ser + Noun

Ser for Identity

Level 1

Ser identifies a person or thing and places it in a category.

How It Works

Use ser when saying who someone is or what something is: és la Júlia, és una escola. A profession or role used simply as a category often has no article: és professora, som estudiants.

A descriptive noun phrase can include an article when needed: és una professora excel·lent. Therefore the rule is not that professions can never have articles. Choose the noun phrase's meaning rather than copying or deleting every English a.

The complement agrees where appropriate: són metgesses, som catalans. With an adjective, ser can characterize something even when that description is not permanent. És difícil describes a task; the choice of ser is not a prediction that the task will remain difficult forever.

Examples (3)

  1. La Marta és enginyera.

    Marta is an engineer.

  2. Això és una biblioteca.

    This is a library.

  3. Som els nous veïns.

    We are the new neighbors.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ser + NounLevel 1Ser for Identity

Learn This First

Use the present forms of ser in identity statements.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern