The verb “ser” (to be) and sports

Are you a sports lover?
Do you know the most famous Spanish athletes?
Come and check it while you learn a lot of new vocabulary and a great use of the verb SER.

Spain is a country that loves sports and that is why, among many other things, it stands out for its great professional athletes that are known worldwide. In addition, our country has large sports complexes capable of hosting events of the highest level, which makes it one of its tourists attractions.

And it is that we Spaniards love to be in shape; we enjoy playing a game of football with friends or eating tapas in bars while supporting our teams. You just have to walk around the city to observe  the high number of people that practice athletics, yoga, basketball … In addition, Valencia is now becoming a bicycle friendly city, as the bike lane is spreading all across the beautiful Valencian streets. It is becoming easier to carry healthy habits. Do you not think that it is a great initiative?

As I know that you all also love having a healthy lifestyle, you can not miss this article! After reading it you can talk with your Spanish friends about Iniesta’s late goal, Pau Gasol’s triple, the power of Rafa Nadal’s arms or Mireia Belmote’s incredible style in the water. Ready to learn?

They say that in the beginning it was the verb, so let’s start with it:

The verb (ser) to be has many functions, that is why it will accompany us throughout our learning of the Spanish language. Today we are going to learn and practice one of its most important uses: to talk about a person’s profession. But first, do you know its form in the present tense? I’ll show you:

Yo soy

Tú eres

Él/ Ella/ Usted es

Nosotros somos

Vosotros sois

Ellos/ Ellas/ Ustedes son

Then, to see how this verb is used, I’ll introduce you to some of the most famous athletes in Spain; in addition, you can learn a lot of new vocabulary of sports and also a lot of Spanish culture.

Rafa Nadal es tenista.

Pau Gasol es baloncestista.

Andrés Iniesta es futbolista.

Mireia Belmonte es nadadora.

Alberto Contador es ciclista.

Fernando Alonso es piloto de Fórmula 1.

Sandra Sánchez es karateca.

Almudena Cid es gimnasta rítmica.

 Carolina María Marín es jugadora de bádminton.

Javier Fernández es patinador artítstico sobre hielo.

And now, we are going to practice with an exercise in which you will have to fill in the gaps with the form of the verb to be (ser) (V) or with the name of the professions (P) that we have learned:

1. Yo ___________ (V) deportista olímpico.
2. Los __________ (P) como Fernando Alonso son amantes de la velocidad.
3. Si eres una persona muy alta, deberías ser ___________ (P) como Pau Gasol.
4. Las personas que juegan a tenis _________ (V) tenistas.
5. Tengo un primo que es _________ (P) olímpico en estilo mariposa.
6. Mi amigo ________ (V) piloto de Fórmula 1.
7. Los ___________ (P) del Valencia Club de Fútbol son muy buenos.
8. Tú ___________ (V) una gran karateca.

Answers:

1. Soy, 2. Pilotos, 3.  Baloncestista, 4. Son, 5. Nadador, 6. Es, 7. Futbolistas, 8. Eres

If you are a big fan of sports, you have to come running to Hispania, escuela de español. In this award winning school you will not only get a quality and fun education, but you will also enjoy all the sports activities that we do :

Can there be a better plan to learn Spanish than by playing a football game of the students against the teachers?

What would you say about relaxing after classes by practicing yoga in the beautiful Turia river?

Or are you one of those who refer beach sports to be able to show off a beautiful tan?

Do you not think that all of this is possible? Well, visit our website and you will be surprised!

Article written by Rita Rodríguez Varela for Hispania, escuela de español.