ser de
/ˈseɾ de/
The phrase "someone is from" is translated into Spanish as ser de.
ser de is used to state a person's place of origin or nationality.
Which one should you use?
While the verb ser is used to describe characteristics (such as soy alto for "I am tall"), you must use the specific phrase ser de when you want to indicate origin, such as soy de España.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase ser de changes its form depending on the subject of the sentence: * soy de is used for "I am from"
* eres de is used for the informal "you are from"
* es de is used for "he/she/it is from"
* somos de is used for "we are from"
* son de is used for "they are from" or the formal plural "you are from"
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈseɾ de/
Did you know?
- The Spanish verb ser is a linguistic hybrid that contains traces of the Latin verb sedēre, which means 'to sit'.
- In Spanish, stating your origin using ser de is considered an essential part of your permanent identity. Because ser is used for inherent characteristics, your place of origin is viewed as a fundamental part of who you are.
- While ser de identifies where you are from, Spanish uses a different verb estar for current location. This means you use one verb to say where you were born and another to say where you are standing.
Examples in context
- Él es de España.He is from Spain.
- Ella es de América Latina.She is from Latin America.
- La conferencista proviene de Brasil.The speaker comes from Brazil.
- El actor proviene del Caribe.The actor comes from the Caribbean.
- María es de México.María is from Mexico.
- Somos de Argentina.We are from Argentina.
- Jorge es de Madrid.Jorge is from Madrid.
- Mi amiga es de Barcelona.My friend is from Barcelona.
- Andrés es de Colombia.Andrés is from Colombia.
- Mi profesora proviene de Italia.My teacher comes from Italy.
- Mariela es de la Ciudad de México.Mariela is from Mexico City.
- Mis abuelos son de Galicia.My grandparents are from Galicia.
- Ella es de México.She is from Mexico.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ser de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, ser, ser de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
