🎯 Why This Matters
Existence, description of state.
First phrases in the language.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Omission. Some languages omit the copula in present tense ('I student'). English strictly requires it. Also, 'be' conjugates irregularly: am/is/are/was/were.
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 Good news: Spanish has 'ser/estar'!
Advantage: Spanish speakers already understand the concept of 'be' verbs
Watch out: Main challenge: remembering which form (am/is/are) with which subject
✅ Fix: I AM, You/We/They ARE, He/She/It IS. Learn these combinations!
🧠 Mental Note: Spanish has MORE forms (soy, eres, es, somos, son). English only has 3 present forms!
🇪🇸 Same advantage
Problem: Castilian Spanish has ser/estar just like LatAm
Advantage: The concept transfers perfectly!
Watch out: Only challenge is matching English forms to subjects
✅ Fix: English 'be' is simpler: only am/is/are (present) and was/were (past)
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
The Essential Verb
I AM, You/We/They ARE, He/She/It IS. Past: I/He/She/It WAS, others WERE.
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
Contractions are normal
Spanish Habit: Saying full forms: 'I am', 'you are'
English Reality: Native speakers almost always contract: I'm, you're, she's
Examples:
- I am → I'm /aɪm/
- You are → You're /jɔːr/
- She is → She's /ʃiːz/
- They are → They're /ðeər/
Practice: Always use contractions in speech. Full forms sound overly formal.
📖 How It Works
Teacher Recommendation: Teacher strongly recommended
Time Investment: 5 hours
🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)
These words/phrases appear with this structure:
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| am | soy/estoy | I am happy / I am from Mexico |
| is | es/está | She is a teacher / He is at home |
| are | son/están (somos) | They are friends / We are ready |
| was | era/estaba/fue | I was tired / She was here |
| were | eran/estaban | They were happy / You were right |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: Identity
✅ CORRECT: "I am a student."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Soy estudiante."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I student."
Why wrong? English ALWAYS needs 'be'. Never omit it!
Example 2: Location
✅ CORRECT: "They are at the park."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Están en el parque."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "They at the park."
Why wrong? Must include ARE for location statements
Example 3: Description
✅ CORRECT: "She is very intelligent."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Ella es muy inteligente."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "She very intelligent."
Why wrong? IS is required before adjectives
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!