Conjugation of the verb ser in Portuguese. The verb "Ser" in Portuguese. Use of the verb Ser
", in Portuguese is the verb " Ser" [sir]. Literally the verb " Ser"is translated in exactly the same way as "Estar" - "to be", but in practice it is used in a slightly different context.
Verb "Ser"
As we discussed earlier, the verb “Estar” is used to describe the temporary state of someone or something (the floor is cold, the weather is rainy, the food is hot), the verb “Ser”, on the contrary, is used in those situations when we want to talk about some then permanent properties of someone or something (Brazil is far away, my brother is tall).
An example of using the verb " Ser"maybe a story about yourself - " Eu sou da Russia"[Eu sou da Husia] (I'm from Russia), " Eu sou Maks"[I am Max], " Eu sou programador"[I am a programmer] - all these are constant characteristics, so in this case the verb " Ser”, and not “Estar” because, for example, the statement “I am from Russia” is true regardless of when you say it, but if you want to say “I am now (currently) in Russia” the verb “Estar” is used "(because tomorrow you may already be in another country)
Another popular use case, especially among Portuguese language learners, is questions " O que é isso?"[U ke e issu?] and " Quem é?" [Kem e?] meaning "What is this?" (for example, pointing to some object) and “Who is this?”
When is the verb Ser used?
The main use of the verb " Ser“is to describe the permanent properties of someone or something - “Eu sou alto” [Eu sou outu] (I am tall), “Meu carro é verde” [meu kahhu e verji] (my car is green)
Another use of the verb " Ser“This is an imperative mood - when someone asks you to be bolder, more responsible, etc. “Seja mais responsável!” [Seja mais responsaveu] (Be more responsible!)
And one of the most common use cases is questions and answers related to time. The question “What time is it now?” in Portuguese it sounds like " Que horas sao?"[Ke oras sau?] (where são is the conjugation form of the verb Ser), and the answer to it can be, for example, "São quatro e meia" [Sau quatro e meia] (Four thirty (literally - and a half)).
Conjugation of Ser in the present tense
Conjugation in imperative form
The verb Ser is often used in imperative mood with congratulations or wishes, for example “ Seja feliz!», « Seja corajoso!»
Popular phrases and examples of using "Ser"
Sou da Russia [Sou da Husia] (I'm from Russia)
Seja bem vindo [Seja bem vindo] (Welcome)
Ele é meu amigo [Eli e meu amigo] (He is my friend)
Nós somos profesores [Nos somos profesores] (We are teachers)
Que horas sao? [Ke oras sau?] (What time is it?)
O que é isso? [U ke e issu?] (What is this?)
Quem é? [Who is it?] (Who is this?)
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The verbs Ser and Estar are the main linking words in Spanish, but they are often confused because both verbs are translated “to be.” However, each of them carries absolutely different meaning. In this lesson we will look at all the rules and features of using and.
First let's look at the conjugation of the verb Ser in
1. present tense:
3. in the past perfect form
4. in the future tense
yo sere - I will | nosotros seremos - we will |
Use of the verb Ser
1. Description of constant quality, unchanging characteristics. Use Ser when you say a person's name and describe them.
- Yo soy Marta. - I'm Martha.
- Él es Paco. - He's Paco.
- Yo soy alto. - I'm tall.
- Ellos son tranquilos. - They are calm.
- Mi hermana es intelligence. — My sister is smart.
2. Profession. Use Ser when you want to name a person's profession:
- Soy professor. - I am an educator.
- Ella era camarera. — She was a waitress.
— Mi hijo será actor. — My son will be an actor.
- Somos estudiantes. - We are students.
3. Time. When you say the day of the week and hour, use Ser:
- Hoy es jueves. - Today is Thursday.
— Mañana será el viernes. - Tomorrow will be Friday.
- Es la una. — It’s one o’clock now (01.00 or 13.00)
- Son las tres. — It’s three o’clock now.
Note that when you say "hour" you use es , and with all numbers greater than 1 you use son .
4. Place of birth, nationality, origin. When you say where someone is from, their nationality, or what they are made of, use Ser:
- Soy de Italia. - I am from Italy.
— Eres de Argentina. — You are from Argentina.
- Es alemán. - He is German.
— Son rusos. - They are Russians.
- La mesa es de madera. — Table made of wood.
- La cadena es de plata. — Silver chain.
5. Family relationships, religion. If you want to indicate family ties and talk about your religion, use Ser:
- Juan es mi marido. - Juan is my husband.
- Anna es mi hermana. - Anna is my sister.
- Soy catolico. - I am Catholic.
- Soy orthodoxa. - I'm orthodox.
6. Price. Use Ser to ask for price:
— ¿Cuánto es? - what is the price?
7. Using Ser, they describe the unchanging characteristics of objects. For example, age, color, size, quality.
- El bolso es grande. — The bag is big.
- La película es buena. - The film is good.
- La casa es blanca. - The house is white.
- El coche es nuevo. - The car is new.
Let's look at examples use of Ser in monologue and dialogues:
Daniel: Te presento a unos amigos: este es David. Es medico.
I introduce you to my friends: this is David. He is a doctor.
David y yo somos compañeros de trabajo.
David and I are work colleagues.
Esta es Natalia. Natalia es de Sevilla. Somos amigos.
This is Natalya. Natalia from Seville. We are friends.
Estos son Miguel y Alejandro. Son argentinos. Son actors.
This is Miguel and Alejandro. They are Argentinians. They are actors.
Estas son Sandra y Monica. Son brasilñas. Son compañeras de clase.
This is Sandra and Monica. They are Brazilian. They are classmates.
Petra: Buenos días. - Good morning.
Pablo: Quién eres? - Who are you?
Petra: Soy Petra, y tú? – I’m Petra, and you?
Pablo: Soy Pablo. - I'm Pablo.
Petra: Y ella, ¿quién es? - And who is she?
Pablo: Es Anna. Es mi amiga. - She's Anna. She's my friend.
Petra: ¿Qué eres? - What do you do for a living?
Pablo: Soy estudiante. ¿Y tú? – I’m a student, what about you?
Petra: Soy medico. Y ella, ¿qué es? - I am a doctor. And what about her, what does she do?
Pablo: Es enfermera. - She is a nurse.
Petra: Encantada. - Very nice.
Pablo: Bueno, mucho gusto. - Mutually, very nice.
Peter: ¡Hola! Soy Peter. - Hello, I'm Peter.
Susana: Yo soy Susan. - I'm Suzanne.
Peter: Encantado. Yo soy alemán, de Munich. ¿De donde eres? - Very nice. I'm German, from Munich. Where are you from?
Susana: Soy inglesa, de Londres. – I’m English, from London.
Peter: ¿Son ellos también ingleses? -Are they English too?
Susana: No, no son ingleses. Lucía es italiana, es de Roma. Raymond es americano, es de Florida. ¿Quién es nuestro profesor? - No, they are not English. Lucia is Italian, she is from Rome. Raymond is American, he is from Florida. Who is our teacher?
Peter: El señor García es nuestro profesor. – Mr. Garcia is our teacher.
Susana: ¿Cómo es el señor García? – Which Mr. Garcia?
Peter: Es alto, moreno y muy simpático. “He is tall, dark and very friendly.
Susana: ¿Español o sudamericano? – Is he Spanish or Latin American?
Peter: Español, de Madrid. - He is Spanish, from Madrid.
Conjugation of the verb Estar
The verb Estar is translated not only as “to be,” but also as “to be.” For convenience, we will use the second translation option.
1) in the present tense
3) in the past perfect tense
4) in the future tense
yo estare – I will be there | nosotros estaremos – we will be |
Use of the verb Estar
1. Location. If you want to know or indicate where an object or person is, use the verb Estar:
— Estoy en casa. - I'm home.
— What do you think? - Where is the book?
— La oficina está al lado del café. – The office is located next to the cafe.
— ¿Dónde estás ahora? - Where are you now?
2. Temporary condition. When you describe the state of a person or thing at a given moment, use the verb Estar:
- Estoy cansado. - I'm tired.
— Estábamos enfermos. - We were sick.
— ¿Por qué estás nervioso? - Why are you nervous?
3. Action in the present moment. With Estar, you can emphasize that a certain action is happening now. For this purpose, the Estar and .
- Estamos bailando. - We are dancing now.
— ¿Con quién estás hablando? – Who are you talking to now?
— Están trabajando. - They are working now.
4. Temperature. When you want to say how many degrees it is outside, use Estar in the plural and first person (we) and the preposition a:
— Estamos a 28 grados hoy. – Today it’s 28 degrees.
5. Days and months. To give a date, use plural and the first person of Estar (we):
Let's look at examples of using Estar:
Julia: Entras y está el recibidor. El cuarto de baño está a la derecha. Uno de los dormitorios está al lado. El salón está en frente de la entrada. La cocina está al lado del comedor.
Julia: You walk in and there is a hallway. The bathroom is on the right. One of the bedrooms is nearby. The hall is located opposite the entrance. The kitchen is located next to the dining room.
La iglesia está en el centro. El teatro y el parque están a la derecha de la iglesia. Los bares y las tiendas están en la calle principal. Los hoteles están cerca de la playa.
The church stands in the center. The theater and park are located to the right of the church. Bars and shops line the main street. Hotels are located near the beach.
Difference between Ser and Estar
Note that SER and ESTAR completely change the meaning of a phrase when used with the same word. Let's look at a few examples:
es aburrido | he's boring | Está aburrido | He's bored |
es bueno | he is good | Está bueno | how delicious, how good! |
es cansado | he's boring | Está cansado | |
es grave | it is heavy (dangerous) | está grave | he is seriously ill now |
es listo | está listo | ||
es malo | he is bad | está malo | he doesn't feel well |
es orgulloso | he is proud | Está orgulloso | he's proud now |
es moreno | he's dark-skinned | está moreno | he's tanned |
es palido | he's pale | está palido | he turned pale |
es pesado | it's heavy | Está pesado | he talks boringly |
es rico | he's rich | está rico | it is delicious |
es seguro | it's safe | está seguro | he is sure |
es verde | it's green | está verde | he's immature |
es viejo | he is old | está viejo | looks old and shabby |
es vivo | está vivo |
Exercises
Do some exercises to practice what you have learned.
SER or ESTAR: that is the questionOne of the first significant difficulties that you inevitably encounter when learning Portuguese is, oddly enough, the use of the verb “to be”. It would seem that there is something complicated here: “eu sou – tu és – ele é...”- “I am – you are – he is”, etc., but try not to make a mistake! The fact is that in Portuguese, as in Spanish, there are two different verbs with the meaning “to be” - ser and estar, - and both of them are non-standard, and besides, the verb is in the past tense ser conjugated exactly like a verb ir- “go, go”, that is eu fui can mean “I was” or “I went.” As they say, the devil himself will break his leg! Without delving too deeply into the intricacies of Portuguese grammar, let's look at some typical examples.
1. First of all, each of the two verbs has an independent meaning: ser means “to be” in the sense of “to appear, to exist”, and estar- “to be” in the sense of “to be.”
Verb ser usually indicates the permanent location of an item:
- Os Alpes são na Europa.
- The Alps are in Europe, that is, they have been there since time immemorial, and will always be there, -
whereas the verb estar denotes a temporary location:
- Cadê o meu dicionário?
- Where is my dictionary?
- Está aqui na estante.
- Here on the shelf, that is, it could end up, say, on a table or somewhere else.
From time to time, the phrase is also used to indicate a permanent location estar situado, -a(although in this context a Brazilian would rather use the verb ficar):
- A praça Vermelha está situada (fica) no centro de Moscou.
- Red Square is located in the center of Moscow.
2. How ser, so estar regularly act as a verbal connective, in other words, they serve to attach the nominal part of the predicate to the subject. In Russian you can easily say: “I am Peter, and he is Ivan,” but in Portuguese - only “I am Peter, and he is Ivan” and nothing else! Verb ser used in cases where the predicate expresses:
A) an inherent quality, a permanent or very lasting condition of an object:
A Terra é uma esfera.
The earth is a ball (namely a ball, not a cube or any other geometric body).
A casa em que moramos é de madeira.
The house we live in is wooden (built of wood, not brick).
O vestido de la é azul.
Her dress is blue (made from blue, not green material).
Este rapaz é muito inteligente.
This guy is very smart (smart in general, by nature).
A dona Laura é viúva.
Dona Laura is a widow (she has been living alone for a long time and is unlikely to ever marry again).
Você é católico, não é?
Are you a Catholic, right (do you practice Catholicism and not some other religion)?
b) Name:
- Quem é aquela menina lá?
-Who is that girl over there?
- É a Verinha.
- This is Verinya.
V) Nationality or origin:
Eu sou russo, e ele é brasileiro.
I'm Russian, and he's Brazilian.
Donde é o senhor? - Sou de Lisboa.
Where are you from)? - I'm from Lisbon.
G) profession or occupation:
O Carlos é engenheiro.- Carlos is an engineer.
A irmã dele é estudante.- His sister is a student.
d) affiliation:
- De quem são estes livros?- Whose books are these?
- Sao meus.- My.
e) purpose:
- Para quem é esse presente aí?-Who is this gift for?
- Para minha mãe.- For my mother.
and) time:
Que dia é hoje? – Hoje é domingo.
What day is today? - Today is Sunday.
Que horas sao? – São cinco e meia.
What time is it now? - Half past five.
Vamos embora, já é tarde!
Let's get out of here, it's late!
In turn, the verb estar used when talking about a temporary, transitory quality or state of an object:
A água está fria.
The water is cold (but, in principle, it can be heated).
Estás linda hoje!
You are beautiful today (although you usually don’t take very good care of yourself).
O Mario está doente.
Mario is sick (luckily, nothing serious, and he will get better soon).
O gerente está ocupado agora.
The director is busy now (but may be free by the evening), -
and forms many stable expressions, including with various prepositions:
Como está? - Estou bem, obrigado.
How are you? - OK, thank you.
Os senhores estão com fome?- Are you hungry?
Estou com uma sede danada!- I'm so damn thirsty!
Ele não vai conosco porque está com sono.- He won’t come with us because he wants to sleep.
Abre a janela, a gente está com calor!- Open the window, we're hot!
Cê tá com sorte!- You are lucky!
It should be noted that, when describing the state of an object, the Portuguese, unlike the Brazilian, rather uses the verb ter- "have": Os senhores têm fome? etc.
Estamos para sair.- We're about to leave.
Ela está para chorar.- She's about to cry.
A conta está por pagar.- The bill has not yet been paid.
Estou por falar com ela.- I still have to talk to her.
In order not to make mistakes in choosing and using such expressions, you should consult the dictionary more often.
3. Both verbs are used as auxiliaries in the formation of the passive voice, that is, to express the action to which the object is subjected:
O pai dela é respeitado por todo o mundo.
Everyone respects her father (literally: “her father is respected by everyone”).
Estou admirado de os ver juntos.
I'm surprised to see them together.
However, if the verb ser in the present tense, as a rule, indicates a long unfinished or repeated action:
A ponte é construída há oito meses.
The bridge has been under construction for eight months (but is not yet ready for commissioning).
As lojas são abertas às 9 em ponto.
Stores open at nine sharp (open daily according to schedule),
then verb estar can indicate a completed action:
O trabalho está feito.- The work is done (already completed).
A ponte está construída.- The bridge has been built (people are already crossing it).
4. In 3rd person form singular Verbs ser And estar form impersonal phrases, and those that include a verb ser, express mainly the subjective assessment of the subject by the speaker:
É possível que ela deixe de estudar.
Perhaps she will drop out of school.
É preciso que vás buscá-la ao aeroporto.
I need you to meet her at the airport.
É pena não termos mais tempo.
It's a pity that we don't have more time.
É proibido fumar aqui.
Smoking is prohibited here
and those that contain a verb estar, in many cases describe weather phenomena:
Está bom tempo.- Good weather.
Está mau tempo.- Bad weather.
Está ensolarado.- Sunny.
Está chuvoso.- It is rainy.
5. In addition to all of the above, both verbs form a whole series of phrases that are not literally translated into Russian. Formed by a verb ser design é que serves to highlight various members of a sentence, making everyday speech more vivid and emotional:
Quanto é que gastou com roupas? Cê tá doida?!
How much did you spend on clothes? Are you crazy or what?!
Eles lá virão sem falta, eu é que sei!
They will definitely come, someone, I know!
Ela é que não fez nada, foi ele que tudo estragou!
She didn’t do anything, it was he who ruined everything!
So ontem é que vieste?
Did you just arrive yesterday? –
and at the beginning of a phrase it can mean “the point is that...”:
Por mais que queira, não posso ficar... É que ainda tenho muita coisa que fazer!
No matter how much I want, I can’t stay... The fact is that I still have a lot to do!
At the same time, the design estar+ gerund (in Brazil) or estar+ preposition a+ infinitive (in Portugal) is used to express a long unfinished action that coincides with the moment of speech or some other action in the past or future:
Estou lendo um artigo interessante.
I am reading interesting article(continuing to read at the moment).
Elas estão a almoçar.
They are having lunch (now while we are looking at them).
Quando saí de casa, estava chovendo.
When I left the house, it was raining (and it didn't seem like it was going to stop).
Aposto que estará a dormir, quando voltares.
I bet he'll be asleep when you get back (and won't wake up for a long time).
Thus, the use of verbs ser And estar determined mainly by the state of the object in question. If this item for a long time, and maybe he is always in the same place, in the same habitual state, and something new happens to him “at lunch for a hundred years,” then, most likely, preference should be given to the verb ser. If it is dynamic in nature and prone to changing place and state, then it would be more correct to choose the verb estar. In my opinion this is general rule will help lovers of the Portuguese language avoid many annoying mistakes.
For those who want to study the topic in more detail, I recommend turning to university textbooks, for example, the excellent course by M. A. Rodionova and G. V. Petrova “Manual de Português: curso básico” (Minsk, 1991 or subsequent editions), which, although it concentrates attention only on the European version of the language, it nevertheless covers grammatical material with enviable completeness and clarity.
Oleg Andreev, July 2004
