To be, or not to be?
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Transcript To be, or not to be?
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/as somos = we are
vosotros/as sois = you (all) are (Spain)
ellos son = they are
ellas 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.
For now, I want you to
mention the subject or
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: “Am
from 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/as somos
vosotros/as sois
ellos son
ellas son
ustedes son