LinguaWhat you can now say
Three lessons, one sentence shape. Ser names who someone is, where they are from, what they do and what they are like. Every noun brings its gender, and the article announces it: el, la, un, una. The adjective then copies that gender and stands after the noun. Put together: La profesora es muy simpática. Article, noun, ser, adjective, each agreeing with the next.
| Pronoun | Form of ser | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | I am |
| tú | eres | you are (informal) |
| él / ella / usted | es | he is / she is / you are (formal) |
| nosotros / nosotras | somos | we are |
| vosotros / vosotras | sois | you all are (Spain) |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | son | they are / you all are |
Gender at a glance
| Clue | Gender | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine | el libro, el amigo |
| -a | feminine | la mesa, la amiga |
| -ción, -dad | feminine | la canción, la ciudad |
| exceptions to learn by heart | as the article says | el día, el problema, la mano, la foto |
The adjective follows and agrees
| Noun | Adjective | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| el amigo | alto | el amigo alto | the tall friend (a man) |
| la amiga | alta | la amiga alta | the tall friend (a woman) |
| el problema | grande | el problema grande | the big problem |
| la ciudad | grande | la ciudad grande | the big city |
The traps
Four mistakes catch almost every beginner. Putting un before a profession: it is Soy médico, not "soy un médico". Trusting the -a of problema and día: both take el. Saying "mucho grande": before an adjective the word is muy. And putting the adjective first, English-style: Spanish says la casa grande, noun first.
Mi amigo es médico y es muy simpático.My friend is a doctor and he is very friendly.
La foto de la ciudad es bastante bonita.The photo of the city is quite pretty.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el profesor | teacher (male) | El profesor es de Argentina. The teacher is from Argentina. |
| la médica | doctor (female) | La médica es bastante joven. The doctor is quite young. |
| el estudiante | student (male) | Pedro es un estudiante muy inteligente. Pedro is a very intelligent student. |
| el libro | book | Es un libro de español. It is a Spanish book. |
| la ciudad | city | Sevilla es una ciudad bonita. Seville is a pretty city. |
| el problema | problem | El problema es pequeño. The problem is small. |
| la mano | hand | La mano de Juan es grande. Juan's hand is big. |
| alto | tall | Mi amiga Rosa es alta. My friend Rosa is tall. |
| grande | big | La mesa es grande. The table is big. |
| simpático | nice, friendly | El profesor es muy simpático. The teacher is very friendly. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which sentence is correct?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.