What is the Verb Be?

The 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?

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

• We use am with I.
  • Example: I am happy.
• We use is with he, she, it, and singular nouns (one person, one thing).
  • Example: He is a student.
  • Example: It is cold.
• We use are with you, we, they, and plural nouns (more than one person, more than one thing).
  • Example: You are kind.
  • Example: 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
  • Example: I am not sad.
• With he, she, it: is not
  • Example: She is not from Spain.
• With you, we, they: are not
  • Example: 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 becomes I’m (e.g., I’m a student.)
  • He is becomes He’s (e.g., He’s tall.)
  • She is becomes She’s (e.g., She’s my sister.)
  • It is becomes It’s (e.g., It’s sunny.)
  • You are becomes You’re (e.g., You’re welcome.)
  • We are becomes We’re (e.g., We’re friends.)
  • They are becomes They’re (e.g., They’re at home.)
• For negative sentences:
  • I am not becomes I’m not (e.g., I’m not hungry.)
  • He is not becomes He isn’t or He’s not (e.g., He isn’t here. or He’s not here.)
  • She is not becomes She isn’t or She’s not
  • It is not becomes It isn’t or It’s not
  • You are not becomes You aren’t or You’re not (e.g., You aren’t right. or You’re not right.)
  • We are not becomes We aren’t or We’re not
  • They are not becomes They aren’t or They’re not

When Do We Use the Verb Be?

We use 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.

Examples

• 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.

Practice

Common mistakes for Spanish speakers

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. or She is happy.
• Confusing ser and estar: Remember, English uses only be for both.
  • Spanish: “Soy alto” (ser) and “Estoy cansado” (estar).
  • English: I am tall. and I am tired.

Frequently asked questions

What are the three present forms of be?

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

How do I make I am negative?

You add not: I am not or I’m not.

Can I use isn’t and is not?

Yes, 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