Spanish Grammar Explained /
Verb to be
One of the most frequently used verbs in Spanish is ser.
You can use it:
- to introduce yourself
- to say where you are from
- to indicate your occupation
Soy Juan.
I'm Juan.
Soy peruano.
I'm Peruvian.
Soy arquitecto.
I'm an architect.
In Spanish, languages and nationalities aren't capitalized.
Peruvian → peruano
Spanish → español
We don't use articles before professions.
Soy un arquitecto. → Soy arquitecto.
It's conjugated like this:
I am | → | (yo) soy |
you are | → | (tú) eres
(usted) es |
he/she is | → | (él/ella) es |
we are | → | (nosotros) somos |
you (plural) are | → | (ustedes) son |
they | → | (ellos/ellas) son |
Indeed, Spanish is fascinating in that it allows you to address people in three different ways. You can:
a) address one person casually → tú
b) address one person formally → usted
c) address two or more people (casually or formally) → ustedes
At Chatterbug, you will talk to tutors from many different countries and encounter many varieties of Spanish. You might hear people from Spain saying vosotros instead of ustedes. In Argentina, no one uses tú, they say vos.