Like the verb "to be" in English, the verb ser in Spanish is probably one of the first you'll learn. However, it doesn't necessarily mean just "to be", since it shares this duty with the verb estar. In any case, it describes entity, origin, time, characteristics, and many other permanent qualities and states. Here, we'll explain how to use it with all the different tenses available in Spanish.
What Does Ser Mean in Spanish?
Ser translates as "to be", but as we've discussed, its real use is more nuanced than that.
Ser and estar are two verbs that could translate as "to be" in English, with ser taking on the responsibility of more permanent characteristics.
Common Uses of Ser
Ella es doctora. (She is a doctor.)
Somos de Argentina. (We are from Argentina.)
Es lunes. / Son las cinco. (It’s Monday. / It’s five o’clock.)
El coche es rojo. (The car is red.)
Soy estudiante. (I am a student.)
La reunión es en la oficina. (The meeting is at the office.)
Ser is used with descriptive adjectives (like feliz, inteligente, rojo) when those descriptions refer to inherent qualities rather than feelings or momentary states.
If you're a visual learner, try this video on for size.
Why Ser Is Irregular — And Why That Matters
Ser is an irregular verb (so is "to be" in English, before you start complaining!), meaning you must simply learn its conjugations.
Irregular means that a verb doesn't follow the usual patterns of many other verb types.
In Spanish, some verbs end in -er, and if they're regular, their endings will follow a pattern that you can learn and apply to all of them.
Ser is not one of these verbs, but since it's so common, you'll get plenty of opportunities to practice it.
Why Is Ser Irregular
- It changes form drastically across tenses (soy, fui, era, sería, sea).
- Its roots often don’t resemble each other.
- It's one of the most used verbs in the Spanish language, so irregularity doesn't make it rare, just more visible.
| Tense | Conjugation (yo) | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Present | soy | Yo soy estudiante. |
| Preterite | fui | Fui profesor en 2010. |
| Imperfect | era | Cuando era niño... |
| Future | seré | Mañana seré puntual. |
| Conditional | sería | Sería un buen momento. |
| Subjunctive | sea | Quiero que sea fácil. |
Since ser describes people (ella, nosotros, ustedes), events, time, and identity, knowing how it shifts in meaning depending on the tense or mood is essential to building fluent, accurate Spanish sentences.
Present Tense Conjugation of Ser
As the saying goes, "There's no time like the present", so let's start with that.
We use ser in the present to describe things that are true right now or general facts. You can use ser to describe who someone is or what something is like. For more temporary qualities and emotions, use estar.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | soy | Yo soy profesora. (I am a teacher.) |
| Tú | eres | Tú eres mi amigo. (You are my friend.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | es | Ella es alta. (She is tall.) |
| Nosotros/as | somos | Nosotros somos vecinos. (We are neighbors.) |
| Vosotros/as | sois (Spain) | Vosotros sois estudiantes. (You all are students.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | son | Ustedes son muy amables. (You all are very kind.) |
Ser is often paired with adjectives, professions, time, and origin. If you’re saying what something is (not how it feels or where it is), you're probably using ser.
Preterite Tense: Conjugation and Usage
The preterite tense is a type of past tense in Spanish. It's used for completed actions or states in the past. It's often used for telling stories and explaining what someone was in a specific moment in the past.
Here are the conjugations for ser in the preterite tense.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | fui | Fui el primero en llegar. (I was the first to arrive.) |
| Tú | fuiste | Fuiste muy amable. (You were very kind.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | fue | Ella fue mi maestra. (She was my teacher.) |
| Nosotros/as | fuimos | Fuimos estudiantes en esa escuela. (We were students at that school.) |
| Vosotros/as | fuisteis (Spain) | Fuisteis muy buenos. (You all were very good.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | fueron | Ellos fueron campeones. (They were champions.) |
When to Use the Preterite of Ser
- To describe someone or something at a specific time in the past
- To narrate past events or biographical details
- To express completed states or definite roles
Since fui and fue can also mean "went" (from ir), look at the context or any prepositions (like a, de, en) to figure out the meaning.
Imperfect Tense: How and When to Use It
Don't let the name fool you; the imperfect tense is a beautiful and useful tense. It's simply called imperfect since it describes incomplete actions or things that occurred over a period of time. Ser describes how things used to be. It can set the scene, discuss childhood memories, or describe someone's personality in the past.
Here are the conjugations of ser in the imperfect.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | era | Era muy tímido de niño. (I was very shy as a child.) |
| Tú | eras | Eras buen estudiante. (You were a good student.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | era | Ella era muy simpática. (She was very nice.) |
| Nosotros/as | éramos | Éramos compañeros de clase. (We were classmates.) |
| Vosotros/as | erais (Spain) | Eráis felices entonces. (You all were happy then.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | eran | Ustedes eran muy trabajadores. (You all were very hardworking.) |
When to Use the Imperfect of Ser
- To describe ongoing or repeated states in the past
- To talk about what someone was like over time
- To provide background details or childhood descriptions
If you’re painting a picture of the past, use the imperfect tense. It’s especially common when storytelling, especially alongside other past tense verbs.
Subjunctive Mood: Conjugating Ser for Possibilities and Wishes
Ah, the subjunctive. The source of many Spanish students' pain. This is a mood that we have in English but use so rarely that we don't really know anything about it. This describes how the speaker feels about things rather than when they happen, which is why it's called a "mood" and not a "tense". It's used for subjectivity and uncertainty.
Firstly, here's how to conjugate it.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sea | Espero que yo sea elegido. (I hope I am chosen.) |
| Tú | seas | Quiero que seas feliz. (I want you to be happy.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | sea | Es necesario que ella sea puntual. (It's necessary that she be on time.) |
| Nosotros/as | seamos | Es mejor que seamos honestos. (It's better that we be honest.) |
| Vosotros/as | seáis (Spain) | No creo que seáis culpables. (I don’t think you all are guilty.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | sean | Ojalá que ellos sean los ganadores. (Hopefully they are the winners.) |
When to Use the Subjunctive of Ser
- After expressions of emotion, doubt, or desire
- In impersonal expressions (e.g., es bueno que..., es posible que...)
- To talk about uncertain or hypothetical situations
The subjunctive can be tricky, but it's essential for formal, polite, or emotionally nuanced Spanish. You'll hear it in everything from workplace talk to romantic conversations.
Conditional Tense: Talking About What Would Be
The conditional tense is used to say what someone or something would be provided certain conditions are met. You can use it for hypothetical situations, polite suggestions, or imagined situations, like when you'd use “would” in English.
This is one of the easier tenses to conjugate since the conjugations are fairly regular.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sería | Yo sería un buen líder. (I would be a good leader.) |
| Tú | serías | Serías un excelente profesor. (You would be an excellent teacher.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | sería | Ella sería perfecta para el papel. (She would be perfect for the role.) |
| Nosotros/as | seríamos | Seríamos felices juntos. (We would be happy together.) |
| Vosotros/as | seríais (Spain) | Seríais bienvenidos aquí. (You all would be welcome here.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | serían | Ellos serían buenos vecinos. (They would be good neighbors.) |
When to Use the Conditional of Ser
- To talk about what someone would be in a hypothetical situation
- For politeness and softened statements
- In conditional clauses (often with si, meaning “if”)
Don’t confuse sería with the imperfect era, they both translate to "was" or "would be" depending on the context, but their use is very different.
Future Tense: Saying What Will Be
The future tense explains what things will be. It's quite regular and conjugates in a similar way to the conditional.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | seré | Seré ingeniero algún día. (I will be an engineer someday.) |
| Tú | serás | Tú serás un gran padre. (You will be a great father.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | será | Ella será famosa. (She will be famous.) |
| Nosotros/as | seremos | Seremos compañeros de trabajo. (We will be coworkers.) |
| Vosotros/as | seréis (Spain) | Vosotros seréis bienvenidos siempre. (You all will always be welcome.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | serán | Ellos serán los líderes del proyecto. (They will be the leaders of the project.) |
When to Use the Future of Ser
- To talk about what someone will be in the future
- To make predictions, plans, or intentions
- In formal speech or when writing about future roles or outcomes
The future tense is great for spoken and written Spanish, especially when planning ahead or imagining future scenarios with ser.
Perfect Tenses: Ser in Compound Forms
For perfect tenses, you must learn about haber, which you conjugate according to the tense and add sido.
The Formula
[Haber] + sido
(Haber is conjugated depending on the tense)
Past Perfect / Pluperfect (what had been)
había sido, habías sido, etc.
Él/Ella había sido - Ella había sido directora. (She had been a director.)
Future Perfect (what will have been)
habré sido, habrás sido, etc.
Nosotros habremos sido - Habremos sido justos. (We will have been fair.)
Conditional Perfect (what would have been)
habría sido, habrías sido, etc.
Tú habrías sido - Tú habrías sido un gran líder. (You would have been a great leader.)
The good thing is that the perfect tense is one that you'll learn almost every verb together. Once you've mastered the structure with haber, you can add almost any verb you want on the end since you only need to learn one form of it.
When to Use Sido in Perfect Tenses
- To reflect on past roles or identities
- To emphasize completed actions with ser
- In more formal or reflective writing/speaking
Command Forms: The Imperative Mood of Ser
The imperative mood is how you give commands, instructions, or advice.
It's not the most common way to use ser since you'd rarely tell someone to be a certain way, at least not in a permanent sense, it's helpful to know.
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tú (informal) | sé | no seas | ¡Sé amable! / ¡No seas grosero! |
| Usted (formal) | sea | no sea | Sea fuerte, por favor. |
| Nosotros/as | seamos | no seamos | ¡Seamos honestos! |
| Vosotros/as (Spain) | sed | no seáis | Sed valientes. |
| Ustedes | sean | no sean | Sean respetuosos con todos. |
The tú command form sé is often confused with the verb saber (to know), which also has sé as a conjugation. Context is key!
Summary Table: All Ser Conjugations at a Glance
For reference, here are all the different conjugations for ser. This isn't every tense or mood in Spanish, but it's more than enough to get the average beginner or intermediate learner through the most common verb uses.
While you can certainly print this out, we recommend writing it yourself, as it helps you better remember the different conjugations.
| Tense / Mood | Yo | Tú | Él / Ella / Usted | Nosotros/as | Vosotros/as | Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | soy | eres | es | somos | sois | son |
| Preterite | fui | fuiste | fue | fuimos | fuisteis | fueron |
| Imperfect | era | eras | era | éramos | erais | eran |
| Subjunctive (present) | sea | seas | sea | seamos | seáis | sean |
| Conditional | sería | serías | sería | seríamos | seríais | serían |
| Future | seré | serás | será | seremos | seréis | serán |
| Perfect (haber + sido) | he sido | has sido | ha sido | hemos sido | habéis sido | han sido |
| Imperative (Affirmative) | — | sé | sea | seamos | sed | sean |
| Imperative (Negative) | — | no seas | no sea | no seamos | no seáis | no sean |
If you need more help with Spanish, ser and estar, or the many conjugations and tenses in the language, you can get help from a Spanish tutor on the Superprof website. Simply search for Spanish and start browsing the profiles of your potential future tutor today!
With many tutors offering the first session for free, you can even try a few before choosing the one that's right for you and how you like to learn.
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