Verb · irregular
ser
to be, for identity
The thing that catches people out
ser and ir share the same preterite, so fui is both I was and I went. Context almost always sorts it out, which is why the language tolerates it.
Present
What happens, and what is happening now.
| yo | soy | |
| tú | eres | |
| él, ella, usted | es | |
| nosotros | somos | |
| ellos, ustedes | son | |
| vosotros, Spain only | sois |
Preterite, the finished past
Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.
| yo | fui | |
| tú | fuiste | |
| él, ella, usted | fue | |
| nosotros | fuimos | |
| ellos, ustedes | fueron | |
| vosotros, Spain only | fuisteis |
Imperfect, the background past
What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
| yo | era | |
| tú | eras | |
| él, ella, usted | era | |
| nosotros | éramos | |
| ellos, ustedes | eran | |
| vosotros, Spain only | erais |
Future
Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.
| yo | seré | |
| tú | serás | |
| él, ella, usted | será | |
| nosotros | seremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | serán | |
| vosotros, Spain only | seréis |
Present perfect
Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.
| yo | he sido | |
| tú | has sido | |
| él, ella, usted | ha sido | |
| nosotros | hemos sido | |
| ellos, ustedes | han sido | |
| vosotros, Spain only | habéis sido |
Other forms
The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.
| -ing form | siendo | |
| participle | sido | |
| command, to tú | sé | |
| command, to usted | sea |
In a sentence
soy profesora
I am a teacher
¿de dónde eres?
where are you from?