To be, or not to be?

Let’s start out with
one of the most
important verbs in
Spanish: ser, which
means “to be.”
To be, or not to be…


Look at the English
forms of this verb: I
am, you are, he is,
she is, we are, they
are
This verb doesn’t
follow an expected
pattern; in other
words, it’s irregular.
Ser, o no ser…










The Spanish verb ser is also
irregular.
ser = to be
yo soy = I am
tú eres = you are
él es = he is
ella es = she is
usted es = you are
nosotros somos = we are
ellos son = they are
ustedes son = you (all) are
Atención!


Unlike English, Spanish
sentences do not
always require a
subject.
Why not? The Spanish
verb always gives us
enough information
about the subject, so
we know who we are
talking about.
An example, please!


Soy de Chicago.
Soy is paired up
with yo, so we know
that the speaker is
talking about
him/herself.
And in English?

English verbs by
themselves don’t
carry enough
information to tell us
who the speaker is
talking about: “Work
in Chicago” is pretty
ambiguous!
Trust me on this one!

All Spanish verbs
change, but
fortunately there are
predictable patterns.
The verb ser just
happens to be the
most irregular verb
in the language.
That’s a tough way
to start!
So let’s practice!

Your mission, should
you decide to accept
it, is to complete the
following sentences
with the correct for
of the verb ser.
La forma correcta de “ser”

Yo ______
estudiante.
The envelope, please…

Yo soy estudiante.
May I have another, please?

Tú _____
estudiante.
The envelope, please!

Tú eres estudiante.
I’m still hungry!

Mi mamá _____ de
México, mi papá
____ de Nicaragua,
y yo _____ de
Chicago. Nosotros
_______
americanos.
Is that your final answer?

Mi mamá es de
México, mi papá es
de Nicaragua, y yo
soy de Chicago.
Nosotros somos
americanos.
To wrap it up…









Here are those forms
again:
yo soy
tú eres
él es
ella es
usted es
nosotros somos
ellos son
ustedes son
Next stop, -AR verbs


You’re now ready to
tackle the next
group, #3 –AR
verbs.
Don’t worry, they’re
easier than the
verb ser.