Uses of Ser

Uses of Ser

Generally ser expresses a characteristic that is natural or inherent and essentially lasting rather than accidental or occasional. Such characteristics/qualities may include: age, character, financial status, appearance, origin, ownership, material of which a thing is made, occupation, nationality. Ser is also used with time expressions and impersonal expressions. It is always used before a predicate noun or pronoun.

Ser is used:

With an adjective to express a characteristic or of a person, place, or thing. This means that forms of ser are used with adjectives of color, size, shape, nationality, appearance, and the adjectives rico, pobre, joven, viejo, and feliz.

La ciudad es grande.
The city is large.

Ella es simpática.
She is nice.

Somos pobres (jóvenes).
We are poor (young).

La casa es pequeña.
The house is small.

El señor Moreno es joven.
Mr. Moreno is young.

El niño es bueno.
The child is good.

El perro es leal.
The dog is loyal.

Aconcagua es la montaña más alta de América del Sur.
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America.

With the preposition de to express ownership, national origin, or material (from which something is made); and with the preposition para to indicate for whom or what a thing is intended.

Son de Carolina.
They are Caroline's.

Soy de Buenos Aires.
I am from Buenos Aires.

Juan es de Venezuela.
John is from Venezuela.

El reloj es de oro.
The watch is (of) gold.

La mesa es de madera.
The table is made of wood.

Son para aquellos hombres.
They are for those men.

With a predicate noun (or pronoun), which comes after the
verb and explains who or what the subject is.

Él es profesor de matemáticas.
He is a math professor.

Madrid es la capital de España.
Madrid is the capital of Spain.

Soy yo.
It is I.

Juan es médico.
John is a doctor.

Es una ciudad grande.
It is a large city.

Ella y yo somos argentinas.
She and I are Argentines.

In impersonal expressions (it + verb + adjective)

Es fácil comprender el español.
It is easy to understand Spanish.

The third person of the verb ser is used to indicate the time of day, except in the expression ¿Qué hora tienes? (What time do you have? or What time do you make it?). Time in the past is rendered by the imperfect of ser.

Note: The cardinal number indicating the hour is always preceded by la or las.

Es la una y cinco.
It is five minutes after one.

Son las seis menos cuarto.
It is a quarter to six.

Eran las cuatro de la tarde.
It was four in the afternoon.