What is the Verb Be?

Das Verb be is very common in English. It helps you describe things and people. It also tells you where things are.

Think of be like “ser” and “estar” in Spanish. English uses only one verb for both ideas.

How Do We Use Be in Positive Sentences?

Das Verb be changes its form depending on the subject. There are three forms for the present simple:

• Wir verwenden am with I.
  • Beispiel: I am happy.
• Wir verwenden is with he, she, it, and singular nouns (one person, one thing).
  • Beispiel: He is a student.
  • Beispiel: It is cold.
• Wir verwenden are with you, we, they, and plural nouns (more than one person, more than one thing).
  • Beispiel: You are kind.
  • Beispiel: They are friends.

How Do We Use Be in Negative Sentences?

To make a sentence negative, we add not after the verb be.

• With I: am not
  • Beispiel: I am not sad.
• With he, she, it: is not
  • Beispiel: She is not from Spain.
• With you, we, they: are not
  • Beispiel: We are not tired.

What Are Contractions with Be?

In spoken English and informal writing, we often use contractions. Contractions are shorter forms of words.

• For positive sentences:
  • I am wird zu I’m (e.g., I’m a student.)
  • He is wird zu He’s (e.g., He’s tall.)
  • She is wird zu She’s (e.g., She’s my sister.)
  • It is wird zu It’s (e.g., It’s sunny.)
  • You are wird zu You’re (e.g., You’re welcome.)
  • We are wird zu We’re (e.g., We’re friends.)
  • They are wird zu They’re (e.g., They’re at home.)
• For negative sentences:
  • I am not wird zu I’m not (e.g., I’m not hungry.)
  • He is not wird zu He isn’t oder He’s not (e.g., He isn’t here. oder He’s not here.)
  • She is not wird zu She isn’t oder She’s not
  • It is not wird zu It isn’t oder It’s not
  • You are not wird zu You aren’t oder You’re not (e.g., You aren’t right. oder You’re not right.)
  • We are not wird zu We aren’t oder We’re not
  • They are not wird zu They aren’t oder They’re not

When Do We Use the Verb Be?

Wir verwenden be for many things. Here are some common uses:

• To talk about identity or names:
  • I am Maria.
  • He is a doctor.
• To talk about age:
  • She is ten years old.
  • They are 25.
• To talk about feelings or descriptions:
  • We are happy.
  • It is a big house.
• To talk about location:
  • You are at home.
  • The book is on the table.

Beispiele

• I am a student.
• He is my brother.
• She is happy.
• It is a cat.
• You are tall.
• We are friends.
• They are in the park.
• I am not tired.
• He isn’t here.
• They aren’t sad.

Übung

Häufige Fehler bei Spanischsprechern

Spanish speakers sometimes make these mistakes with be:

• Using have for age: In Spanish, you say “Tengo X años”. In English, we use be.
  • Wrong: I have 10 years.
  • Right: I am 10 years old.
• Forgetting the subject pronoun: In Spanish, you can often omit the subject (e.g., “Es feliz”). In English, you always need a subject.
  • Wrong: Is happy.
  • Right: He is happy. oder She is happy.
• Confusing ser und estar: Remember, English uses only be for both.
  • Spanish: “Soy alto” (ser) and “Estoy cansado” (estar).
  • English: I am tall. und I am tired.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What are the three present forms of be?

The three present forms are am, is, und are.

How do I make I am negative?

You add not: I am not oder I’m not.

Can I use isn’t and is not?

Ja, isn’t is a contraction for is not. Both are correct, but isn’t is more common in speaking.

When do I use is?

You use is with singular subjects like he, she, it, or one person/thing (e.g., The dog is big.).

Related lessons

• Be: present simple forms
• Be: present simple forms