Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "to be" in Spanish
"To be" in Spanish is ser, pronounced sehr. In short: what something is: identity, origin, job, lasting traits (Soy médico, "I am a doctor"). Also: estar, where something is and how it is right now: location, states, moods (Estoy cansado, "I am tired").
| Spanish | ser |
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| Pronunciation | sehr |
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| Meaning | to be |
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| Part of speech | verb |
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| Frequency | #4 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
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Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice.
How to pronounce ser
Ser is pronounced sehr, in IPA /ˈseɾ/. Ser has one syllable, so there is no stress to place.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Example sentences
Ella es feliz
She is happy
Ella quiere ser feliz
She wants to be happy
How to remember ser
ser [sehr] sounds like the English “sear”. Picture this:
A chef SEARS meat on a hot pan, saying 'this will always BE delicious no matter what'.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice ser
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.
| Presente (present) | Pretérito indefinido (past) |
|---|
| yo | soy | fui |
| tú | eres | fuiste |
| él/ella | es | fue |
| nosotros | somos | fuimos |
| vosotros | sois | fuisteis |
| ellos/ellas | son | fueron |
Verb forms: Wiktionary via UniMorph, CC BY-SA 3.0. Full ser conjugation: all tenses, with practice →
ser or estar: which one?
Not to be confused with a similar word. In short:
- ser (to be): what something is: identity, origin, job, lasting traits (Soy médico, "I am a doctor").
- estar (to be): where something is and how it is right now: location, states, moods (Estoy cansado, "I am tired").
Word web: ser
Words that live next to ser in the Palabra word web, each with its own English sound-alike and scene. Learning them together makes each one easier to recall.
estar — to be (state/location)
Sounds like “eh-star”. A confused star mutters 'eh, star, where am I right now?' pointing to its current location in the sky.
soy — I am
Sounds like “soy (as in soybean)”. You point at yourself and shout 'Soy! I am a soybean!' holding up a soybean proudly to declare identity.
eres — you are
Sounds like “eh-ress”. You point at a queen and say 'eh, ress (princess), you are royalty,' linking her identity to the title.
es — he/she/it is
Sounds like “ess”. The letter S floats in the air and declares 'ess is what it is,' confirming its own identity to everyone watching.
somos — we are
Sounds like “so moss”. A group stands so covered in moss together, saying 'we are' one green team
identidad — identity
Sounds like “identity dad”. A dad holds up his ID card to prove his identity at the border checkpoint
persona — person
Sounds like “persona”. An actor wears a mask labeled 'persona' to show which person they are playing
nombre — name
Sounds like “nom de plume”. A writer signs a nom de plume, a name that tells the world who they are
carácter — character
Sounds like “karaoke actor”. A karaoke actor performs, revealing their true character through the song they choose