No Latin American Spanish voice installed — playing the Spain voice.
1.4
Grammar
Ser and llamarse: I am…, my name is…
Look and think
Look at the dialogue. How does Lucía say who she is? How do the students say their names? Find , , and , , .
Ser means to be when you say who someone is or what they are: The form changes with the person: , , .
Llamarse means to be called. Spanish says literally "I call myself": The little word , , is part of the verb and goes before it.
To ask a name: (tú) or (usted). Notice that usted uses the same verb forms as él and ella.
| ser | llamarse | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | me llamo |
| tú | eres | te llamas |
| usted | es | se llama |
| él / ella | es | se llama |
Examples
Soy Marta. Soy estudiante.
I'm Marta. I'm a student.¿Eres profesor?
Are you a teacher?Ella se llama Lucía.
Her name is Lucía.¿Cómo se llama usted?
What is your name? (formal)
Tú or usted?
Look and think
Lucía and Daniel say , but Mr. Gómez says Why?
Spanish has two ways to say you to one person. Tú is informal: friends, family, children, classmates and — in Spain — most people of your age, even when you meet them for the first time.
Usted is formal and polite: older people you don't know, your boss in a formal company, officials. In Spain is very common in everyday life; when in doubt with an older person, start with .
Grammar tip: takes the same verb form as él/ella: , .
| tú (informal) | usted (formal) | |
|---|---|---|
| What's your name? | ¿Cómo te llamas? | ¿Cómo se llama usted? |
| How are you? | ¿Qué tal? | ¿Qué tal? / ¿Cómo está usted? |
| Excuse me | perdona | perdone |
| Are you a student? | ¿Eres estudiante? | ¿Es usted estudiante? |
Examples
Perdone, señora, ¿cómo se llama usted?
Excuse me, ma'am, what is your name?Hola, ¿eres Marta?
Hi, are you Marta?Buenas tardes, señor Gómez. ¿Cómo está usted?
Good afternoon, Mr. Gómez. How are you?