Verbos Irregulares "Ser" y "Estar"

Please copy the following in your notebooks or copy it and print it and then glue it on your notebooks. It is essential to learn, memorize and understand the verbs "Ser" and "Estar" in Spanish.

These verbs are irregular verbs, so they're not conjugated like the regular verbs that end in -ar and -er. Ser means "to be" in Spanish. Estar also means "to be." So this is very different from the English language; but it is essential that you learn to use these verbs effectively.

1. Ser is used to express "identity or identification." Examples: Soy don Francisco, or soy María, or ella es Carmen. Ser is used to identify people and things. ¿Quién es ella? Es Maite. Another example: Ella es la hermana de Pedro.
2. Ser is also used to express "characteristics." Examples: Yo soy muy alta. Ella es muy linda. Mario es muy inteligente.
3. Ser is also used to express "origin."  Ser is used with the preposition "de" to express origin. Examples: Soy de Costa Rica or soy de Ecuador.
4. Ser is also used to "tell time and dates." Examples: Son las 10 or son la 7 de la mañana. Also "time and date of an event." Example: El concierto es a las 3 de la tarde.
5. Ser is also used with the preposition "de" to express "possession." Example: ¿De quién es el diccionario? El diccionario es de Javier. Note: "de" followed by "el" (de + el) contracts to form "del." Examples: El diccionario es del chico or el diccionario es del muchacho. This doesn't apply when using the feminine definite article "la." Example: El diccionario es de la muchacha.
6. Ser is also used to express "profession" or "occupation." Example: Don Francisco es conductor (Don Francisco is a driver). Note: Unlike English, Spanish doesn't use the indefinite article after ser when referring to professions, unless accompanied by a "descriptive" adjective. Examples: Yo soy profesor - no article (I am a professor), yo soy un profesor excelente - "un" is the article (I am an excellent professor). Try to understand this difference!

Conjugation of "Ser" - an irregular verb

Present indicative (presente del indicativo): Yo soy, tú eres, usted/él/ella es, nosotros/as somos, vosotros sois, ustedes/ellos/ellas 

son. Read more about this verb on the following sites: 

http://spanish.about.com/od/usingparticularverbs/a/ser.htm and http://spanish.about.com/od/specificverbs/p/conjugation_ser.htm.

Note: Subject pronouns replace a person, place, thing or concept in a sentence and act like the subject of the verb. Example: María es la profesora - Ella es la profesora. "Ella" is the subject pronoun and acts like the subject of the verb "ser."

In both Spanish and English subject pronouns are divided into first, second and third person. Each group has singular and plural forms:

Singular

First person: Yo (I)

Second person: Tú (you) - familiar. Usted, Ud. (you) - formal

Third person: Él (he). Ella (she)

Plural

First person: Nosotros (we - masculine). Nosotras (we - feminine)

Second person: Vosotros (you - masculine) - familiar. Vosotras (you - feminine) - familiar. Ustedes, Uds. (you) - formal

Third person: Ellos (they - masculine). Ellas (they - feminine)

Check the link: "Personal Pronouns" (bottom right or click the link on the left). You must understand this really well. Also check the conjugation of the verb "Estar" in the previous entry. You must copy these verbs in your notebooks.

In Spanish there's no subject equivalent to the subject pronoun "it." Generally "it" is not expressed. Example: It's a computer (or it is a computer) - "Es una computadora."

Test: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 (including Quiz material - check below!). Study Chapter 1 from your Textbook (pages 1 - 8) and your Workbook (pages 1, 2 and 3). From the İAventura! Internet Resource Center (Textbook Audio Program) - review: Capítulo 1 - Vocabulario I, El Alfabeto, Activity 1 (only names with letters A - M), Diálogo (only names with letters A - M). Know how to answer the following questions (and how to spell them, translate them, and use correct punctuation): ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Cómo estás? ¿De dónde eres? (simple response - Soy de Filadelfia or your city) ¿Cuántos años tienes? (Tengo catorce or tengo quince  años - only these two numbers). And Verbs "Ser" and "Estar" (just know how to conjugate them). If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Mrs. Feld.

Other Vocabulary (Otro Vocabulario):  İHola! Mucho gusto, me llamo... (your name), adiós, hasta luego, se escribe con, saludos (greetings), despedidas (farewells), gracias, muchas gracias, yo tengo... (your age), yo soy  de... (your city), buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches, and personal pronouns: Yo, Tú, Él, Ella, Usted (Ud.), Nosotros, Vosotros, Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes (Uds.). Review the "Vocabulario" below as well (you should already know all those words).