Verb To Be
A0–A1Be, Have & DoBe is the single most useful verb in English — and one of the only ones with its own special forms. Once am, is and are feel automatic, whole categories of everyday sentences get easier.
What you'll learn
- Am, is and are in statements — and how to choose the right one
- Negatives: am not, isn't, aren't
- Questions and short answers: Are you...? Is she...? Yes, I am.
- Contractions (I'm, you're, he's...) and be's everyday uses: identity, description, age, location
The core idea
Be is a linking verb: it connects a subject to information about it — who someone is, what something's like, where it is, or how old it is. Unlike most English verbs, be has its own set of present-tense forms instead of one plain form for everyone: am for I, is for he/she/it, are for you/we/they.
Because be carries so much of everyday conversation — greetings, small talk, forms, introductions — getting am/is/are automatic pays off immediately.
Statements: am, is, are
Match the form of be to the subject: I am, he/she/it is, you/we/they are. "I am from Texas." "You are early today." "He is in the kitchen." "We are on the same team." "They are new employees."
There's no separate main verb needed — be does the whole job by itself.
Negatives: am not, isn't, aren't
To make be negative, add not right after it: am not, is not (isn't), are not (aren't). "I am not finished yet." "It isn't cold outside." "We aren't available on Sundays."
One irregular gap worth knowing: am not has no standard contraction of its own — there's no "amn't" in everyday American English. The only contracted form is I'm not.
Questions and short answers
To ask a yes/no question with be, move be in front of the subject — no extra helping word needed: "Are you coming to the party?" "Is the store open on Sundays?"
Short answers repeat the subject and be, without repeating the whole sentence: "Are you ready?" "Yes, I am." "Is she busy right now?" "No, she isn't."
Contractions
In speech and casual writing, be almost always contracts onto the subject: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're. "I'm on my way." "You're right about that." "He's the new manager." "She's from Poland." "It's almost noon." "We're out of coffee." "They're waiting outside."
The negative forms contract too: isn't, aren't. As noted above, am not only contracts as I'm not — never on its own.
What be is used for: identity, description, age, location
Identity — who or what someone/something is: "I'm a graphic designer." "She's an engineer."
Description — what someone/something is like: "He's tired after the flight." "The coffee is hot."
Age — be, never a "have" pattern: "I am 32." "My grandfather is 79 years old."
Location — where someone/something is: "I'm at the office right now." "The kids are at school."
Real English
Watch out
English expresses age with be, never with "have" — say "I'm 30" or "I'm 30 years old."
Be can't be dropped in English the way a linking word can be dropped in some other languages — a basic sentence like this needs am/is/are.
Be forms its own questions by moving in front of the subject — it never uses do/does.
Same rule in negatives: be takes its own negative (isn't/aren't), not doesn't.
Real life — Checking in at the front desk
"Hi, are you Mr. Delgado?"
"Yes, I am. Is my appointment at three?"
"It's at three fifteen — the doctor is running a little late today."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct form
Which sentence uses the correct form of be?
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct form
Which sentence uses the correct form of be?
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct form
Which is correct?
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct question
Which question is correct?
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct negative
Which is correct?
Exercise 6 · Sort into groups
0 / 6 sorted
Exercise 7 · Build the sentence
Exercise 8 · Build the sentence
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Complete with the correct form of be: "My parents ___ from Chicago." (one word)
Exercise 10 · Complete the sentence
Complete the sentence so it says you are ready to leave: "___ ready to leave."
Exercise 11 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake and type the correct sentence: "My brother have 22 years."
Exercise 12 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake and type the correct sentence: "I at home today."
Exercise 13 · Choose the correction
Which sentence fixes the mistake in "Do you be busy tomorrow?"
Exercise 14 · Real-life scenario
You're texting a friend to say where you are right now. Which is correct?
Exercise 15 · Real-life scenario
Someone asks: "Are you a student?" You are NOT a student. Write a short answer.
Quick challenge
Five mixed questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
Which is correct?
You learned
- Match be to the subject: I am, he/she/it is, you/we/they are.
- Negatives add not: am not, isn't, aren't — and am not only ever contracts as I'm not.
- Questions move be in front of the subject: Are you...? Is she...? — no do/does needed.
- Short answers repeat the subject and be: Yes, I am. No, she isn't.
- Be covers identity, description, age and location — never use "have" for age in English.
Related grammar lessons
Have and Has
Learn when to use have and when to use has — for I/you/we/they versus he/she/it — plus how to ask questions and make negatives with do/does, and avoid the most common mistakes.
Have Got and Has Got
Learn have got and has got for talking about possession and lasting characteristics — the contracted forms, negatives, questions, and when British and American English actually differ.
Do, Does and Did as Auxiliary Verbs
Learn how do, does and did build questions and negatives for ordinary verbs in the present and past simple — and why the main verb always stays in its base form.
Word Order Basics
Learn the default English sentence pattern — subject, then verb, then object — and where time, place and frequency words go.