The verb be is used as an auxiliary verb and it can also be used as a main verb.

The verb be is irregular. It has eight different forms: be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been. The present simple and past simple tenses make more changes than those of other verbs.

I am late.                          We are late.

You are late.                     You are late.

He is late.                         They are late.

I was late.                          We were late.

You were late.                   You were late.

She was late.                    They were late.

The present participle is being.

He is being very helpful these days.

The past participle is been.

We have been ready for an hour.

The present simple tense forms of be are often contracted in normal speech. Note that the contracted form of they are is spelled they’re , and not their which is the possessive form of they.

I’m here.             We’re here.

You’re here.        You’re here.

He’s here.           They’re here.

Any form of be is made negative by adding not immediately after it. In speech, some forms of be also have contracted negative forms. Some of these forms emphasize the negative.

emphasizes the negative

I’m not late.      

You aren’t late.         You’re not late.

He isn’t late.             He’s not late.

We aren’t late.         We’re not late.

They aren’t late.       They’re not late.

I wasn’t late.

You weren’t late.

He wasn’t late.

We weren’t late.

They weren’t late.

The major uses of be as an auxiliary verb are to form continuous tenses and the passive.

Continuous tenses of main verbs use the appropriate form of be, present or past, followed by the present participle (or -ing form).

The passive form of a main verb uses the appropriate form of be followed by the past participle. See Active and passive.

The verb be is also used as a main verb. It is commonly found joining a subject to its complement.

As a main verb, be is used to talk about:

Feelings and states. For this we use the simple tenses of the verb with a suitable adjective. See Tense and Aspect.

I am delighted with the news but he is not happy.

She was busy so she was not able to see me.

People’s behavior. For this we use the continuous tenses of the verb with a suitable adjective. See The past simple tense.

I am not being slow, I am being careful.

You were being very rude to your mum when I came downstairs.

Be + the to infinitive is sometimes used to refer to future time. This is a rather formal use, which often appears in news reports. See The to infinitive and The to infinitive and the -ing form.

The Prime Minister is to visit Hungary in October.

The Archbishop is to have talks with the Pope next month.

It + be: we use it as a subject when we are talking about time, distance, weather, or cost. In this use, be is always singular.

Hurry up, it’s eight thirty!

Is it? I didn’t know it was so late.

It’s thirty miles to Glasgow.

Come and visit us. It’s not very far.

It’s cold today but it isn’t wet.

It’s very expensive to live in London.

There + is/are is used to talk about something existing. In this use, the form that be takes may be singular or plural, depending on the number of the noun, and be is sometimes contracted.

There’s a spare toothbrush in the cupboard.

There was a cold wind blowing.

There isn’t enough petrol for the journey.

There are several petrol stations on the way, aren’t there?

To make the continuous tenses of the main verb be we have to use be twice, once as an auxiliary and once as a main verb.

You are being so annoying!

I know I am being silly, but I am frightened.

The question form of clauses with the verb be in them is made by putting the appropriate form of be right in front of the subject.

Are you better now?

Is he free this morning?

Was he cooking dinner when you arrived?