2.3: Ser

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Page ID: 44527

Erin Huebener
Spokane Community College via Independent

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The verb “Ser” in Spanish means “To Be” and is used when talking about the following*:

· Personality and Physical Characteristics

· Origin (Ser followed by ‘de’)

· Profession

“POP”

Mnemonic Devices are a great memory technique for language learning

Por ejemplo:

Personality and Physical Characteristics:

Yo soy reservada y tranquila. También soy morena.

Mi hermana es extrovertida y sociable. Ella es rubia.

Origin:
¿De dónde eres?.....Soy de Idaho.

¿De dónde son tus padres?.....Mis padres son de California.

Profession:

Yo soy profesora de español.

Mi padre es consejero.

Mi hermana es trabajadora social.

Julia es de Rusia. Es profesora.
*Ella es bonita y* *simp*á*tica*

*We will see more uses for “Ser” in the future, especially after learning about the verb “Estar.”

However, these three uses are extremely common and are a very good place to start.

Why are the pronouns in parentheses?

Los pronombres son opcionales.

The personal pronouns are optional in Spanish because there is so much variation in how the verb changes. Because there is only one person in the world that “soy” can refer to, the “yo” is optional, etc. It’s not always so clear, like with “es” or “son,” but as long as it’s clear by context, you do not have to use the pronouns.

Actividad 4

Rellenar el espacio. Use clues in the sentence to fill in the blank with the correct form of ser.

1. Mi novia ________ muy bonita.

2. Alejandro y Mateo _____________inteligentes.

3. Mi esposo y yo ________ del estado de Iowa.

4. Yo ________ alto y amable.

5. Tú ________ muy aventurero.

6. Ustedes ________ de los Estados Unidos, ¿no?

7. Vosotros ________ de los Estados Unidos, ¿no?

8. Marta y Francesca ________ mis mejores amigas.

Actividad 5

El origen. Answer the questions below about where these people are from. Remember to use de after ser when discussing origen.

Audio

1. ¿De dónde eres? ________

2. ¿De dónde es tu padre? ________

3. ¿De dónde son tus abuelos? ________

________

People, Old, Man, Woman, Couple, Love, Laugh, Happy — *Mis abuelos paternos son de California.*

*Mis abuelos maternos no son de California. Mi abuelo materno es de Philadelphia y mi abuela materna es de Ohio.*

pixabay.com/photos/people-old-man-woman-couple-love-2583943/

Actividad 6

¿Cómo eres? What are you like? Use the adjectives below and the verb ser to write about yourself. You can make your sentence negative by putting “no” in front of “soy.” The @ symbol means that the adjective can end in –o (masculine) or –a (feminine).

________

Actividad 7

Las personas famosas. With a partner, think of a famous person originally from a Hispanic country. Then, go to www.Wikipedia.org and click “Español.” Type the person’s name in the “Buscar” bar. Read as much as you can in the given time, specifically looking for the verb ser and how it is used. Finally, summarize what you learned in English in the space below.

________