Complete guide · irregular and auxiliary verb ·
Verb to be in English: meaning, uses and forms
The verb to be says who someone is or how and where they are. It is irregular: in the present it uses am, is and are; in the past, was and were; its participle is been and its -ing form being. It identifies, describes and locates, and works as the auxiliary of the continuous tenses and the passive voice.
What does the verb to be mean?
To be is an irregular verb that can work as a main verb, a linking verb or an auxiliary. It usually expresses identity, state or location, but the meaning changes with the construction: I am 30 years old gives an age and there are two options says that something exists. Memorising a closed list of meanings is confusing; recognising the function lets you choose well.
The four functions of the verb to be
Identity and classification
It joins the subject to a noun that says who or what it is.
Maya is an engineer.Profession: who Maya is.State, quality or location
It connects the subject to an adjective or an expression of place.
The room is quiet. Your keys are on the desk.A quality and a location.Existence
With there + be, the structure presents something that exists.
There are two seats left.Two seats exist.Auxiliary
It gives tense and agreement to a continuous form or a passive.
They are studying. The lesson was recorded.A continuous form and a passive.The verb to be in 21 seconds
Four classmates introduce themselves on the first day of class. A narrator explains what to be expresses and every example sentence is spoken by a native speaker. Press a moment to go back to it.
With English captions. The example sentences are spoken by a native voice, so you hear the real pronunciation.
Read the transcript
- The verb to be says who or how someone is.
- I am a student. I am happy.
- It also says where something is and what it's like:
- We are in class. The room is bright.
- And it also says what there is:
- There is a book on the table.
- Start the path in eight steps.
Forms of the verb to be: be, am, is, are, was, were, being and been
Although it appears in many structures, the family of forms is small. Identify the piece and then look at the word that goes with it.
| Piece | Form | What it is for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | to be | Naming the verb after certain constructions. | I want to be clear.After want. |
| Base form | be | After modals and after will. | You must be careful.After must. |
| Present | am · is · are | Current facts, identity, states and location. | We are ready.A current state. |
| Past | was · were | The same meanings placed in the past. | She was at home.A past location. |
| Present participle | being | Temporary behaviour and continuous/passive combinations. | He is being patient.Behaviour right now. |
| Past participle | been | Perfect constructions. | They have been busy.A perfect tense. |
Conjugation of the verb to be in the present and the past
To be does not use the auxiliary do: the negative adds not after the verb and the question inverts subject and verb. That is its big difference from the other verbs in the present simple.
Present simple of the verb to be: am, is, are
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Question | Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am (I’m) | I am not (I’m not) | Am I…? | first person singular |
| You | you are (you’re) | you are not (you aren’t) | Are you…? | second person singular |
| He · She · It | he is (he’s) | he is not (he isn’t) | Is he…? | third person singular |
| We | we are (we’re) | we are not (we aren’t) | Are we…? | first person plural |
| You (plural) | you are | you are not (you aren’t) | Are you…? | second person plural |
| They | they are (they’re) | they are not (they aren’t) | Are they…? | third person plural |
Am is used only with I; is with he, she, it and any singular subject; are with you, we, they and plurals. My sister is a nurse. The keys are on the table.A singular and a plural subject.
Past simple of the verb to be: was, were
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Question | Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | I was | I was not (I wasn’t) | Was I…? | first person singular |
| You | you were | you were not (you weren’t) | Were you…? | second person |
| He · She · It | he was | he was not (he wasn’t) | Was he…? | third person singular |
| We | we were | we were not (we weren’t) | Were we…? | first person plural |
| They | they were | they were not (they weren’t) | Were they…? | third person plural |
In the past, am and is become was, and are becomes were. I was at home. They were late.A singular and a plural subject in the past.
Uses of the verb to be with examples
Before translating, ask what relationship the sentence establishes. This route avoids word-for-word translation.
Introducing or identifying
Name, profession, relationship or origin.
Lena is my cousin. We are from Peru.A relationship and an origin.Describing
Features, physical states, emotions and conditions.
The soup is hot. I am hungry.A quality and a physical state.Locating
Location of people, objects or events.
The meeting is on the second floor.Where an event takes place.Giving age, time, date or weather
Many languages use “have”, “make” or an impersonal construction here; English uses to be.
It is Monday. She is 18. It is cold.Date, age and weather.Building an action in progress
Be is conjugated and the main verb ends in -ing.
They are learning English.An action happening now.Building a passive
Be is conjugated and the main verb is a participle.
The email was sent yesterday.The result of an action.The verb to be in all the verb tenses
The form of be marks the tense; the complement explains the meaning.
| Verb tense | Pattern | Example | Quick reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present simple | am / is / are | I am available. | Current state or information. |
| Past simple | was / were | We were late. | Past state or information. |
| Future and modals | will / can / must + be | It will be easier. | The base form stays the same. |
| Perfect | have / has / had + been | She has been here before. | Been connects the past with another point in time. |
| Conditional | would be / would have been | I would be happier there. | Hypothetical result. |
| Temporary behaviour | am / is / are + being | You are being very kind. | Being describes how someone is acting now. |
To be as an auxiliary verb: continuous tenses and passive voice
As an auxiliary, be does not provide the main action by itself: it organises its tense, agreement and voice.
Continuous aspect
The pattern be + verb-ing presents an action in progress. The tense is in be: is learning is present; was learning is past.
be + verb-ingPassive voice
The pattern be + past participle focuses on the result or on who receives the action. Was recorded is passive; was recording is continuous. The ending lets you tell them apart.
be + past participleCombinations
Auxiliaries can be chained: has been working is perfect continuous and has been approved is perfect passive. Always read from left to right and find the form of be first.
has been + formFrequent mistakes with the verb to be
These mistakes come from transferring a structure from your own language. Correct the pattern, not just the word.
AvoidI have 30 years old.
BetterI am 30 years old.
Why: Age is expressed with be + number + years old.
AvoidI am agree.
BetterI agree.
Why: Agree is a verb; it does not need be.
AvoidAre you work here?
BetterDo you work here?
Why: Questions with a main verb in the present simple use do, not be.
AvoidThere is two options.
BetterThere are two options.
Why: The verb agrees with the plural noun that follows.
AvoidShe is teacher.
BetterShe is a teacher.
Why: Countable professions in the singular usually take the indefinite article.
AvoidIs very important.
BetterIt is very important.
Why: In English the subject is compulsory; with impersonal to be we use it.
AvoidI am boring.
BetterI am bored.
Why: Boring describes what causes boredom; bored, how you feel. With to be + -ed you express your state.
Verb to be exercises: check what you have learnt
Complete each sentence in your head and open the answer to see the explanation. The examples mix forms and functions of to be, not only the present.
My cousins ___ in Lima. · See answer
See answer: are
Cousins is plural; in the present it takes are.
I ___ at home yesterday. · See answer
See answer: was
Yesterday places the sentence in the past; with I we use was.
The report will ___ ready tomorrow. · See answer
See answer: be
After will we use the base form be.
She has ___ very patient. · See answer
See answer: been
After has, the participle form is been.
You ___ being unfair right now. · See answer
See answer: are
Temporary behaviour uses are being with you.
The window was broken by the storm. What is the function of was? · See answer
See answer: Passive voice auxiliary
Was + broken presents the result of an action on the window.
Want automatic correction? There are 44 verb to be exercises with answers.
Frequently asked questions about the verb to be
Short answers to the most searched questions. Open each question to see the explanation with examples.
Does the verb to be describe identity or state?
Both. To be describes identity or a stable characteristic (She is a doctor) and also location or a temporary state (She is at home, I am tired). In some expressions other languages use a different verb: I am 25 years old gives your age, and there is presents something that exists.
What are the forms of the verb to be?
To be has eight forms: the infinitive to be, the base form be, the present am, is and are, the past was and were, the -ing form being and the participle been. All the tenses are built with them: the perfect tenses with been (have been) and the continuous tenses with being (is being).
When do you use am, is and are?
Am is used only with I; is with he, she, it and any singular subject; are with you, we, they and plurals. Examples: I am ready, my brother is tall, the keys are on the table. In the past, am and is become was, and are becomes were.
How are the negative and the question of the verb to be formed?
To be does not need the auxiliary do. The negative adds not after the verb (I am not, she isn’t, they aren’t) and the question inverts subject and verb (Are you ready?, Is it far?, Was he late?). That is the main difference from other verbs in the present simple.
What is the past of the verb to be?
The past simple of to be is was for I, he, she and it, and were for you, we and they: I was at home, they were late. The negative is wasn’t / weren’t and the question inverts the order: Were you there? The past participle is been (I have been busy).
Why do you say I am 30 years old and not I have 30 years?
Because in English age is expressed with to be, not with have: the structure is subject + be + number + years old. The same happens with hunger, cold or heat: I am hungry, I am cold. Using have for these ideas is one of the most frequent mistakes among learners.
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