Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Ser in Spanish
To be (permanent) Irregular Verb Top 100
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Ser
- Ser in the Indicative Present
- Ser in the Indicative Preterite
- Ser in the Indicative Imperfect
- Ser in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Ser in the Indicative Informal Future
- Ser in the Indicative Future
- Ser in the Indicative Conditional
- Ser in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Ser in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Ser in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Ser in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Ser
- Imperative tenses of Ser
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Ser conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Ser is the Spanish verb "to be". It is generally used to portray permanent situations, for example: I am from Spain, he is a profesor, she is tall, this watch is my mother's etc. You'll find that this particular verb is one of the most versatile out there, but also hugely irregular, following almost no rules. Ser is not to be confused with Estar, also meaning "to be", but used for different situations.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | ser | to be (permanent) |
| Past participle | sido | been |
| Gerund | siendo | being |
Indicative Tenses of Ser
Ser in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of ser is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "soy estudiante", meaning "I am a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | soy | I am |
| Tú | eres | you are |
| Ella / Él / Usted | es | s/he is , you (formal) are |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | somos | we are |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sois | you (plural) are |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | son | they are , |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of ser is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "fui estudiante", meaning "I was a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | fui | I was |
| Tú | fuiste | you were |
| Ella / Él / Usted | fue | s/he was, you (formal) was |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | fuimos | we were |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | fuisteis | you (plural) were |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | fueron | they were, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of ser is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "era estudiante", meaning "I used to be a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | era | I used to be |
| Tú | eras | you used to be |
| Ella / Él / Usted | era | s/he used to be, you (formal) used to be |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | éramos | we used to be |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | erais | you (plural) used to be |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | eran | they used to be, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of ser is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy siendo estudiante", meaning "I am being a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy siendo | I am being |
| Tú | estás siendo | you are being |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está siendo | s/he is being, you (formal) are being |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos siendo | we are being |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis siendo | you (plural) are being |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están siendo | they are being, |
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Ser in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of ser is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a ser estudiante", meaning "I am going to be a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a ser | I am going to be |
| Tú | vas a ser | you are going to be |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a ser | s/he is going to be, you (formal) are going to be |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a ser | we are going to be |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a ser | you (plural) are going to be |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a ser | they are going to be, |
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Ser in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of ser is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "seré estudiante", meaning "I will be a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | seré | I will be |
| Tú | serás | you will be |
| Ella / Él / Usted | será | s/he will be, you (formal) will be |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | seremos | we will be |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | seréis | you (plural) will be |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | serán | they will be, |
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Ser in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of ser is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "sería estudiante", meaning "I would be a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sería | I would be |
| Tú | serías | you would be |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sería | s/he would be, you (formal) would be |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | seríamos | we would be |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | seríais | you (plural) would be |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | serían | they would be, |
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Ser in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of ser is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he sido estudiante", meaning "I have been a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he sido | I have been |
| Tú | has sido | you have been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha sido | s/he has been, you (formal) have been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos sido | we have been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis sido | you (plural) have been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han sido | they have been, |
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Ser in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of ser is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había sido estudiante", meaning "I had been a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había sido | I had been |
| Tú | habías sido | you had been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había sido | s/he had been, you (formal) had been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos sido | we had been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais sido | you (plural) had been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían sido | they had been, |
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Ser in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of ser is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré sido estudiante", meaning "I will have been a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré sido | I will have been |
| Tú | habrás sido | you will have been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá sido | s/he will have been, you (formal) will have been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos sido | we will have been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis sido | you (plural) will have been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán sido | they will have been, |
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Ser in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of ser is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría sido estudiante", meaning "I would have been a student".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría sido | I would have been |
| Tú | habrías sido | you would have been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría sido | s/he would have been, you (formal) would have been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos sido | we would have been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais sido | you (plural) would have been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían sido | they would have been, |
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Subjunctive Tenses of Ser
Ser in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "sea", meaning "I am ".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sea | I am |
| Tú | seas | you are |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sea | s/he is , you (formal) are |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | seamos | we are |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | seáis | you (plural) are |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sean | they are , |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "fuera", meaning "I were".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | fuera | I were |
| Tú | fueras | you were |
| Ella / Él / Usted | fuera | s/he were, you (formal) were |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | fuéramos | we were |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | fuerais | you (plural) were |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | fueran | they were, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "fuere", meaning "I will be".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | fuere | I will be |
| Tú | fueres | you will be |
| Ella / Él / Usted | fuere | s/he will be, you (formal) will be |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | fuéremos | we will be |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | fuereis | you (plural) will be |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | fueren | they will be, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya sido", meaning "I have been".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya sido | I have been |
| Tú | hayas sido | you have been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya sido | s/he has been, you (formal) have been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos sido | we have been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis sido | you (plural) have been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan sido | they have been, |
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Ser in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera sido", meaning "I had been".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera sido | I had been |
| Tú | hubieras sido | you had been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera sido | s/he had been, you (formal) had been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos sido | we had been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais sido | you (plural) had been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran sido | they had been, |
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Ser in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere sido", meaning "I will have been".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere sido | I will have been |
| Tú | hubieres sido | you will have been |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere sido | s/he will have been, you (formal) will have been |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos sido | we will have been |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis sido | you (plural) will have been |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren sido | they will have been, |
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Imperative Tenses of Ser
Ser in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "sea", meaning "(to you formal) be!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | sé | (to you) be! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sea | (to you formal) be! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | seamos | let's be! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sed | (to you plural) be! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sean | (to you plural formal) be! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Ser in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no sea", meaning "(to you formal) don't be!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no seas | (to you) don't be! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no sea | (to you formal) don't be! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no seamos | let's not be! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no seáis | (to you plural) don't be! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no sean | (to you plural formal) don't be! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Example sentences and usage
- Es un juego de palabras. This is a pun.
- No soy un pez de verdad, sólo soy un peluche. I'm not a real fish, I'm just a mere plushy.
- No eres lo bastante rápido. You're not fast enough.
- Ya son las once. It is already eleven.
- Ese fue el mejor día de mi vida. That was the best day of my life.
- La vida empieza cuando te das cuenta de quién eres realmente. Life begins when we realize who we really are.
- ¿Aún te sigues preguntando cuál es el sentido de la vida? You are still asking yourself what the meaning of life is?
- La situación es peor de lo que creíamos. The situation is worse than we believed.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Ser Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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Practice Ser conjugations (free mobile & web app)
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About Ella Verbs
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Ser – to be (permanent) or see the complete list of verbs here.
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Ser: to be (permanent)
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