Recursio
Lesson 6. We, you all, they
10 words in this lesson
Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.
ser: somos / sois / son; tú and usted
The verb ser: all six forms
Lesson 4 gave you soy, eres, es. Here is the whole verb:
| Who | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo — I | soy | Soy Lucía. |
| tú — you (informal) | eres | ¿Eres de Madrid? |
| él / ella / usted — he / she / you (formal) | es | Usted es la profesora, ¿verdad? |
| nosotros / nosotras — we | somos | Somos vecinos. |
| vosotros / vosotras — you all (informal) | sois | ¿Sois de Madrid? |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes — they / you all (formal) | son | Son amigos. |
As before, the pronoun is usually left out: Somos vecinos, not Nosotros somos vecinos.
One English “you,” four forms used in Spain
English uses “you” for everyone. In the pattern used in Spain, the form depends on two things: one person or a group, and informal or formal?
- tú — one person, informal.
- usted — one person, formal. It takes the he/she form of the verb: Usted es…, never Usted eres…. This is the main trap of the lesson.
- vosotros / vosotras — a group you’re informal with: friends, classmates. ¿Sois de Madrid?
- ustedes — a group, formal. It takes the they form: Ustedes son de Valencia, ¿verdad?
In Spain, people often use tú with peers and neighbors from the first meeting. The choice depends on the situation and region. In many parts of Latin America, vos is used instead of or alongside tú. This course follows usage in Spain and practices tú.
In Latin America vosotros isn’t used in everyday speech: any group, friends included, is ustedes: ¿Son de Madrid? That’s a different standard, not a mistake. This course follows Spain, so the exercises use vosotros with friends.
Masculine and feminine groups
Nosotras, vosotras, ellas are for groups of women only. A mixed group takes the masculine form: Lucía and Javier are ellos. Nouns work the same way: los amigos can be men and women, las amigas are women only.
The article before a job
In lesson 4 jobs had no article: Lucía es profesora. In Usted es la profesora, the article points to a specific teacher that both speakers can identify. To simply ask about someone’s job: ¿Usted es profesora?
¿verdad? at the end works like English “right?”: you’re fairly sure and want the other person to confirm.
Somos vecinos. — We're neighbors.
¿Sois amigos? — Are you friends? (to a group, informal)
Lucía y Nora son amigas. — Lucía and Nora are friends.
Ustedes son de Valencia, ¿verdad? — You're from Valencia, right? (to a group, formal)
Dialogue
Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.
Javier ¡Buenos días, Lucía! Good morning, Lucía!
Lucía ¡Hola, Javier! ¿Y ellos? Hi, Javier! What about them?
Javier Son amigos. They're friends.
Lucía ¿Sois de Valencia? Are you all from Valencia?
Javier Sí, somos de Valencia. Yes, we're from Valencia.
Lucía ¿Y ellas? What about those women?
Javier Son compañeras. Somos vecinos. They're coworkers. We're neighbors.
Lucía Sí, es verdad. Yes, that's right.
Check yourself
Listen. What did you hear?
1. How do you say “We're neighbors”?
2. You're in Spain, talking to two friends. How do you ask “Are you from Madrid?”
3. In a formal situation, to a woman you don't know: “Are you a teacher?”
4. How do you say “They're friends” about two women?
Match each word with its translation
Build the sentence: “We're neighbors”
Build the question: “You're the teacher, right?” (formal)
What you can do now
- Talk about yourself and others: Somos vecinos. Son amigos.
- Speak to a group: ¿Sois de Madrid?
- Address someone formally: Usted es la profesora, ¿verdad?
- Check something with ¿verdad?
Key phrases of the lesson:
Somos vecinos.
¿Sois de Madrid?
Usted es la profesora, ¿verdad?
Day 6 of 100. Next up: the following lesson.
Lesson 7. I speak, you work →The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.