Verb to be :

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:

Tired girl

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)