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Verb "To Be"

1 min
A1

Use am with I, is with he/she/it, and are with you/we/they to talk about identity, feelings, location, and description — questions and negatives use am/is/are directly, with no do or does.

CEFR A1·other

Formula

I
am
You / We / They
are
He / She / It
is

Examples

Positive
I am a teacher.
Negative
We are not students. He is not tall.
Question
Are you happy? Is she a doctor?

Usage

  • •Identity and profession
  • •Location and position
  • •Feelings and condition

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When do we use the verb to be?

To be connects a subject to information about it: identity or profession ("I am a teacher"), location ("The keys are on the table"), or feelings and condition ("I am hungry").

It's also the most common auxiliary verb in English — it builds continuous tenses ("She is working") and the passive voice, on top of its own use as a main verb.

Am, is, or are — which one?

I always takes am. He, she, and it take is. You, we, and they take are: "I am ready," "She is ready," "They are ready."

The same three forms are used for questions and negatives — just move the verb before the subject for a question ("Are you happy?") or add not after it for a negative ("He is not tall").

Does to be use do or does?

No. Unlike action verbs, to be never uses do or does — it forms negatives and questions on its own: "Is she a doctor?" not "Does she is a doctor?" and "He is not tall," not "He doesn't is tall."

Conjugation Table

Verb "To Be" — positive, negative, and question forms by pronoun group
PronounPositiveNegativeQuestion
Iamam not (I'm not)Am I ready?
He / She / Itisisn't (is not)Is he ready?
You / We / Theyarearen't (are not)Are you ready?
Save this conjugation chart
Verb "To Be" conjugation table: Verb "To Be" — positive, negative, and question forms by pronoun groupDownload PNG

More Examples

  • I am hungry.

    Current feeling or state

  • They are from Brazil.

    Where someone is from

  • The keys are on the table.

    Location of an object

  • Is it cold outside?

    Question about weather/condition

Common Mistakes

  • ✗❌ "I are happy" → ✓ "I am happy" (I always takes "am")
  • ✗❌ "He are tall" → ✓ "He is tall" (he/she/it takes "is")
  • ✗❌ "They is students" → ✓ "They are students" (they/we/you takes "are")

Tips

  • ✓"To be" is used as a main verb (She is a nurse) and as an auxiliary (She is working).
  • ✓Contractions are common: I'm, you're, he's, she's, we're, they're.

Advanced Notes

"To be" is the most irregular and most frequent verb in English — mastering it unlocks both simple sentences and all continuous/passive constructions where it acts as auxiliary. Learners whose first language omits linking verbs (Russian, Arabic, Mandarin) commonly drop "is/are" entirely: "She teacher" instead of "She is a teacher". Unlike action verbs, "to be" never takes "do/does" in questions or negatives.

FAQ

Why is "I are happy" wrong?

I always takes am, never are or is. The correct sentence is "I am happy."

Is it "he are tall" or "he is tall"?

He, she, and it take is: "He is tall."

Is it "they is students" or "they are students"?

They, we, and you take are: "They are students."

What is the difference between to be and have got?

To be describes what the subject is or feels like — identity, location, or condition: "I am tired." Have got describes possession — what the subject owns: "I have got a car."

What is the difference between to be and there is / there are?

To be describes the subject itself: "The dog is friendly." There is / there are introduces something new that exists in a place, without the sentence being about a specific known subject: "There is a dog in the park."

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Compare With

Have Got(A1)There Is / There Are(A1)