ser

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ser"

English

Etymology 1

Noun

ser

1. Abbreviation of serial.

Etymology 2

From sir.

Noun

ser (plural sers)

1. (in some fantasy novels) An address or courtesy title to any person, especially if their gender and/or form of address are unknown.

   Would ser care to dine this evening?

Anagrams

• -ers, ERS, ERs, ESR, RSE, Res., SRE, ers, res

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Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin sedeō, sedēre (“to sit, to reside”) and sum (“to be”).

Verb

ser

1. to be

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Asturian

Etymology

From Latin sedeō, sedēre (“to sit, to reside”) sum (“to be”).

Verb

ser

1. to be

Conjugation

Impersonal forms
Infinitive		ser
Gerund		siendo
Past participle		sío
Personal forms
		yo	tu	él~elli/-a/-o	nosotros/-es~nós	vosotros/-es~vós	ellos/-es
Indicative	Present	soi ~ so	yes	ye	somos	sois	son
	Imperfect preterite	yera	yeres	yera	yéremos ~ yéramos	yereis ~ yerais	yeren
	Perfect preterite	fui	fuisti ~ fuesti fosti	foi fo	fuimos ~ fuemos fomos	fuistis ~ fuestis fostis	fueron foron
	Pluperfect preterite	fuera ~ fuere fora ~ fore	fueras ~ fueres foras ~ fores	fuera ~ fuere fora ~ fore	fuéramos ~ fuéremos fóramos ~ fóremos	fuerais ~ fuereis forais ~ foreis	fueran ~ fueren foran ~ foren
		yo	tu	él~elli/-a/-o	nosotros/-es~nós	vosotros/-es~vós	ellos/-es
Subjunctive	Present	seya sía	seyas sías	seya sía	seyamos síamos	seyáis síais	seyan sían
	Imperfect preterite	fuera ~ fuere fora ~ fore	fueras ~ fueres foras ~ fores	fuera ~ fuere fora ~ fore	fuéramos ~ fuéremos fóramos ~ fóremos	fuerais ~ fuereis forais ~ foreis	fueran ~ fueren foran ~ foren
		yo	tu	él~elli/-a/-o	nosotros/-es~nós	vosotros/-es~vós	ellos/-es
Potential	Future	seré sedré	serás sedrás	será sedrá	seremos sedremos	seréis sedréis	serán sedrán
	Conditional	sería sedría	seríes sedríes	sería sedría	seríamos ~ seríemos sedríamos ~ sedríemos	seríais ~ seríeis sedríais ~ sedríeis	seríen sedríen
		-	tu	vusté	nosotros/-es~nós	vosotros/-es~vós	vustedes
Imperative			sé	seya sía	vamos ser	sei	seyan sían

• Gramática de la Llingua Asturiana
• Normes ortográfiques
• Oslin-Ast

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

1. being

Derived terms

• ser humanu

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Baure

Noun

ser

1. tooth

   niser — my tooth

   eser — a tooth, someone's tooth

   nitorak to eser — I found a/someone's tooth

References

• Languages of the Amazon (2012, →ISBN

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Catalan

Alternative forms

• ésser

Etymology

From a reduction of ésser, from Latin sum, from Proto-Italic *ezom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti (“I am, I exist”).

Pronunciation

(verb)

(noun)

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈser]

Verb

ser (first-person singular present soc, first-person singular preterite fui, past participle estat or sigut)

1. (intransitive) to be, to exist

   Ser o no ser, aquesta és la qüestió.

   To be or not to be, that is the question.

2. (intransitive, +adverbial phrase) to be located (to be in a place)
3. (transitive, copulative) to be (used to connect a noun to another noun)
4. (transitive, copulative) to have a characteristic (used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes an inherent property)
5. (auxiliary) Used to form the passive voice, together with a past participle

Usage notes

This is one of two verbs that can be translated as to be, the other being estar. Ser/ésser indicates something that is inherent and not expected to change, whereas estar indicates temporary qualities that apply only at a particular time. Ser/ésser relates to estar as essence relates to state, etymologically as well as semantically.

Noun

ser m (plural sers)

1. being (living creature)

Further reading

• “ser” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

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Czech

Verb

ser

1. second-person singular present imperative of srát

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Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seːr/, [seɐ̯ˀ]

Verb

ser

1. (deprecated template usage) present of se

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Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese seer, from Latin sedeō, sedēre (“to sit, to reside”) and sum (“to be”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/

Verb

1. to be
2. first-person singular personal infinitive of ser
3. third-person singular personal infinitive of ser

Usage notes

Like Portuguese and Spanish, Galician has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to be”. The verb ser relates to essence, origin, or physical description. In contrast, the verb estar relates to current state or position.

Derived terms

• ser quen (“to be able to; to dare”)

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

1. being (living creature)

See also

• estar

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Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʃɛr]
• Hyphenation: ser

Noun

ser (plural serek)

1. (archaic, dialectal, humorous) beer

Usage notes

An archaic and dialectal variant of sör, but today it can also be humorous in informal conversations. In compound words and derivations, only sör is used.

Synonyms

• sör

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Italian

Etymology

Shortening of messer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛr/

Noun

ser m

1. (historical) sir (title and form of address for a gentleman, shortened from messer)

   Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

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Kurdish

Noun

1. head

Preposition

1. on

   li ser maseyê — “on the table”

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Ladino

Verb

1. to be

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Mauritian Creole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛː/

Etymology 1

From French sœur

Noun

ser

1. sister

   Synonym: didi

Etymology 2

From French cher

Adjective

ser

1. dear
2. expensive

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Middle Dutch

Noun

ser

1. (title and pronoun) sir, lord
   • 1301-1350, Van den VII vroeden van binnen Rome. Een dichtwerk der XIVde eeuw (INL)

     Garijn, ser Diederecs sone

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1414, Hennen van Merchtenen's Cornicke van Brabant (INL)

     Als ijemen sterven plach, hinc men daer teken ser wapen

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “ser (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French sire, from Latin senior.

Noun

ser

1. sir
   • 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41

     And I seide, “Ser, in his tyme maister Ioon Wiclef was holden of ful many men the grettis clerk that thei knewen lyuynge vpon erthe. And therwith he was named, as I gesse worthili, a passing reuli man and an innocent in al his lyuynge. And herfore grete men of kunnynge and other also drowen myche to him, and comownede ofte with him. And thei sauouriden so his loore that thei wroten it bisili and enforsiden hem to rulen hem theraftir… Maister Ion Aston taughte and wroot acordingli and ful bisili, where and whanne and to whom he myghte, and he vsid it himsilf, I gesse, right perfyghtli vnto his lyues eende. Also Filip of Repintoun whilis he was a chanoun of Leycetre, Nycol Herforde, dane Geffrey of Pikeringe, monke of Biland and a maistir dyuynyte, and Ioon Purueye, and manye other whiche weren holden rightwise men and prudent, taughten and wroten bisili this forseide lore of Wiclef, and conformeden hem therto. And with alle these men I was ofte homli and I comownede with hem long tyme and fele, and so bifore alle othir men I chees wilfulli to be enformed bi hem and of hem, and speciali of Wiclef himsilf, as of the moost vertuous and goodlich wise man that I herde of owhere either knew. And herfore of Wicleef speciali and of these men I toke the lore whiche I haue taughte and purpose to lyue aftir, if God wole, to my lyues ende.”

Descendants

• English: sir

Etymology 2

From Old English sēar.

Noun

ser

1. Alternative form of sere (“dry”)

Etymology 3

From Old Norse sér.

Adjective

ser

1. Alternative form of sere (“differing”)

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Mirandese

Etymology

From Latin sedeō, sedēre (“to sit, to reside”) and sum (“to be”).

Verb

ser

1. to be (indicates a permanent quality)

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

1. being

See also

• star

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Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

ser

1. (deprecated template usage) present of se

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

ser

1. (deprecated template usage) present of sjå

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Pohnpeian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛr/

Verb

ser

1. (intransitive) to run aground

Interjection

ser

1. An exclamation used to attract the attention of two or more people.

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Polish

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *syrъ, from Proto-Indo-European *súHros (“sour, salty, bitter”), whence English sour.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛr/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

ser m inan (diminutive serek)

1. cheese

Declension

Declension of ser

	singular	plural
nominative	ser	sery
genitive	sera	serów
dative	serowi	serom
accusative	ser	sery
instrumental	serem	serami
locative	serze	serach
vocative	serze	sery

Derived terms

• sernik
• serny
• serowaty
• serowy
• ser biały
• ser krowi
• ser pleśniowy
• ser śmietankowy
• ser topiony
• ser żółty

Further reading

• Template:R:PWN

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese seer, with forms from multiple sources:

• Latin sum (“to be, to exist”), from Proto-Italic *ezom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti (“I am, I exist”).
• Latin sedeō (“to sit”), from Proto-Italic *sedēō, from Proto-Indo-European *sed-.

• Latin sedeō: personal and impersonal infinitives (sedēre), gerund, present subjunctive, affirmative imperative
• Latin sum: present indicative, imperfect indicative, preterite indicative, pluperfect indicative, imperfect subjunctive, future subjunctive
  • Vulgar Latin *sonō: sou
  • Vulgar Latin *sutis: sois
• later developments: past participle, future indicative, conditional, negative imperative

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): [ˈse(ɾ)]
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): [ˈse(ʁ)], [ˈse(ɾ)]
  • Homophones: sê, cê (with -r dropping)

Verb

2. (copulative) to be (to have the given quality), especially a quality that is intrinsic or not expected to change, contrasting with estar which denotes a temporary quality

   Ela está bonita, mas não é bonita.

   She is beautiful right now, but she is not a beautiful person.

4. (transitive) to be (to be an example or type of, or the same thing as)

   Pessoas são mamíferos.

   People are mammals.

   A soma de um e dois é três.

   The sum of one and two is three.

6. (auxiliary with a verb in the past participle) to be (forms the passive voice)

   O carro foi vendido pelo seu antigo dono.

   The car was sold by its previous owner.

   Espero que os criminosos sejam punidos.

   I hope the criminals are punished.

8. (impersonal) to be (indicates a point in time)

   Que horas são?

   What time is it?

   São cinco horas.

   It is five o’clock.

10. (transitive with em or another locational preposition) to be in (to be located in)

    Minha casa é num bairro pobre.

    My house is in a poor neighbourhood.

    Onde são essas cidades?

    Where are these cities?

12. (transitive with de) to be from (to have as one’s place of origin)

    Esses equipamentos são da Alemanha.

    These pieces of equipment are from Germany.

    Nenhum de nós é de um país estrangeiro.

    None of us is from a foreign country.

14. (transitive with de) to be (someone’s); to belong to

    Essa casa é do prefeito.

    This house belongs to the mayor.

    Não mexa em nada que não for seu.

    Don’t touch anything that is not yours.

16. (transitive or auxiliary with para or de and a verb in the personal infinitive) to be for; to be to (to have as its purpose)

    Esse tipo de faca é para cortar tomates.

    This type of knife is for cutting tomatoes.

18. (impersonal, auxiliary with para and a verb in the personal infinitive) to be supposed to; should (introduces an expected or demanded action)

    Não sei porque está demorando, já era para o filme ter começado.

    I don’t know why it is taking so long, the film should have started already.

    É para comermos toda a carne.

    We are supposed to eat all the meat.

20. (transitive) to be; to cost (to be worth a given amount of money)

    Duas maçãs são dez centavos.

    Two apples are ten cents.

22. (intransitive) to happen; to take place; to occur

    O que será, será.

    Whatever happens happens.

    Quando é seu aniversário?

    When is your birthday?

24. (transitive with por or a favor de or contra) to be against or in favour of

    Alguns foram contra a guerra, mas a maioria foi a favor.

    Some were against the war, but most were in favour.

26. (poetic, intransitive) to exist; to be (a thing)

    O mal não é.

    Evil does not exist.

28. (impersonal, transitive) used for emphasis

    Eu é que vim.

    I’m the one who came here.

Usage notes

Portuguese and Spanish have two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to be”: generally ser relates to essence, contrasting with estar, which relates to state.

Contrast the following:

• O homem está feliz. ― The man is [currently] happy.
• O homem é feliz. ― The man is [always] happy.
• Você está louco? ― Are you crazy [acting or currently insane]?
• Você é louco? ― Are you crazy [permanently insane]?
• Ela está em casa. ― She is [currently] at home.
• Ela é do Brasil. ― She is [originally] from Brazil.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ser.

Synonyms

• (forms the passive voice): any reflexive pronoun
• (to be located in): ficar em, localizar-se em
• (to be from): vir de
• (to belong to): pertencer a
• (to have as its purpose): servir para
• (to be supposed to): dever
• (to cost): custar, valer
• (to happen): acontecer, haver, ocorrer, ter, produzir-se, realizar-se, sobrevir, suceder

See also

• estar
• ter
• haver

Noun

ser m (plural es)

1. being (a living creature)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ser.

Synonyms

• criatura, ente

Derived terms

• ser humano
• ser vivo

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin serum, French sérum. Cf. also zer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ser/

Noun

ser n (plural seruri)

1. serum

Declension

Declension of ser

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) ser	serul	(niște) seruri	serurile
genitive/dative	(unui) ser	serului	(unor) seruri	serurilor
vocative	serule		serurilor

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Romansch

Verb

ser

1. (Sursilvan) Alternative form of seser

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Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish seer, from two sources:

• Latin sedeō, sedēre (“to sit, to reside”), from Proto-Italic *sedēō, from Proto-Indo-European *sed-
• Latin sum, from Proto-Italic *ezom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/ [ˈseɾ]

Verb

1. to be (essentially or identified as).
   • 2007, El Sueño de Morfeo, Nada es Suficiente

     ¿Qué voy a ser si te he dado lo que soy?

     What am I going to be if I've given you what I am?

   • 2007, El Sueño de Morfeo, Para Toda la Vida

     Si fueras una gota de agua, nadie volvería a tener sed

     If you were a drop of water, no one would thirst again

   Yo soy de los Estados Unidos. ― I am from the United States.

   Errar es humano. ― To err is human.

2. to be (in the passive voice sense)

   La guitarra fue tocada. ― The guitar was played.

3. to exist; to occur

   La fiesta será mañana. ― The party will be tomorrow.

Usage notes

Spanish has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to be”: ser relates to essence, contrasting with estar, which relates to state. Contrast the following:

• El hombre está feliz. ― The man is [currently] happy.
• El hombre es feliz. ― The man is [always] happy.
• ¿Estás loco? ― Are you crazy [currently out of your mind]?
• ¿Eres loco? ― Are you crazy [an insane person]?
• El hombre está en España. ― The man is [currently] in Spain.
• El hombre es de España. ― The man is [originally] from Spain.

Derived terms

• a no ser que
• érase una vez
• no vaya a ser que
• o sea
• sea cual fuere
• sea lo que fuera
• allá donde fueres, haz lo que vieres

See also

• estar

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

1. a being, organism
2. nature, essence
3. value, worth

Related terms

• ser humano

Further reading

• “ser”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

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Swedish

Verb

ser

1. (deprecated template usage) present tense of se.

Anagrams

• ers, res

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Turkish

Etymology 1

From Persian سر (sar)

Noun

ser (definite accusative seri, plural serler)

1. (archaic) head

Synonyms

• (head): baş, kafa

Etymology 2

Verb

ser

1. second-person singular imperative of sermek

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Volapük

Numeral

ser

1. zero

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Welsh

Etymology

From Old Welsh serr, Proto-Celtic *serrā. Cf. Middle Irish serr.

Noun

ser m (plural serod or seroedd, not mutable)

1. billhook, sickle, scythe
2. (dictionary) sword

Synonyms

• (scythe): pladur

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
ser	unchanged	unchanged	unchanged

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “ser”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN