The verb ser (to be) is used to describe origin (where you are from) and identity (personality, physical appearance, profession, religion, relationships).

Some of the forms of ser are:

(yo) soy - I am
(tú) eres - you are
(él) es - he is
(ella) es - she is
(Usted) es - you are (formal)

To talk about origin (where people are from), we'll add a de (of, from) after the different forms above. Let's look at some examples.

Yo soy de Colombia.
I'm from Colombia.
Soy de Guatemala.
I'm from Guatemala.
¿De dónde eres?²
Where are you from?

To talk about identity (ways you think of yourself) we could talk about your personality, physical appearance, profession, etc. Let's look at some examples.

Soy inglés. - I am English.
Soy estudiante. - I’m a student.
Soy ingeniero. - I'm an engineer.
Ella es guapa. - She is good looking.
Ellos son mis papás. - They are my parents.

Review the vocabulary to the right and listen to how these words are used in the Sentence Flashcards and Videos.

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