no ser

not to be

no ser(noh sehr)

transitive verb phrase

1. (used to talk about identity)

a. not to be

Yo no soy el marido de Eva, soy su hermano.

I'm not Eva's husband. I'm her brother.

2. (used to talk about characteristics)

a. not to be

La habitación no es cuadrada, es rectangular.

The room isn't square. It's rectangular.

3. (used to talk about origin)

a. not to be

María no es de Barcelona, sino de Madrid.

Maria isn't from Barcelona, but from Madrid.

4. (not to serve)

a. not to be

Este cuchillo es el del pescado, no es para cortar carne.

This is the fish knive. It's not for cutting meat.

5. (not to be fabricated with)

a. not to be made of

Este abrigo es sintético, no es de piel.

This coat is synthetic. It's not made of fur.

6. (used to indicate possession)

a. not to be

No sé de quién son esos libros, pero no son míos.

I don't know whose those books are, but they're not mine.

7. (not to take place)

a. not to be

La reunión no será en la oficina del director, sino en la sala de juntas.

The meeting won't be at the director's office, but at the boardroom.

8. (used to express time)

a. not to be

No son las 12 am, es la 1 pm. ¿No sabías que ayer adelantamos los relojes?

It's not 12 am. It's 1 pm. Didn't you know that the clocks went forward yesterday?

9. (used to conjugate the passive voice)

a. not to be

Esta catedral no fue construida en el siglo XVII, es mucho más antigua.

This cathedral wasn't built in the 17th century. It's much older.

10. (not to support; used with "de")

a. not to root for

Yo no soy del Barça, ni tampoco del Real Madrid.

I don't root for Barça, neither do I root for Real Madrid.