eng5-1.1· Unit 1: Be & Identity· ~13 min

Verb “to be” (am / is / are)

Affirmative and negative forms of be.

The verb 'to be' is one of the most important verbs in English. We use three forms in the present tense: am, is, and are. Use am only with the pronoun I (I am a student). Use is with singular subjects: he, she, it, and any single person or thing (She is kind. The dog is small.). Use are with plural subjects and also with you (whether one person or many): you are, we are, they are. In negative sentences, add not after the verb: I am not tired, He is not (or isn't) here, They are not (or aren't) ready. English also uses contractions in everyday speech and informal writing: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're for affirmative, and isn't / aren't for negative (there is no contraction for am not in standard English). The form of 'to be' must always agree with its subject — this is called subject-verb agreement. For example: My brother is ten years old and my sisters are twelve.

Key terms

verb — An action or state word in a sentence. 'To be' is a verb.
subject — The person or thing that the sentence is about (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, or a noun).
subject-verb agreement — The rule that the verb form must match its subject (e.g., I am, he is, they are).
contraction — A short form made by joining two words with an apostrophe, e.g., 'I am' → 'I'm'.
affirmative — A positive sentence that says something is true, e.g., 'She is happy.'
negative — A sentence that says something is not true. Add 'not' after 'to be', e.g., 'He is not here.'
To be — Affirmative Forms
Subjectbe formContractionExample
IamI'mI am a student. / I'm a student.
heishe'sHe is my brother. / He's my brother.
sheisshe'sShe is kind. / She's kind.
itisit'sIt is a big house. / It's a big house.
youareyou'reYou are ten years old. / You're ten years old.
wearewe'reWe are at school. / We're at school.
theyarethey'reThey are my friends. / They're my friends.

Use 'am' only with I. Use 'is' with he, she, it, and singular nouns. Use 'are' with you, we, they, and plural nouns.

To be — Negative Forms
SubjectFull negativeContractionExample
Iam not(no contraction)I am not tired.
heis notisn'tHe is not (isn't) late.
sheis notisn'tShe is not (isn't) at home.
itis notisn'tIt is not (isn't) ready.
youare notaren'tYou are not (aren't) wrong.
weare notaren'tWe are not (aren't) hungry.
theyare notaren'tThey are not (aren't) here.

For negatives, add 'not' after the verb. 'Am not' has NO standard contraction in English — 'amn't' is not correct.

Two or more subjects joined by 'and'
SubjectCorrect formExample
Ali and SaraareAli and Sara are in Class 5A.
The dog and the catareThe dog and the cat are in the garden.
My mother and IareMy mother and I are at home.
A single noun (my teacher)isMy teacher is kind.

When two subjects are joined by 'and', always use 'are', even if one of the subjects is 'I'.

✎How to choose the correct form of 'to be'
  1. 1Step 1: Find the subject: Look at who or what the sentence is about. Example sentence: 'My parents ___ at work.'
  2. 2Step 2: Is the subject singular or plural?: 'My parents' = more than one person → plural.
  3. 3Step 3: Choose the correct form: Plural noun → use 'are'. Correct sentence: 'My parents are at work.'
  4. 4Step 4: Check the negative (if needed): To make it negative, add 'not': 'My parents are not at work.' Contraction: 'My parents aren't at work.'
✎How to contract 'to be'
  1. 1Step 1: Write the full form: They are not ready.
  2. 2Step 2: Join the subject and verb: 'They' + 'are' → 'They're'. OR join 'are' + 'not' → 'aren't'.
  3. 3Step 3: Add the apostrophe: The apostrophe (') replaces the missing letter(s). 'aren't' = 'are' + 'n't' (the 'o' in 'not' is removed).
  4. 4Result: 'They aren't ready.' — The apostrophe is required; writing 'arent' (no apostrophe) is wrong.
🚫Common mistake

Do NOT use 'are' with 'I'. A very common error is 'I are a pupil' or 'I are from Baku'. The ONLY correct form with 'I' is 'am': 'I am a pupil.'

🚫Common mistake

Do NOT use 'isn't' with plural subjects. 'Books isn't on the table' is wrong because 'books' is plural. Use 'aren't': 'The books aren't on the table.'

🚫Common mistake

'Amn't' is NOT a word in standard English. There is no contraction for 'am not'. Say 'I am not ready' (full form only).

⚠️Caution

'Be' alone is the base (infinitive) form. Never use it as a present-tense verb: 'She be happy' and 'They be friends' are both wrong. Always choose am / is / are.

💡Note

When two subjects are joined by 'and', treat them as plural and use 'are': 'Ali and Sara are in Class 5A.' — even when one of the subjects is 'I': 'My mother and I are at home.'

Rules

  1. 1Use 'am' only with the subject 'I': I am happy.
  2. 2Use 'is' with he, she, it, or any singular noun: She is my teacher.
  3. 3Use 'are' with you, we, they, or any plural noun: They are friends.
  4. 4For negatives, add 'not' after the verb: He is not (isn't) late. They are not (aren't) hungry.
  5. 5Common contractions: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're, isn't, aren't.

Practice

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10 random questions per test

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