Subject Pronouns
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Yo, I | Nosotros (as), We |
| Tú, You (fam) | Vosotros (as), (fam.) We? |
| Usted, You (pol.) | Ustedes, You (pol.) |
| Él, he | Ellos, They (masc./mix) |
| Ella, she | Ellas, They (fem.) |
The English subject pronoun it has no counterpart in Spanish; it is understood.
- Es una clase muy interesante.
- It is an interesting class.
The Verb Ser
Spanish uses two verbs to express "to be." Although these verbs have specific uses and can't be interchangeable, we will only learn the verb "ser" in this unit. The present tense of "ser" is irregular, and it must be learned by itself.
| Ser | Ser |
|---|---|
| Yo soy | Nosotros/as Somos |
| Tú eres | Vosotros/as Sois |
| Él, Ella es | Ellos/as Son |
| Usted es | Ustedes Son |
1. Ser is used to identify the subject
- Yo soy Roberto Sandoval
- Ella es Teresa Molina
2. Ser descibes characteristics that are viewed as inherent qualities of the subject.
- Mi hermano es simpático y divertido
- Teresa Molina es muy estudiosa
3. Ser states origin and Nationality
- El Doctor Blanco es de Cuba
- Él es cubano
4. Ser is also used to tell time and to express dates
- ¿Qué hora es?
- What time is it?
- Son las dos de la tarde
- It is two o'clock in the afternoon
- Hoy es el 22 de noviembre
- Today is the 22nd of November
5. With the preposition de to express ownership and to indicate what things are made of.
- El carro no es de Teresa; es de Carlos.
- It is not Teresa's car; it is Carlos'
- La casa de los González no es de madera; es de adobe
- The González's house is not made of wood; it is mode of adobe
6. To form impersonal expressions like: es ncessario, es importante, es imposible, es probable, and so on.
- Es necessario estudiar para sacar buenas notas.
- It is necessary to study in order to get good grade.
- Es importante hablar español en la clase.
- It is important to speak Spanish in class.