Grammar

Ser: identity, origin and profession

Lesson 03 of 20 · 12 min of reading · 13 questions

Ser is the most important verb in Spanish, and also the most irregular. With it you say who you are, where you're from and what you do for a living. Let's learn it in full, once and for all.

SER

yosoy

túeres

él / ella / ustedes

nosotros / nosotrassomos

vosotros / vosotrassois

ellos / ellas / ustedesson

Cultural noteVosotros is used only in Spain. Throughout Latin America, «ustedes» is used for both formal and informal plural address. If you're learning Spanish to travel to Spain, you need it; if it's for Latin America, you can set it aside for now.

Question 1 · Fill in

Complete: «Yo ______ de Berlín.»

What ser is used for

Use	Example
Identity	Soy Miguel. / Ese es mi hermano.
Origin	Somos de Italia.
Nationality	Eres francés.
Profession	Es enfermera.
Possession	El libro es de Juan.
Material	La mesa es de madera.
Time and date	Son las tres. Hoy es lunes.

The classic mistake: profession without an article

In English you say I am a teacher; in German, Ich bin Lehrer; in French, Je suis professeur. Spanish works like German: no article.

Soy profesor.✓ Correct.

Soy un profesor.✗ Sounds like you're defining the species.

Soy un profesor muy exigente.✓ With an adjective, an article is fine.

Question 2 · Choose

Which one is correct?

Question 3 · Choose

«Marta y Luis ______ de Lisboa.»

Asking with ser

¿Quién eres?Identity

¿De dónde eres?Origin

¿Cuál es tu apellido?A specific fact

¿De quién es esto?Possession

Watch out for thisIn Spanish a question opens with ¿ and closes with ?. It's not decorative: since word order barely changes between a question and a statement, the opening mark warns you from the start. The same goes for ¡ !.

Review: test what you've learned

Question 4 · Fill in

Complete: «Yo ___ Ana.» (verb ser)

Question 5 · Choose

Where is the «vosotros» form used?

Question 6 · Choose

How do you say «I am a teacher» in Spanish?

Question 7 · Choose

When does the article appear with a profession?

Question 8 · Fill in

Complete: «Nosotros ___ de Italia.»

Question 9 · Choose

What is «ser» NOT used for?

Question 10 · Choose

What does the ¿ mark at the start of a Spanish question do?

Question 11 · Fill in

Complete: «La mesa ___ de madera.»

Question 12 · Choose

What do «quién eres», «de dónde eres» and «a qué te dedicas» have in common?

Question 13 · Choose

Which of these sentences is correct?

Lesson summary

Pronoun	Form of ser	Use
yo	soy	Identity: Soy Ana
tú	eres	Soy profesor / médica (no article)
él / ella	es	La mesa es de madera
nosotros	somos	Somos de Italia
vosotros	sois	Spain only; in Latin America: ustedes
ellos	son	El libro es de Juan

0/13 questions correct

Answer every question correctly to continue.