Verb to be
BE is the most important verb in the English language. It is used as a main verb and as an auxiliary verb, and it is also used in the passive voice. BE is the only English verb that has three conjugations in the simple present (am | are | is). All other verbs have just two conjugations. BE is also the only verb that has two conjugations in the simple past (was | were). All other verbs have only one past tense conjugation.
Here are the conjugations for BE in the simple present.
| Affirmate | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I am | I am not | Am I? |
| You are | You are not | Are you? |
| He is | He is not | Is he? |
| She is | She is not | Is she? |
| It is | It is not | Is it? |
| We are | We are not | Are we? |
| You are | You are not | Are you? |
| They are | They are not | Are they? |
Here are conjugations for the verb BE in the simple past.
| Affirmate | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I was | I was not | Was I? |
| You were | You were not | Were you? |
| He was | He was not | Was he? |
| She was | She was not | Was she? |
| It was | It was not | Was it? |
| We were | We were not | Were we? |
| You were | You were not | Were you? |
| They were | They were not | Were they? |
The verb BE, when followed by an adjective, is used to describe a person, place, or thing.
| Person | Place | Thing |
|---|---|---|
| I am tired. | Costa Rica is warm. | The building is tall. |
| She is kind. | The rooms are large. | My ideas are bad. |
| We were late. | Paris was beautiful. | The tea was cold. |
The verb BE can be followed by a noun to identify a person or a relationship.
- I am a lawyer.
- He is a student.
- We are friends.
BE can be followed by a preposition to identify the location of a person or thing.
Person
- I am at work
- The main is in the car
Thing
- The keys are by the door.
- My book was on the table.
BE can be used with other verbs to create different verb forms.
| Form | Example | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| BE + present participle | I am working. | Present progressive |
| He was running. | Past progressive | |
| BE + past participle | Films are shown here. | Passive voice |
| The cake was eaten. | ||
| BE + infinitive | I am to leave Friday. | |
| TShe was to call for help. |
References
Verb BE. (2014, April 18). Lawless English. https://www.lawlessenglish.com/learn-english/grammar/verb-be/