Personal Pronouns, and the verbs SER, ESTAR, and TENER & VENIR

1st Person Singular Personal Pronoun in Spanish

Yo (I)

2nd Person Singular Personal Pronoun (casual) in Spanish

Tú (You)

3rd Person Singular Personal Pronoun in Spanish

Él/Ella (He/She)

1st Person Plural Personal Pronoun in Spanish

Nosotros/Nosotras (We)

2nd Person Plural Personal Pronoun in Spanish

Ustedes (You all)

3rd Person Plural Personal Pronoun in Spanish

Ellos/Ellas (They)

What does SER describe?

Identity, essence, permanent or long-term traits.

What does ESTAR describe?

Condition, state, location, temporary qualities.

When to use SER

Use for identity, origin, time/date, permanent characteristics, possession, and event location.

Example of SER indicating identity

Soy profesora. (I am a teacher.)

Example of ESTAR indicating temporary condition

Estoy cansada. (I am tired.)

Conjugation of SER for 'Yo'

Soy.

Conjugation of ESTAR for 'Yo'

Estoy.

How is ser irregular?

Irregular across all forms: Soy, eres, es, somos, son.

How is estar regular?

Regular except for 'yo' (estoy) and accent marks in other forms.

What is the ending for -ar verbs in 'Yo'?

-o.

What is the ending for -er verbs in 'Tú'?

-es.

What does the distinction of -ar, -er, and -ir verbs provide?

It tells you which set of endings to use and organizes vocabulary.