Be Verbs | Learn English Grammar

Be Verbs

Basic English Grammar – / Be Verbs

In English, verbs have a very important place in communication, they are the ones responsible for expressing actions. Words like jump, run, speak… all are common and clear examples of verbs that describe an action that a subject does. However, there is one verb that’s the most used in the English language: the verb to be. A verb shows action or a state of being. I go home. Home is my place to rest. I like the smell of my house. I feel totally relaxed. Home refreshes me. At home, I get ready for a new day.

The forms of the verb “to be”

When?	Who?	Form	Example
Base form		be	It can be simple.
Simple Present	I	am	I am here.
	You	are	You are here.
	He/She/It	is	She is here.
	We	are	We are here.
	They	are	They are here.
Simple Past	I	was	I was here.
	You	were	You were here.
	He/She/It	was	She was here.
	We	were	We were here.
	They	were	They were here.
Simple Future	I	will be	I will be here.
	You	will be	You will be here.
	He/She/It	will be	She will be here.
	We	will be	We will be here.
	They	will be	They will be here.
Progressive form		being	He is being unusual.
Perfect from		been	It has been fun.

  “Be” verbs indicate a state of being. Verbs must match subjects.

• I am a doctor.
• He is sleepy.
• We are here.

Negative sentences need ‘not’ after the verb.

• I am not a doctor.
• He is not sleepy.
• We are not there.

The verb comes first in interrogative sentences.

• Am I a doctor?
• Is he sleepy?
• Are we there?

“Are not” (is not) can be shortened to “aren’t” (isn’t).

• He isn’t sleepy.
• We aren’t there.

Remember the variations of “be” verbs:

Present	Negative	Interrogative
I am	I am not	Am I?
You are	You are not (aren’t)	Are you?
He is	He is not (isn’t)	Is he?
She is	She is not (isn’t)	Is she?
It is	It is not (isn’t)	Isn’t it?
We are	We are not (aren’t)	Are we?
You are	You are not (aren’t)	Are you?
They are	They are not (aren’t)	Are they?

[Quiz 5.1] Be Verbs

Which of the following sentences are written correctly? 1)I am thirsty. 2)You are kind. 3)He am not sad. 4)She are not tall. 5)It is not moving. 6)We aren’t tired. 7)Is they running? 8)Are you ready? View Answers