Present of ser

Level 1

Ser means "to be" for identity, origin and lasting traits. Its present forms are son, es, é, somos, sodes, son.

How It Works

The forms

  • eu son (I am)
  • ti es (you are)
  • el, ela, vostede é (he, she is; you are, formal)
  • nós somos (we are)
  • vós sodes (you all are)
  • eles, elas, vostedes son (they are; you are, formal plural)

Two things to watch. First, son means both "I am" and "they are": Son profesora (I am a teacher) and Son profesoras (they are teachers). Second, é with an accent is the verb, while e without an accent means "and": Ela é alta e simpática (She is tall and nice). The e in es and é is an open vowel, like the e in English "bed".

What ser is used for. Ser tells you what something is: identity and job (Son estudante), origin (Es de Lugo?), nationality (É galega), lasting traits (A casa é grande) and time (Son as tres). For location and temporary states, Galician uses estar instead. See ser vs estar and the present of estar.

Regional note. In some areas people say eres for "you are". The standard form is es.

Examples (6)

  1. Son estudante.

    I am a student.

    Word by Word: I-am student.

    No article is needed before a job or role after ser.

  2. Es de Lugo?

    Are you from Lugo?

    Word by Word: You-are from Lugo?

  3. A casa é moi grande.

    The house is very big.

    Word by Word: The house is very big.

  4. Somos amigos desde pequenos.

    We have been friends since we were little.

    Word by Word: We-are friends since little.

  5. Sodes de Santiago?

    Are you all from Santiago?

    Word by Word: You-all-are from Santiago?

  6. Son as tres.

    It is three o'clock.

    Word by Word: Are the three.

    Time is told with ser; see que hora é?

Common Mistakes

  • Writing é without its accent.

    Ela e galega.
    Ela é galega.

    Without the accent, e means "and". The verb "is" is always written é.

  • Using the Spanish form soy.

    Eu soy de Vigo.
    Eu son de Vigo.

    The Galician form for "I am" is son, the same spelling as "they are".

  • Using the Spanish form sois for vós.

    Vós sois moi amables.
    Vós sodes moi amables.

    The vós form of ser is sodes, with the -des ending that all vós forms share.

How It Connects

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

Present of serLevel 1

Learn This First

Ser has irregular present forms used for identity and description.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern