Tú | eras |
| Él/ella/usted | era |
| Nosotros | eramos |
| Ustedes | eran |
| Ellos | eran |
For example:
- Yo era feliz cuando iba a la escuela.-I was happy when I went to school.
- Tu eras gordo cuando comías caramelos.-You were fat when you ate sweets.
- Ella era médica, ahora es maestra.-She was a doctor, now she is a teacher.
- El lugar era grande y bonito.-The place was big and beautiful.
- Nosotros éramos novios.-We were a couple.
- Ellos eran agradables cuando vivían aquí.-They were nice when they lived here.
Remember! The past simple is used for past actions (sometimes in a specific day) and past imperfect to talk about past habits, prolonged actions in past and to describe things, people or places.
Spanish Verb Ser – Quiz/Worksheet
Let’s put the new knowledge into practice. If you can use the verb correctly, it will be easier to work on the other conjugations.
Complete with ser in present simple:
Maria _______ mi amiga.
Mi madre ______ muy buena.
Mi hermano y yo __________ altos.
Ellos _________ médicos, ________ compañeros de trabajo.
Juan ________ feliz viviendo aquí.
La reunión ________ en esta sala.
El lugar _________ hermoso:
Answers
Maria es mi amiga.
Mi madre es muy buena.
Mi hermano y yo somos altos.
Ellos son médicos,son compañeros de trabajo.
Juan es feliz viviendo aquí.
La reunión es en esta sala.
El lugar es hermoso:
Correct the mistake:
Yo eras feliz cuando trabajaba allí.
Tú eras bajo de niño.
Ella fui quien vino a casa.
Tu fuiste secretario ayer.
Nosotros son vecinos de tus primos.
Su casa eran hermosa.
La fiesta fue divertida.
Answers:
Yo era feliz cuando trabajaba allí.
Tú eras bajo de niño.
Ella fue quien vino a casa.
Tu fuiste secretario ayer.
Nosotros somos vecinos de tus primos.
Su casa era hermosa.
La fiesta fue divertida.
Ok, now that we’ve dominated the basics, let’s go on advancing!
Here are more conjugations…..
Indicative Mood/Conditional
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | sería |
| Tú | serías |
| Él/ella/usted | sería |
| Nosotros | seriamos |
| Ustedes | serían |
| Ellos | serían |
For example:
- Yo sería feliz si como helado.-I would be happy if I ate ice-cream.
- Tu serías inteligente si estudias.-You would be intelligent if you studied.
- Ella sería una buena madre.-She would be a good mother.
- Nosotros seríamos amigos.-We would be friends.
- Ellos serían buenos hermanos.-They would be good brothers.
Indicative Mood/Future Simple
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | seré |
| Tú | serás |
| Él/ella/usted | será |
| Nosotros | seremos |
| Ustedes | serán |
| Ellos | serán |
For example:
- Yo sere doctora.-I will be a doctor.
- Tu serás mi ahijado.-You will be my Godson.
- Ella será una buena madre.-She will be a good mother.
- Nosotros seremos los ganadores.-We will be the winners.
- Ellos serán mis padres.-They will be my parents.
Subjunctive Mood/Present
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | sea |
| Tú | seas |
| Él/ella/usted | sea |
| Nosotros | seamos |
| Ustedes | sean |
| Ellos | sean |
For example:
- Aunque sea doctora no podría ayudar.-Even if I’m a doctor, I couldn’t help.
- Que tu seas inteligente, no significa que seas sabio.-Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you’re wise.
- Aunque ella sea bonita, no me gusta.-Even if she’s beautiful, I don’t like her..
- Que seamos hermanos, no significa que te daré dinero.-Just because we’re siblings, doesn’t mean I will give you money.
- Aunque ellos sean grandes, aún pueden trabajar.-Even if they’re old, they still can work.
Pay attention! “Ser” is irregular, in this case we only need to take out the “r” to add the end. It will make it easier to conjugate.
Subjunctive Mood/Past
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Yo | fuera |
| Tú | fueras |
| Él/ella/usted | fuera |
| Nosotros | fuéramos |
| Ustedes | fueran |
| Ellos | fueran |
For example:
- Si yo fuera superhéroe, volaría.-I were a superhero, I would fly.
- Si tu fueras bebe, dormirías todo el día..-If you were a baby, you would sleep all day..
- Si fuéramos ricos viviríamos en una mansión.-If we were rich, we would live in a mansion.
- Si ellos fuesen pobres, no comprarían chocolates.-If they were poor, they wouldn’t buy chocolates.
Did you note…? Its conjugation is very similar to the past indicative mood form. Keep this tip in mind!
Does the subjunctive mood have another past tense and a future tense? Yes, it does, but it isn’t frequently used in spanish. So we can’t jump it!
Imperative Mood
| Subject | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Tú | sé | No seas |
| Usted | sea | No sea |
| Ustedes | sean | No sean |
This form is used to give commands. The commands are given to other people, that’s why it needs to be conjugated only with tú, usted, ustedes.
For example:
- Sé bueno con tu hermana.-Be nice to your sister.
- No seas malo con tu hermana.-Don’t be mean to your sister.
- Sea amable.-Be kind.
- No sea grosero.-Don’t be rude.
- Sean amables.-Be kind.
- No sean groseros.-Don’t be rude.
Compound Conjugations
There are two compound conjugations with the verb “ser”. Each of them have changes in the helping verb, so the verb ser stays in with the same conjugation.
Let’s see in detail.
Compound Conjugation with Haber and Ser
It is formed with:
[Conjugation of haber + past participle of ser (sido)]
For example:
- Yo he sido doctora por mucho tiempo.-I have been a doctor for a long time.
- Han sido vecinos por tres meses.-They’ve been neighbors for three months.
Compound conjugation with Estar and Ser
It is formed with:
[Conjugation of estar + gerund form of ser (siendo)]
For example:
- Yo estoy siendo controlada en el trabajo.-I’m being controlled at work.
- Estamos siendo amables contigo.-We’re being nice to you.
Ver Ser – Final quiz
We’ve worked on all the “ser” conjugations, and we’re going to check if you remember them.
Choose the right option:
1.Si ___________ millonaria tendría un avión privado.
Soy —- seras—- fuere
2.Tu has ___________ muy amable conmigo.
siendo —- sido—- sere
3.Tu y yo ___________ compañeros de clase.
fuimos —- eran—- fui
4.___________ amable con tus alumnos.
sé—- no seas—- no sean
5.Sam ___________ mi hermana mayor.
6.Ellos ___________ felices viviendo en Brasil.
somos —- fuimos—- eran
7.Aunque ___________ millonario no podrás comprar la felicidad.
fueran —- seas—- soy
8.Que ___________ rápidos no significa que ganen la carrera.
sé—- sean—- no sea
9.Tú ___________ mi mejor amigo.
eres —- son—- seas
10.Él ___________ muy pobre.
sido—- fuera—- fue
Answers:
1. Si fuera millonaria tendría un avión privado.
2. Tú has sido muy amable conmigo.
3. Tú y yo fuimos compañeros de clase.
4. Sé amable con tus alumnos.
5. Sam es mi hermana mayor.
6. Ellos eran felices viviendo en Brasil.
7. Aunque seas millonario no podrás comprar la felicidad.
8. Que sean rápidos no significa que ganen la carrera.
9. Tú eres mi mejor amigo.
10. Él fue muy pobre.
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