How to use the verb to be? This is an important topic that cannot be bypassed in the study of English. Because this knowledge is fundamental, new ones will gradually be superimposed on them. Therefore, the foundation for new information must be strong. Therefore, this article will analyze the rules for using the auxiliary verb is in the past tense. The rules for using the there is / there are construction and how it changes in the Past Simple will also be indicated. But first, it’s worth remembering what the auxiliary verb to be is.
Using the verb to be
The verb to be is an auxiliary verb. It is an analogue of the Russian "to be" or "to be". However, when translating sentences, these words are omitted. After all, it would be strange if the sentence I am a teacher was translated as "I am a teacher."
The verb to be is used in sentences in which there are no semantic verbs. Semantic verbs have their own meaning. For example, to read (read), to run(run), to learn (teach). Also, to be helps in building interrogative and negative sentences. In an interrogative sentence, the auxiliary verb comes first before the subject. In negative sentences, to be is placed after the subject and added not.
Verb to be in Present Simple
To understand how is is used in the past tense, you first need to understand the present. In Present Simple, the verb to be has different forms, depending on which pronouns it is used with. Is is used with third person singular pronouns. With the pronoun I - am. With everyone else (you, we, they) – are.
Examples:
- I am a doctor (I am a doctor).
- You are a doctor.
- He is a doctor (He is a doctor).
Verb to be in Past Simple
In the past simple tense, the form of the verb changes to was/were. With pronouns of the third person singular and with I, the form was is used. With everyone else - were. That is, according to these changes, the auxiliary verb is in the past tense in English turns into was.
Examples:
- He is a teacher (He is a teacher). He was a teacher (He was a teacher).
- She is a student (She is a student). She was a student (She was a student).
Turnover there are/there is in the past tense
Another basic construction is there is/ there are. It is used when you need to say without using a semantic verb that something is somewherethen it is located. Moreover, is is used when it comes to one subject, and are - about several. It is worth noting that this construction requires strict adherence to word order. There is/are always in the first place, then the item in question, and always at the very end the place in which the item is located is mentioned.
Examples:
- There is a book on the table.
- There are many books on the table.
Moreover, it is worth noting that the sentence in English does not use the verbs "lies", "located" because the very construction there is / there are contains their meaning. To make this meaning more obvious, we can translate it literally. The adverb there is translated literally "in this place", "there". The verb to be has the meaning "to be", "to be", "to exist". But in general, this design suggests that something is located somewhere. But in the translation, you can also use the verb, because for those who speak Russian, such a translation will sound more familiar and understandable. And the purpose of the translation is not only to convey the meaning, but also to adapt the text to the characteristics of another culture.
The auxiliary verb is in the past tense is replaced by was, and are - by were, respectively. That is, if you need to say that one object was somewhere, the auxiliary verb was is used. If you need to mention several things, use the verb were.
For example:
- There was a book on the table.
- There were two books on the table.
These are the basic rules for using auxiliary verbs, in particular the verb is in the past tense. In order to easily build sentences, you should remember with which pronouns different forms of the verb to be are used. In addition, to quickly navigate the construction of sentences with the construction there is / are, you should remember the word order in such sentences well.
