Question Word ARE — How to Ask About You and Plural Subjects

ARE (QUESTION) in Action — See the Pattern

Read these three sentences. Look at how it works:

• Are you tired? (Asking the person you are talking to.)
• Are they here? (Asking about more than one person.)
• Are we late? (Asking about you + others.)

When to Use ARE (QUESTION)

Are is the question form for plural subjects (we, they, more than one) AND for “you” — even when “you” is just one person. So “are” covers many people, and it also covers the one person you are talking to.

• About the listener: “Are you okay?”
• About a group: “Are they coming?”
• About you and others: “Are we ready?”
• About plural things: “Are the keys on the table?”

Easy way to remember: Are = you, we, they, or more than one of anything. Even though “you” is sometimes one person, English always uses “are” with you.

Real-Life Examples With ARE (QUESTION)

Here are examples you might say or hear in everyday life:

• Are you free tonight? (Asking the person you are talking to.)
• Are they your friends? (Asking about a group.)
• Are we lost? (Asking about yourself + the people with you.)
• Are the children at school? (Plural subject (children).)
• Are these your keys? (Plural objects (keys).)

You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.

Three Mistakes to Avoid With ARE (QUESTION)

Two big mistakes here. The first: using “is” with “you” — but “you” always takes “are,” even for one person. The second: using “are” with one thing — that needs “is.” These are very common mix-ups.

How to remember: Are = you, we, they, or many. “You” always takes “are,” even for one person — that is just how English works.

Common are-questions: Are you okay?, Are they here?, Are we ready?, Are the keys on the table?, Are these yours?

Test Yourself: ARE (QUESTION)

Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned are — the question helper that handles “you” plus every group. Together with am and is, you can now ask any yes/no question with the verb “to be.”

But yes/no questions can only get you so far. Sometimes you want a real answer — a name, a place, a time, a reason. For that, English has six special question words. Each one opens a different door, and the first one is the most common of them all.

Next lesson: Question Word WHAT — How to Ask About Things