irregular
ser
to be, for identity
Present
| Person | Form | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | |
| tú | eres | |
| él, ella, usted | es | |
| nosotros | somos | |
| ellos, ustedes | son | |
| vosotros, Spain only | sois |
Past, the preterite
The tense for a finished action at a definite time. It is the past you need first.
| Person | Form | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| yo | fui | |
| tú | fuiste | |
| él, ella, usted | fue | |
| nosotros | fuimos | |
| ellos, ustedes | fueron |
The thing that catches people out
ser and ir share the same past tense, so fui is both I was and I went. Context has never once failed to sort it out, which is why the language tolerates it.
In a sentence
soy profesoraI am a teacher
¿de dónde eres?where are you from?