Unlike Spanish, where there is the verb “to be” and the verb “to be”, in English there is only one verb to express both meanings: the verb to be. It is the context that determines its meaning. For example:
- Yo A.M to doctor. / I’m a doctor.
- Yo‘m at home. / I’m home.
- Harpers es from the US / Harper is from the US.
- Noah es on vacation at the beach. / Noah is on vacation at the beach.
verb structure to be
The verb to be It is different from the rest of the verbs in English, since it does not use auxiliaries to form the negation (doesn’t, don’t, didn’t) and the question mark (does, does, did) in the simple times (present simple Y simple past). For example:
- Henry isn’t sick. / Henry is not sick. (And no: Henry doesn’t be sick)
- My father wasn’t at the office yesterday. / My father was not in the office yesterday. (And no: My father didn’t be at the office yesterday.)
- are you alright? / You are well? (And no: Do you be right?)
- Es she your sister? / She is your sister? (And no: Does she be your sister?)
Verb to be in present
affirmative verb structure to be in present
Subject verb to be in presentYo am (‘m)he/she/it is (‘s)You/we/they are (‘re)
For example:
- My suitcase es very heavy. / My suitcase is very heavy.
- rome es the capital of Italy. / Rome is the capital of Italy.
negative verb structure to be in present
Subject verb to be in presentYo am not (‘m not)he/she/it is not (isn’t / ‘s not)You/we/they are not (aren’t / ‘re not)
For example:
- YO’I’m not interested in soccer. / I’m not interested in soccer.
- I have isn’t married. / He’s not married.
Interrogative structure of the verb to be in present
Verb to be in present subjectA.M YO … ?Es he / she / it … ?are you / we / they … ?
For example:
- Es the weather nice today? / Is the weather nice today?
- are are you ready? / Are you ready?
Short answers: To answer yes / no questions, the verb is used to be positive or negative, and according to the pronoun. Affirmative short answers cannot be collapsed. For example: are you Italian? Yes, I am. (And no: Yes, I’m)
Uses of the verb to be
The verb to be (to be or to be) is used to express, among other things:
- Name. For example: Yo‘m Benjamin. / I’m Benjamin.
- Nationality. For example: Yo‘m Mexican. / I’m mexican.
- Profession. For example: Yo‘m a student. / I am a student.
- Marital status. For example: Yo‘m married. / I’m married.
- Time. For example: Item‘s 10.30. / It’s half past 10.
- Time. For example: Item‘s sunny today. / It’s sunny today.
Careful: To express age in English, the verb is used to be and not the verb to have (have). For example: Yo‘m 25 years old. / I’m 25 years old.
The verb to be It is the only verb that is used together with adjectives. For example:
- Daisy flower es muy linda. / Daisy is so pretty.
- Canada es a really large country. / Canada is a really big country.
Attention: Together with adjectives like cold, hot, hungry, to be means “to have”, and with the pronoun Item means “to do”. For example:
- Yo‘m cold. / I’m cold.
- Item‘s cold. / It’s cold.
Verb to be in other tenses
- past simple: was / wasn’t (for the pronouns I, he, she, it) Y were / weren’t (for the pronouns you, we, they). For example: My friend was in Paris last year. / My friend was in Paris last year.
- simple future: will be / will not be (for all pronouns). For example: YO’I’ll be in Scotland next week. / I’ll be in Scotland next week.
- present perfect: have been / have not been (for the pronouns I, you, we, they) Y has been / has not been (for the pronouns he, she, it). For example: Item hasn’t been easy. / It has not been easy.
Verb to be as assistant
- The verb to be works as an auxiliary in the formation of continuous tenses: present continuous, past continuous, present perfect continuous Y future continuous. For example:
- As assistant to present continuous. For example: Yo‘m talking to Oliver right now. / I’m talking to Oliver right now.
- As assistant to past continuous. For example: She was reading when he called. / She was reading when he called.
- As assistant to present perfect continuous. For example: Yo‘go been learning English for three years. / I have been learning English for three years.
- As assistant to future continuous. For example: Yo‘ll be seeing Katy tomorrow afternoon. / I’m going to see Katy tomorrow afternoon.
- The verb to be is the auxiliary that, conjugated in the corresponding time, forms the passive voice together with a past participle. For example:
- Colon Theater was built by architects Tamburini, Meano and Dormal. / The Teatro Colón was built by the architects Tamburini, Meano and Dormal.
- The project will be finished next year. / The project will be finished next year
- The building is painted every year. / The building is painted every year.
Sentences with the verb to be
- Jennifer is really beautiful.
Jennifer is really beautiful. - This horse is very dangerous.
This horse is very dangerous. - My pen pal is from France.
My pen pal is from France. - The managers are not in the meeting room.
The managers are not in the meeting room. - My school friends are taller than me.
My school friends are taller than me. - I’m sure we’ll sell more products next year.
I am sure that we will sell more products next year. - She is not fun.
She’s not funny. - He is the company CEO.
He is the general manager of the company. - The weather is chilly these days.
The weather is cold these days. - The museum is open today.
The museum is open today. - Jimmy isn’t interested in politics.
Jimmy is not interested in politics. - I’m in charge of operations.
I’m in charge of operations. - My dog is a street dog.
My dog is a street dog. - Candice is married to a famous actor.
Candice is married to a famous actor. - Jason’s parents are very worried about his education.
Jason’s parents are very concerned about his education. - John is at home.
John is at home. - I am Daniela.
I’m Daniela. - You are not silly.
You are not dumb. - Rafael Nadal is one of the best tennis players in history.
Rafael Nadal is one of the best tennis players in history. - We are never late.
We are never late. - The archipelago is located 100 kilometers off the coast of China.
The archipelago is located 100 kilometers off the coast of China. - My keys aren’t in my bag.
My keys are not in my wallet. - This house is from the 18th century.
This house is from the 18th century. - Your hands are very dirty!
Your hands are very dirty! - It’s 9 o’clock.
It is nine o’clock.
Interactive test to practice
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