ser + Origin/Time

Ser for Origin and Time

Level 1

Use ser with de for origin and with a time phrase to state the hour.

How It Works

Soc de Girona names a person's origin, while és de fusta describes material. De introduces the relationship; it does not change the forms of ser. With an adjective of origin instead, make it agree: és catalana, són catalanes.

For clock time, use és la una but són les dues, són les tres and so on. The singular or plural time expression determines the verb. To say when an event takes place, use a les dues after its own verb: dinem a les dues.

Catalan has regional ways of naming fractions of an hour, including the quarter-based system. First keep the grammatical distinction between stating the time and locating an event in time; then learn the local clock expressions as complete phrases.

Examples (3)

  1. Som de Tarragona.

    We are from Tarragona.

  2. És la una.

    It is one o’clock.

  3. Són les quatre i dinem a les cinc.

    It is four o’clock, and we have lunch at five.

How It Connects

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ser + Origin/TimeLevel 1Ser for Origin and Time

Learn This First

Choose singular or plural present ser. Express origin with de.

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Words in This Pattern