English has one verb to be. Spanish has two — ser and estar — and choosing between them is one of the first real decisions you'll make.

This lesson is about ser: the verb for what someone or something is, at its core. Use it for:

• identity — Soy Marina. (I'm Marina.)
• origin — Soy de Boston. (I'm from Boston.)
• nationality — Luana es española. (Luana is Spanish.)
• profession — Marina es estudiante. (Marina is a student.)

Nationalities are written with a small letter in Spanish and change for a woman: español / española, inglés / inglesa, americano / americana.