Ser

Quick Answer

Ser(to be) is used to describe the essential characteristics of someone or something, to talk about time, and to form the passive voice. Read on and learn more about ser in Spanish!

Uses of Ser

Ser is used to talk about the essential qualities that define a person or thing, and that are not likely to change in the near future, such as personality traits, nationality, profession, religion, size, shape, material, relationships, and color, among others. But that’s not all. It is also used with expressions of time, and in the passive voice, as we will see below.

Ser in Descriptions

Descriptions are the essential qualities that define a person or thing and probably won’t change anytime soon. They can be names, physical traits, nationalities, religions, types of material, etc.

Check out the following examples:

examples
Soy Raquel. I'm Raquel.
Diego es mexicano. Diego is Mexican.
Mi prima y su marido son anglicanos. My cousin and her husband are both Anglican.
Esta camisa es demasiado grande para mí. This shirt is too large for me.
Martina era amable y generosa. Martina was kind and generous.
Las sillas son de madera. The chairs are made of wood.

Ser with Occupations

When we talk about what someone does for a living, we can also use ser.

examples
Soy traductora. I am a translator.
Martín y Fernando son albañiles. Martín and Fernando are construction workers.
Mi vecino era jardinero. My neighbor was a gardener.
María es futbolista. María is a soccer player.

Articles with Ser

Notice that the indefinite articles un, una, unos, and unasmay not be used when talking about occupations with ser. They're often only included if extra information following the occupation is given. Compare the following:

examples
Julia es profesora. Julia is a teacher.
Julia es una profesora paciente y dedicada. Julia is a patient and devoted teacher.

Ser with Expressions of Time

We use ser to talk about time expressions involving days, dates, years, and hours. Let’s take a look at some examples:

examples
Hoy es lunes. Today is Monday.
Ayer fue 10 de octubre. Yesterday was October 10.
Son las dos de la tarde. It’s two in the afternoon.

Ser in the Passive Voice

Ser is used as an auxiliary verb to form the passive voice. Here are some examples:

examples
La casa fue edificada hace cien años. The house was built a hundred years ago.
La orquesta es dirigida por Francisco Rivas. The orchestra is conducted by Francisco Rivas.

Conjugating Ser

Ser is an irregular verb. Let’s see how to conjugate ser in the present and the preterite.

Ser in the Present

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	soy	I am
tú	eres	you are	informal singular you
vos	sos	you are	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	es	he, she is
usted	es	you are	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	somos	we are
vosotros, vosotras	sois	you are	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	son	they are
ustedes	son	you are	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Ser in the Preterite

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	fui	I was
tú	fuiste	you were	informal singular you
vos	fuiste	you were	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	fue	he, she was
usted	fue	you were	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	fuimos	we were
vosotros, vosotras	fuisteis	you were	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	fueron	they were
ustedes	fueron	were	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Even More Ser

To review other tenses of this irregular verb, check out the verb conjugation tables for ser.

For even more on this fundamental Spanish verb, check out the following articles:

Quick Tips for Understanding "Ser" and "Estar"

Using "Ser" with Descriptions

Using "Ser" with Origins

Using "Ser" with Time

"Ser" vs. "Estar"

Present Tense of "Ser," "Estar," and "Tener"