We will devote our article to the analysis of one unusual verb in English - the word to be, which translates as "to be", "to be", "to be" or "to be". This semantic verb can be safely attributed to a separate full-fledged topic, because its use, formation has a special meaning that differs from other verbs. Schoolchildren, perhaps students, as well as all those who study and are interested in English will find this information useful.
The verb to be, or what is am, is or are?
To be is the initial form of the verb with the particle to, the infinitive. It is freely used in the language where necessary. For example, I want to be a singer - "I want to be a singer (singer)". But besides this initial form, the verb to be has other independent forms: am, is or are.
This is the same verb with the same translation. However, the use of one of its indicated varieties (am, is or are) depends directly on the person and number of the subject. Everything is very simple. Let's break it down and understand.
Am
The verb to be in the form am is used exclusively with the subject in the form of the first person singular (the pronoun "I" - I):
I am a student
If you translate literally every word, it will be like this: "I am a student" or "I am a student." Of course, in Russian we rarely build a sentence in this way, often we simply omit this verb in our speech. It's easier for us to say: "I'm a student." Let's look at another example:
I am 10 (years old)
Literally: "I'm ten years old". In Russian, we say: “I am ten (years old)”.
Is
The verb to be in the form is is used with subjects in the form of the third person singular (pronouns: he, she, it / it) Here are examples:
- He is a pupil (he is a student).
- She is her mother (she is her mother).
- It (fox) is red (she (the fox) is red).
- It is a table (this is a table).
Are
The verb to be in the form are is used:
- with subjects in the first person plural form (the pronoun "we" is we);
- in the form of the second person in the singular and plural (the pronouns "you", "you" - you);
- in the form of the third person plural (the pronoun "they" -they).
Here are some examples:
- We are friends (we are friends).
- You are my teacher (you are my teacher).
- They are brothers (they are brothers).
The verb to be is often represented as a dragon with three heads. Sometimes this visual representation helps language learners better understand the use of this verb.
Negative sentences with the verb to be
The choice of a specific form of the verb to be (am, is, or are) when constructing negative sentences also depends on the principle voiced above. Just after using this form, you need to put the negation not:
- I am not a child
- He is not Peter (short for he’s not Peter or he isn’t Peter).
- She is not a doctor
- It is not a cat
- We are not classmates
- You are not our friends (short for you’re not our friends or you aren’t our friends - "they are not friends").
- They are not sisters (abbreviated as they’re not sisters orthey aren't sisters - "they are not sisters").
Interrogative sentences with the verb to be
You need to pay attention to the fact that questions are also built differently from other sentences in the present tense in Present Simple. Here the word order is unusual - unlike the usual affirmative sentence.
The forms am, is or are, depending on the form of the subject, are placed at the very beginning of the sentence. It is followed by the subject and the rest of the sentence:
- Am I happy ?
- Is he a teacher (is he a teacher) ?
- Is she your daughter (she is your daughter) ?
- Is it our cat (this is our cat) ?
- Are we good children (we are good children) ?
- Are you good parents (you are good parents) ?
- Are they my old friends (they are my old friends) ?
It should be borne in mind that the interrogative words "what", "what" - what; "where" - where; "when" - when; "why", "why" - why; "what time" - at what time, etc. in an interrogative sentence, if any, are taken to the very first place in the question. In other words, the interrogative word is put first, then the form of the verb to be, then the subject and the rest of the sentence. Let's look at examples:
- Where is he (where is he) ?
- What time is it now?
- What is iteat it) ?
It is necessary to pay attention to the relationship of the verb to be with the interrogative word who (who). It tends to baffle English learners. So, does the question word require who are or is after itself? In this particular case, it can be compared with the pronoun of the third person in the singular or plural. This means that both is and are can be used with who:
- Who is glad (who is joyful) ?
- Who are you (who are you) ?
Verb to be in past tense
In the past tense, this verb has only two forms (was - "was" or were - "were"), which again depend on the person and number of the subject. With the pronouns I, he, she, it was used. Conversely, were is used with we, you, they. Negative sentences in the past tense are built like negative sentences in the present tense, only here not is added to was or were. The short version will be wasn't and weren't.
The situation with questions in the past tense (we are talking about word order) is exactly the same as with questions in the present tense.
Verb to be in future tense
The future tense with the verb to be is the easiest to build. In affirmative sentences with any subject, there is only one form - will be (will / will be). In negative sentences - will not be. Interrogative sentences are also built in the same word order as in the present tense.
The most important thing is training and consolidation. Should be as much as possibledo exercises to choose the right form of the verb to be. Tasks exist of varying complexity and in different wording, in order to practice your English: is or are, am or are, was, were or will be must be put in place of gaps in sentences. They help to hone the skill of quickly determining the verb to be in all tenses. However, tasks like "insert are or is" (and the like) should not be hung up for a long time. We need to move on and slowly complicate.
Do not ignore assignments that require translation, for example, into Russian, but more often from Russian into English. At first glance, it may seem that it is very difficult, but over time, the conquered peaks will seem like a plain to you, and even greater heights will rise ahead. The main thing is not to stop there! Dare, and you will succeed!
We hope you find this information useful and clear to you.
