Spanish verbs are divided into different groups, and each group is conjugated differently. Conjugation is the various arrangements of the verb form in an inflected language. In languages such as in Spanish, the conjugation verb helps us identify the voice, mood, tense, number, and person. Ser is a Spanish verb, that means “to be.” In this article, we will discuss the Spanish Verb Conjugation, especially the Ser conjugation.
Concept of Ser conjugation
The verb conjugation is the process of changing a verb form to make it more informative for the reader. For example, it gives us information about the action that one is performing. The conjugated form of the verb can give us some idea about the subject of the sentence. Firstly, it gives us an idea of the subject that is/are performing the action and secondly, the relation of the verb to other parts of the sentence. In conclusion, the concept of the conjugated verb in Spanish is nearly the same as in English. However, the details are far more complicated.
Ser is a Spanish irregular verb that means “to be.” Ser appears on the list of 100 Most Used Spanish Verbs and number one as the most used irregular verb.
For example:
In English: This could be an opportunity for us.
En español: Esta podría ser una oportunidad para nosotras.
In English: I want to be a doctor.
En español: Quiero ser un doctor.
Chart of ser conjugation words
● Ser indicative conjugation
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/Ud | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/Uds. |
| Present form | soy | eres | es | somos | sois | son |
| Preterite form | fui | fuiste | fue | fuimos | fuisteis | fueron |
| Imperfect form | era | eras | era | éramos | erais | eran |
| Conditional form | sería | serías | sería | seríamos | seríais | serían |
| Future form | seré | serás | será | seremos | seréis | serán |
● Ser subjunctive conjugation
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/Ud. | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/Uds. |
| Present form | sea | seas | sea | seamos | seáis | sean |
| Imperfect form | fuera | fueras | fuera | fuéramos | fuerais | fueran |
| Imperfect form 2 | fuese | fueses | fuese | fuésemos | fueseis | fuesen |
| Future form | fuere | fueres | fuere | fuéremos | fuereis | fueren |
● Ser imperative conjugation
| Verb | yo | tú | Ud. | nosotros | vosotros | Uds |
| Affirmative | – | sé | sea | seamos | sed | sean |
| Negative | – | no seas | no sea | no seamos | no seáis | no sean |
● Ser continuous conjugation
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/Ud. | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/Uds |
| Present form | estoy siendo | estás siendo | está siendo | estamos siendo | estáis siendo | están siendo |
| Preterite form | estuve siendo | estuviste siendo | estuvo siendo | estuvimos siendo | estuvisteis siendo | estuvieron siendo |
| Imperfect form | estaba siendo | estabas siendo | estaba siendo | estábamos siendo | estabais siendo | estaban siendo |
| Conditional form | estaría siendo | estarías siendo | estaría siendo | estaríamos siendo | estaríais siendo | estarían siendo |
| Future form | estaré siendo | estarás siendo | estará siendo | estaremos siendo | estaréis siendo | estarán siendo |
● Ser perfect conjugation
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/Ud. | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/Uds |
| Present form | he sido | has sido | ha sido | hemos sido | habéis sido | han sido |
| Preterite form | hube sido | hubiste sido | hubo sido | hubimos sido | hubisteis sido | hubieron sido |
| Past form | había sido | habías sido | había sido | habíamos sido | habíais sido | habían sido |
| Conditional form | habría sido | habrías sido | habría sido | habríamos sido | habríais sido | habrían sido |
| Future form | habré sido | habrás sido | habrá sido | habremos sido | habréis sido | habrán sido |
● Ser perfect subjunctive conjugation
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/Ud. | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/Uds |
| Present form | haya sido | hayas sido | haya sido | hayamos sido | hayáis sido | hayan sido |
| Past form | hubiera sido | hubieras sido | hubiera sido | hubiéramos sido | hubierais sido | hubieran sido |
| Future form | hubiere sido | hubieres sido | hubiere sido | hubiéremos sido | hubiereis sido | hubieren sido |
Translation of ser conjugation words and example
● Translation of ser conjugation (present form):
In the following table, we can see the translation of the present form of conjugated verb ser.
| Ser conjugation | Translation in English |
| yo soy | I am |
| tú eres | You are (informal) |
| él/ella/ello/uno es | He / she / one is |
| usted es | You are (formal) |
| nosotros somos | We are |
| vosotros sois | You all are (informal) |
| ellos/ellas son | They are |
| Ustedes son | You all are (formal) |
Example of ser conjugation in the present tense :
En español: La boda es el veintisiete de junio.
In English: The wedding is on the 27th of June.
En español: Ellos son mis abuelos.
In English: They are my grandparents
● Translation of ser conjugation (preterit tense):
In the following table, we can see the translation of the most used preterit form of conjugated verb ser.
| Ser conjugation | Translation in English |
| yo fui | I was |
| tú fuiste | You were (informal) |
| él/ella/ello/uno fue | He/ she/ one is |
| usted fue | You were (formal) |
| nosotros fuimos | We were |
| vosotros fuisteis | You all were (informal) |
| ellos/ellas fueron | They were |
| ustedes fueron | You all were (formal) |
Example of cer conjugation in preterit tense:
En español: Fuimos al baile anoche.
In English: We went to the dance last night.
En español: Fui a verte en tu casa.
In English: I went to see you at your house.
● Translation of ser conjugation (imperfect tense):
There are only three irregular imperfect verbs in Spanish grammar and ser is one of them. In the following table, we can see the translation of the most used imperfect form of conjugated verb ser.
| Ser conjugation | Translation in English |
| yo era | I used to be |
| tú eras | You used to be (informal) |
| él/ella/ello/uno era | He/she/one used to be |
| usted era | You used to be (formal) |
| nosotros éramos | We used to be |
| vosotros erais | You all used to be (informal) |
| ellos/ellas eran | They used to be |
| ustedes eran | You all used to be (formal) |
Example of cer conjugation in imperfect tense:
En español: Éramos futbolistas.
In English: We used to be soccer players.
En español:- Shakespeare era un gran escritor.
In English: Shakespeare was a great writer.
● Translation of ser conjugation (future tense):
In the following table, we can see the translation of the most used future tense of conjugated verb ser.
| Ser conjugation | Translation in English |
| yo seré | I will be |
| tú serás | You will be (informal) |
| él/ella/ello/uno será | He/she/one will be |
| usted será | You will be (formal) |
| nosotros seremos | We will be |
| vosotros seréis | You all will be (informal) |
| ellos/ellas serán | They will be |
| ustedes serán | You all will be (formal) |
Example of cer conjugation in future tense:
En español:- María será una gran bailarina.
In English: Maria will be a great dancer.
En español: Ustedes serán bienvenidos.
In English: You will be welcome.
Are ser and estar the same?
The Meanings of ser and estar in Spanish are the same. It is used as “to be.” Both of them are irregularly conjugated. In the following chart, we can see the indicative present tense of these two verbs. We use estar to address conditions and it doesn’t follow the regular conjugation -ar verbs.
| Pronombre | Ser | Estar |
| Yo | soy | estoy |
| Tú | eres | estás |
| Él, ella, usted | es | está |
| Nosotros | somos | estamos |
| Vosotros | sois | estáis |
In English, a sentence or a verb can have different meanings. But in the case of Spanish, estar with its different forms tell us the exact meaning of the sentences.
For example,
The mango is green.
This sentence can mean two things. Firstly, the color of the mango is green and secondly, the mango is unripe.
But in Spanish, using different forms of estar we can specify the meaning of the sentence.
For example,
el mango es verde. (The mango is green) (essential characteristic)
el mango está verde. (The mango is green) (condition of the mango i.e. unripe)
Differences between ser and estar
Firstly and most importantly, we can differentiate ser and estar by thinking ser as the “passive” verb and estar as the “active” one. Though, the terms are not being used in a proper grammatical sense here. In one hand, ser as the verb in a sentence tells you about the subject, the nature of its being. While in other hand, estar refers more to what the subject does.
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One might use soy (that is the first-person present of ser. It means “I am”) to explain who or what they are, but one would use estoy (that is the first-person present of estar) to tell what they are being or doing.
In a sentence, Ser can describe or inform you about:
- Date (when an event is taking place)
- Occupation
- Characteristics (the material something is made of)
- Time ( hour, day)
- Origin
- Nationality
- Relation (one person to another)
In other hand, Estar can describe or inform you about:
- Position
- Location (geographical or physical)
- Action (idiotic expressions)
- Condition
- Emotion
For example,
Case 1
Use of ser:
English: David is a happy person
Spanish: David es una persona feliz.
This sentence represents the personality of David.
Use of estar:
English: Dávid is in a good mood.
Spanish: Dávid está de buen humor.
This sentence represents the mood of David right now.
Case 2
Use of ser:
English: We are from Spain.
Spanish: Nosotros somos de España.
This sentence provides the subject an origin.
Use of estar:
English: We are on a journey to Spain.
Spanish: Nosotros estamos en un viaje por Spain.
This sentence provides the subject a current location that is not permanent.
FAQs
Do you use ser or estar?
Ans. Ser and Estar both mean “to be” but we use them in different cases to specify the meaning of sentences. When ser gives us information about the relationship between two people, estar gives us information about the state of their relationship.
What is the difference between ser and ir?
Ans. Firstly, ser means “to be” and “Ir” means “to go.”
Is estar used for emotions?
Ans. Estar expresses the feeling or current state of mind. In other words, it is used to express the temporary physical condition.
What kind of verbs are ser and ir?
Ans. Ser and Ir are irregular verbs.
