TO BE

English Grammar
Level A1

To Be in the Present

am  •  is  •  are

Grammar Rules

Positive (Affirmative)

SingularVerb
Iam
Youare
He / She / Itis
PluralVerb
Weare
Youare
Theyare

She is happy.   They are students.

Negative

SingularNegative
Iam not
Youaren't
He / She / Itisn't
PluralNegative
Wearen't
Youaren't
Theyaren't

isn't = is not  |  aren't = are not

am not has no contraction.

Contractions

Full formPositiveNegative
I amI'mI'm not
He isHe'sHe's not / He isn't
She isShe'sShe's not / She isn't
It isIt'sIt's not / It isn't
You areYou'reYou're not / You aren't
We areWe'reWe're not / We aren't
They areThey'reThey're not / They aren't

Questions

Move am / is / are to the beginning.

We CAN'T use a short form here when we're saying "yes". We can't say "yes, I'm".

AffirmativeQuestionAnswers
They are happy.Are they happy?Short: Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
Long: Yes, they're happy. / No, they aren't happy.
She is rich.Is she rich?Short: Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
Long: Yes, she's rich. / No, she isn't rich.

Wh-Questions

Wh-word + am / is / are + subject

  • What is your name?
  • Where are you from?
  • How old is Tom?
  • Who is she?

Use

We use BE.

  • Name or identity: I am Anna. He is my brother.
  • Age: She is ten. They are young.
  • Jobs and roles: My father is a doctor. We are students.
  • Feelings and states: I am tired. The children are hungry.
  • Description: The room is small. These chairs are comfortable.
  • Place: Tom is at school. The books are on the table.
  • Nationality or origin: She is Italian. They are from Spain.
  • Time and weather: It is late. It is cold today.

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