sirve

Sirve is a form of the Spanish verb servir and is most commonly used as the third-person singular present indicative: él/ella sirve, meaning "he/she serves." It also appears as the affirmative tú command: sirve. The verb's core meaning is to perform an act of serving or to be useful for a purpose.

Originating from Latin "servire" meaning to serve, the verb belongs to the regular -ir group with stem changes in some forms. In the present tense the paradigm is: yo sirvo, tú sirves, él/ella sirve, nosotros servimos, vosotros servís, ellos sirven. The present subjunctive is sirva, sirvas, sirva, sirvamos, sirváis, sirvan; the imperfect subjunctive follows a different pattern. The infinitive is "servir."

Usage notes: "Me sirve" translates as "it is useful to me" or "it works for me." The phrase "sirve para" introduces a function: "Sirve para cortar pan" ("It serves to cut bread"). "Sirva de" can mean "to serve as"—for example, "sirve de testigo" ("acts as a witness").

Examples: El camarero sirve la comida. Este cuchillo sirve para cortar verduras. ¿Sirve para algo? Sí, me sirve para hacer la tarea.