LEOLogo

The Verb "To be"

To be is the most common verb in the English language, but it doesn't always look like "be", it changes - a lot.

Singular = 1		Plural = 1+
I	am	You	are
You	are	We	are
He/she/it	is	They	are

Uses

To be can be used as an auxiliary or a main verb.

Am/Is/Are

Question ?		Positive Statement +		Negative Statement -
	Singular	Written Form or spoken for emphasis	Contracted Form (spoken)	Written Form or spoken for emphasis	Contracted Form (spoken)
	Am I?	I am	I'm	I am not	I'm not
	Are you?	You are	You're	You are not	You're not or You aren't
	Is he? Is she? Is it?	He is She is It is	He's She's It's	He is not She is not It is not	He isn't She isn't It isn't or He's not She's not It's not
	Plural
	Are we?	We are	We're	We are not	We aren't or We're not
	Are you?	You are	You're	You are not	You're not or You aren't
	Are they?	They are	They're	They are not	They aren't or They're not

Examples

The verbs am / is / are are used with:-

	Am/Are	Is
a noun group	*Are* you an English teacher?	Mr Bean is an English teacher.
an adjective	I'm tired.	She's English.
an expression of place or time	They're at home.	It's nine o'clock.
an expression of age	I'm 44.	He's two years old.
when forming the present continuous tense	We're learning English.	She's teaching English.

	Am/Are	Is
Question - ?	"Am I disturbing you?"	"Is this your coat?"
Positive Answer + Yes	"Yes you are. We're very busy."	"Yes, it is"
Negative Answer - No	"No you're not. We aren't very busy."	"No, it isn't"

The Learn English Grammar Page - Verbs

Want to know more about the use of verbs? Read our recommended grammar books section.

Sponsors