 |
|
|
Ser (to be) |
|
First review the present tense conjugation of ser below. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Spanish |
English |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The verb ser (to be) is used in the following contexts: |
|||
|
|
to express the hour, day, and date. | ||
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? | ||
| Son las cuatro y media. | It's four thirty o'clock. | ||
| Hoy es lunes. | Today's Monday. | ||
| La clase de español es a las diez. | Spanish class is at 10:00. | ||
| Es el once de junio. | It's June 11th. | ||
|
|
to express possession | ||
| Es la casa de mi vecino. | It's my neighbor's house. | ||
| Son los libros de Emilio. | They are Emilio's books. | ||
|
|
to express occupation, what someone is | ||
| Somos peluqueras. | We are hairdressers. | ||
| Eres una ingeniera buena. | You are a good engineer. | ||
|
|
to express what something is | ||
| Este libro es mi libro de español. | This book is my Spanish book. | ||
| La Plaza de Armas es el centro de Cuzco. | That building is the Temple of the sun. | ||
|
|
used with adjectives to express inherent, or essential qualities to describe what someone or something is like |
||
| Mis amigos son extrovertidos y divertidos. | My friends are outgoing and fun. | ||
| El museo de arte es muy interesante. | The art museum is very interesting. | ||
|
|
to say where someone is from, place of origin | ||
| Estos estudiantes son de Chile. | These students are from Chile. | ||
| Mi madre es de Cuzco. | My mother is from Cuzco. | ||
|
|
to express nationality (see adjectives below) | ||
| Susana es costarricense. | Susana is Costa Rican. | ||
| Mi familia es mexicana. | My family is Mexican. | ||
|
|
used to express the relationship of one person to another | ||
| Victoria es la hermana de Marco. | Victoria is Marco's sister. | ||
| La enfermera es mi madre. | The nurse is my mother. | ||
|
|
express the material something is made of | ||
| Este vestido es de seda. | This dress is (made of) silk. | ||
| La silla es de madera. | The chair is (made of) wood. | ||
|
Adjectives of nationality |
|||||
| argentino(a) | Argentine | hondureño(a) | Honduran | ||
| canadiense | Canadian | mexicano(a) | Mexican | ||
| chileno(a) | Chilean | nicaragüense | Nicaraguan | ||
| colombiano(a) | Columbian | paraguayo(a) | Paraguayan | ||
| costarricense | Costa Rican | peruano(a) | Peruvian | ||
| español(a) | Spanish | salvadoreño(a) | Salvadoran | ||
| estadounidense | from the U.S. | uruguayo(a) | Uruguayan | ||
| guatemalteco(a) | Guatemalan | venezolano(a) |
Venezuelan
|
||
"Language is at the core of human existence. Through language we express the hopes and dreams we hold for our families, our state and our nation. The ability to communicate in a second language enables us to know the hopes, dreams and visions of others around the world."
