The verb “to be” is a very important verb in the English language. It is used in many situations.
The verb “to be” is irregular. It doesn’t have the same form or follow the same grammar rules as regular verbs.
In this lesson about the verb “to be”, you will learn the following:
- The present form (affirmative, negative and question form)
- The past form (affirmative, negative and question form)
- The past participle
- The meaning and use of the verb TO BE with examples.
Present form of the verb “to be”
Affirmative
| Full form | Contracted form |
|---|---|
| I am | I’m |
| you are | you’re |
| he / she / it is | he’s / she’s / it’s |
| we are | we’re |
| you are | you’re |
| they are | they’re |
Negative form
| Full form | Contracted form |
|---|---|
| I am not | I’m not |
| you are not | you’re not |
| he / she / it is not | he’s / she’s / it’s not |
| we are not | we’re not |
| you are not | you’re not |
| they are not | they’re not |
Question form
am I?
are you?
is he? / is she? / is it?
are we?
are you?
are they?
Past form of the verb “to be”
Affirmative past form
I was
you were
he was / she was / it was
we were
you were
they were
Negative past form
| Full form | Contracted form |
|---|---|
| I was not | I wasn’t |
| you were not | you weren’t |
| he / she / it was not | he wasn’t / she wasn’t / it wasn’t |
| we were not | we weren’t |
| you were not | you weren’t |
| they were not | they weren’t |
Past question form
was I?
were you?
was he? / was she? / was it?
were we?
were you?
were they?
Past participle of the verb “to be”
The past participle of the verb to BE is “been“.
We use the past participle in many situations. The most common is the present perfect:
I have been
you have been
he has / she has / it has been
we have been
you have been
they have been
Use and meaning of the verb TO BE
There are 2 common types of use of the verb “to be”:
- As a main verb
- As an auxiliary verb (helping verb)
Let’s look at each type in more detail:
The verb “to be” as a main verb
As a main verb, “to be” has 2 uses:
“to be” indicates the existence of a person or thing.
“to be” gives us more information about a person or thing.
As a main verb, the verb “to be” acts as a linking verb.
A linking verb does NOT describe an action.
A linking verb gives us more information about the subject of the sentence.
A linking verb does NOT take a direct object.
A linking verb takes a complement.
There are 3 types of complement with the verb “to be”:
“to be” + noun
Examples:
I am a teacher.
You are a student.
Jane is a doctor.
“to be” + adjective
Examples:
I was tired.
You are old.
Mark is sad.
We were hungry.
“to be” + prepositional phrase
Examples:
I was in the kitchen.
You are under the bridge.
They are from Japan.
The verb “to be” as an auxiliary verb
An auxiliary verb is also called a “helping” verb. It helps another main verb.
Example:
I am walking. (present continuous tense)
In the above example, the sentence is in the present continuous tense. The present continuous tense has 2 parts. – 1) the verb “to be” (I am), acting as an auxiliary verb and 2) walking (the main verb)
There are 2 common uses of “to be” as an auxiliary verb:
- “to be” + ING form of the main verb (continuous tenses)
- “to be” + past participle (passive voice)
Let’s look at each use in more detail:
“to be” + ING form of main verb
Here are the most common continuous verb tenses. They are each made up of the verb to be in a specific tense PLUS the main verb in the ING form.
Present continuous:
I am walking
you are walking
he / she / it is walking
we are walking
you are walking
they are walking
Past continuous:
I was walking
you were walking
he / she / it was walking
we were walking
you were walking
they were walking
Future continuous:
I will be walking
you will be walking
he / she / it will be walking
we will be walking
you will be walking
they will be walking
Present perfect continuous:
I have been walking
you have been walking
he / she / it has been walking
we have been walking
you have been walking
they have been walking
Passive voice
“to be” + past participle
We use different tenses of the verb BE followed by the past participle of the main verb to form the passive voice.
Examples:
The dog is called Toby. (present tense, passive voice)
The kitchen was cleaned yesterday. (past tense, passive voice)
The shirts were made in China. (past tense, passive voice)
My car has been stolen. (present perfect tense, passive voice)
The bridge will be built next year. (future tense, passive voice)
Other lessons
IELTS online course and writing corrections
Present perfect verb tense in English
Past simple tense in English
Parts of speech – English grammar
Facts about the English language
Private online English lessons and speaking practice
