VERB “TO BE”

In Spanish
By Jorge I. Ramirez Marin
Verb “to be”
◦ It is the word following the pronoun in a sentence. It tells us we are describing
characteristics (adjectives) or location. In English, these words would be
am/are/is.
◦ Example:
El es inteligente
(Subject) (Verb to be) (adjective)
He is intelligent

Ella está en su casa

(Subject) (Verb to be) (location)
She is at her house
 Two Forms
◦ Spanish has two of the verb to be: “ser” and “estar”

◦ “Ser” is used when the description of the subject is a permanent state. Characteristics like height, profession and nationality,
for example, are considered permanent traits.

◦ “Estar” is used to describe temporal states of the subject of the sentence. Since location can change frequently, “estar” is used
to indicate location as well.
Verb “to be” changes depending on the pronoun
used
Pronoun Pronombre Ser Estar
I Yo Soy Estoy
You (informal) Tú Eres Estás
You (formal) Usted Es Está
He/She/It Él/Ella/Eso Es Está
We Nosotros/Nosotras Somos Estamos
You (Plural)[Latin Ustedes Son Están
America]
You (Plural)[Europe] Vosotros Sois Estáis
They Ellos/Ellas Son Están
 Let´s give it shot!
Pronoun Verb “to be” Adjective/Location
Yo Rápido/Rápida (fast)
Tu Responsable (Responsible)
Ser o Estar
El/Ella/Eso (Don´t forget to conjugate based on En el Hospital (at the hospital)
Nosotros the Pronoun) Tímido/Tímida (Shy)
Ustedes En el bar (at the bar)
Vosotros En la casa (at the house)
Ellos/Ellas Enfermo/Enferma