Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ellos son profesores en Argentina.

Ellos son profesores en Argentina.

They are teachers in Argentina.

Breakdown of Ellos son profesores en Argentina.

Questions & Answers about Ellos son profesores en Argentina.

Could ellos refer to a mixed group of male and female teachers?

Yes. In Spanish, ellos is used for a group of entirely males, or a mixed group of males and females. If the group of teachers were exclusively female, you would use ellas instead.

If I wanted to say 'You all are teachers,' would I still use son?

Yes! In Latin America, ustedes (you all) uses the exact same verb forms as ellos and ellas. So, 'You all are teachers' translates to Ustedes son profesores.

Why do we use son here instead of the other verb for 'to be' (están)?

We use son (from the verb ser) because professions and occupations are considered a core characteristic of someone's identity. Estar is generally used for temporary states, emotions, or physical locations.

Why does the plural of profesor have an 'es' at the end instead of just an 's'?

Because the singular word profesor ends in a consonant (the letter 'r'). To make nouns ending in a consonant plural in Spanish, you add -es. Nouns that end in a vowel usually just get an -s.