Ser (to be) · Subjunctive
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Ser in the Spanish present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) is: yo sea, tú seas, él/ella/usted sea, nosotros/as seamos, vosotros/as seáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes sean. The present subjunctive of ser is used after expressions of doubt, emotion, will, or hypothetical situations. It often appears in 'que' clauses after verbs like esperar (to hope), querer (to want), and dudar (to doubt).
| To Be | Ser |
|---|---|
| I be | yo sea |
| you be | tú seas |
| he/she be | él/ella/usted sea |
| we be | nosotros/as seamos |
| you be | vosotros/as seáis |
| they be | ellos/ellas/ustedes sean |
Ser (to be) in context
Sentences that use ser in the subjunctive. Tap each to hear it.
My mother wants me to be a lawyer.
I hope you are very happy.
It is important that he/she be on time.
They want us to be a united team.
It is necessary that you be patient.
I want them to be my friends forever.
Working with the subjunctive
The subjunctive isn't a tense — it's a mood. It signals that the speaker views the action as uncertain, desired, or evaluated rather than asserted as fact. Triggers come in four families: WEIRDO (Wishes, Emotion, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá) is the standard mnemonic. When you see "que" after one of these triggers, the verb that follows is almost always subjunctive. The irregular subjunctive stem comes from the yo form of the present indicative — learn "hago" and you know "haga" is the subjunctive stem.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate ser in the present subjunctive?
When do I need to use the subjunctive of ser?
Why does the present subjunctive of ser use 'sea' and not 'sa' or 'se'?
Practice Ser (To Be) in real conversations
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