What Is the Verb “To Be”: Explaining English Grammar Fundamentals

Am, Is, Are — See the Pattern

Look at these sentences. Can you see which form goes with which person?

• I am a student.
• She is my teacher.
• They are in the park.
• He was tired yesterday.

Did you see the pattern? The form changes depending on who you are talking about and when.

How to Choose the Right Form

The verb “to be” tells us what something is or how something feels. You do not need to add another verb. It works on its own.

Use “am” with I:

• I am happy.
• I am a doctor.

Use “is” with he, she, or it:

• She is tall.
• It is cold today.

Use “are” with you, we, or they:

• You are my friend.
• We are ready.

For the past, use “was” or “were”:

• I was at home. He was at home. (I, he, she, it = was)
• You were late. They were late. (you, we, they = were)

For the future, use “will be”:

• I will be there tomorrow.
• She will be a great teacher.

Easy way to remember: Look at the subject (the person or thing). That tells you which form to use. I = am. He/she/it = is. You/we/they = are.

How to Use “To Be” in Everyday English

• I am 25 years old. (telling your age)
• She is from Brazil. (telling where someone comes from)
• We are in the classroom. (telling where you are)
• It was sunny yesterday. (talking about the weather before)
• They were very kind to us. (describing people in the past)

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

Three Mistakes to Avoid With “To Be”

Even advanced learners mix up am, is, and are sometimes — so if you get confused, you are not alone. In fact, this is one of the first things every English learner practises.

How to remember: Say the subject out loud, then say the form. “I am. You are. He is.” Repeat it a few times. It will start to sound natural very quickly.

You can also shorten these in everyday speech: I’m, you’re, he’s, she’s, it’s, we’re, they’re. These short forms are very common.

Test Yourself: Am, Is, Are, Was, or Were?

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

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned the verb “to be” — am, is, are, was, were. That is the most important verb in English, and now you know how it works.

But here is a question: when you say “there is a cat” and “there are two cats” — how do you know when to use is and when to use are after “there”? The answer is simpler than you think.

Next lesson: There Is or There Are — Which One Do You Use?

Source

be (v.) — Online Etymology Dictionary