GRAMMAR
The simple present of the verb to be
Introduction
This page explains the simple present tense of the verb āto be,ā focusing on how it looks and when to use it.
The Simple Present Of The Verb To Be
Understanding The Verb To Be
The verb āto beā is crucial in English, though it can be tricky becauseĀ it doesnāt follow regular patterns. In theĀ simple present tense, it changes as follows:
Affirmative Forms Of The Verb To Be
Subject Pronouns | Full Form | Contracted Form |
---|---|---|
I | am | ām |
you | are | āre |
he/she/it | is | ās |
we | are | āre |
you | are | āre |
they | are | āre |
Asking Questions With The Verb To Be:
Am | I? |
Are | you? |
Is | he/she/it? |
Are | we? |
Are | you? |
Are | they? |
Negative Forms of the verb to be:
Subject Pronouns | Full Form | Contracted Form |
---|---|---|
I | am not | ām not |
you | are not | arenāt |
he/she/it | is not | isnāt |
we | are not | arenāt |
you | are not | arenāt |
they | are not | arenāt |
Examples:
- IsĀ Brad Pitt French?
- No, heĀ isnāt. HeāsĀ American.
- What about Angelina Joli?Ā IsĀ she American, too?
- Yes, sheĀ is. SheĀ isĀ American.
- AreĀ Brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
- No, TheyĀ arenāt. TheyĀ areĀ American.
Use of the simple present of the verb to be
The principal use of the simple present is to refer to:
- An action or event that takes place habitually.
- She always wakes up at 5 am.
- A present or general state, whether temporary or permanent.
- IĀ amĀ happy.
- SheĀ isĀ helpful.
- Something true at the present moment.
- SheĀ isĀ 20 years old.
- HeĀ isĀ a student.
Contractions Of The Verb To Be
To make your speech flow better, you can contract the verb āto beā like this:
- I amĀ in charge of the company. =Ā IāmĀ in charge of the company.
- You areĀ a great man! =Ā YouāreĀ such a great man!
- She isĀ fantastic! =Ā SheāsĀ fantastic!
- He isĀ my father-in-law. =Ā HeāsĀ a father-in-law.
- It isĀ a beautiful city! =Ā ItāsĀ a beautiful city!
- We areĀ tired. =Ā WeāreĀ tired.
- They areĀ in the classroom. =Ā TheyāreĀ in the classroom.
Negatives Of The Verb To Be
When saying something isnāt true, use ānotā after the verb.
For example:
- āI amā =>āI am notā
- āHe isā =>āheās notā or āhe isnātā ).
Hereās how you can contract or expand the verb āto beā when forming negative statements:
I am notĀ tired. | Iām notĀ tired. | X |
He is notĀ a member of the club. | Heās notĀ a member of the club. | She isnātĀ a member of the club. |
She is notĀ a teacher. | She is not a teacher. | She isnātĀ a teacher. |
It is notĀ a priority | Itās notĀ a priority. | She isnātĀ a teacher. |
We are notĀ exhausted. | Weāre notĀ exhausted. | We arenātĀ exhausted. |
They are notĀ here. | Theyāre notĀ here. | They arenātĀ here. |
NOTE:Ā IĀ amnātĀ is not correct.
Questions With The Verb To Be
Turning statements into questions involvesĀ changing the order of āam,ā āis,ā or āareā and the person.
Examples:
- He is a policeman => Is he a policeman?
- She is jealous => Is she Jealous?
Here are more examples of question construction:
- Are you hungry?
- Is he happy?
- Is it your car?
- Are we on time?
- Are they at home?
Short Answers With The Verb To Be
Providing short answers like āYes, he isā or āNo he isnātā can be effective.
Here are affirmative and negative short answers with and without contraction:
Yes, I am | No, I am not | Iām not |
Yes, you, we, they are | No, you, we, they are not | No, you, we, they arenāt |
Yes, he, she, it is | N, he, she, it is not | Yes, he, she, it isnāt |
Note that with short answers, we only use contractions when the answer is negative (No, ā¦).
Questions With Wh-Words
Adding more meaning to the questions:
Using question words like āwhere,Ā when,Ā whoĀ orĀ whatā can add more meaning to your questions.
Use question words at the beginning of a question. Here are some examples:
- How are you? => I am fine.
- Where is Jane? => She is at home.
- When is the meeting? => It is on Monday morning.
- Who are they?Ā =>Ā They are my relatives.
- What time is it? => It is 9 pm.
Remember:
- I, you, he, she, it, you, theyĀ areĀ subject pronounsĀ (also calledĀ personal pronouns,Ā a term used to include both subject and object pronouns.)
- am, are, isĀ are forms of the verbĀ to beĀ in the simple present.
- ām, āre, āsĀ are short (contracted) forms ofĀ am, are, is.
- ām not, arenāt, isnātĀ are short (contracted) forms ofĀ am not, are not, is not.
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