grammarGRAMMAR


The simple present of the verb to be


Introduction

This page explains the simple present tense of the verb ā€œto 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 ā€œto beā€ is crucial in English, though it can be tricky becauseĀ it doesnā€™t 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 ā€˜m
you are ā€˜re
he/she/it is ā€˜s
we are ā€˜re
you are ā€˜re
they are ā€˜re
The Simple Present Of The Verb To Be (Affirmative)

Asking Questions With The Verb To Be:

Am I?
Are you?
Is he/she/it?
Are we?
Are you?
Are they?
The Simple Present Of The Verb To Be (Interrogative)

Negative Forms of the verb to be:

Subject Pronouns Full Form Contracted Form
I am not ā€˜m not
you are not arenā€™t
he/she/it is not isnā€™t
we are not arenā€™t
you are not arenā€™t
they are not arenā€™t
The Simple Present Of The Verb To Be (Negative)

Examples:

  1. IsĀ Brad Pitt French?
    • No, heĀ isnā€™t. Heā€˜sĀ American.
  2. What about Angelina Joli?Ā IsĀ she American, too?
    • Yes, sheĀ is. SheĀ isĀ American.
  3. AreĀ Brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
    • No, TheyĀ arenā€™t. 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 ā€œto beā€ like this:

  • I amĀ in charge of the company. =Ā Iā€™mĀ in charge of the company.
  • You areĀ a great man! =Ā Youā€™reĀ such a great man!
  • She isĀ fantastic! =Ā Sheā€™sĀ fantastic!
  • He isĀ my father-in-law. =Ā Heā€™sĀ a father-in-law.
  • It isĀ a beautiful city! =Ā Itā€™sĀ a beautiful city!
  • We areĀ tired. =Ā Weā€™reĀ tired.
  • They areĀ in the classroom. =Ā Theyā€™reĀ in the classroom.

Negatives Of The Verb To Be

When saying something isnā€™t true, use ā€˜notā€™ after the verb.

For example:

  • ā€˜I amā€˜ =>ā€™I am notā€˜
  • ā€˜He isā€˜ =>ā€™heā€™s notā€ or ā€˜he isnā€™tā€˜ ).

Hereā€™s how you can contract or expand the verb ā€œto beā€ when forming negative statements:

I am notĀ tired. Iā€™m notĀ tired. X
He is notĀ a member of the club. Heā€™s notĀ a member of the club. She isnā€™tĀ a member of the club.
She is notĀ a teacher. She is not a teacher. She isnā€™tĀ a teacher.
It is notĀ a priority Itā€™s notĀ a priority. She isnā€™tĀ a teacher.
We are notĀ exhausted. Weā€™re notĀ exhausted. We arenā€™tĀ exhausted.
They are notĀ here. Theyā€™re notĀ here. They arenā€™tĀ here.
The Simple Present Of The verb To be (Short Answers)

NOTE:Ā IĀ amnā€™tĀ is not correct.

Questions With The Verb To Be

Turning statements into questions involvesĀ changing the order of ā€˜am,ā€™ ā€˜is,ā€™ or ā€˜areā€™ 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 ā€œYes, he isā€ or ā€œNo he isnā€™tā€ can be effective.

Here are affirmative and negative short answers with and without contraction:

Yes, I am No, I am not Iā€™m not
Yes, you, we, they are No, you, we, they are not No, you, we, they arenā€™t
Yes, he, she, it is N, he, she, it is not Yes, he, she, it isnā€™t
Short Answers With The Verb To Be (Affirmative and Negative)

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 ā€œwhere,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.
  • ā€˜m, ā€˜re, ā€˜sĀ are short (contracted) forms ofĀ am, are, is.
  • ā€˜m not, arenā€™t, isnā€™tĀ are short (contracted) forms ofĀ am not, are not, is not.

Related Pages: