Verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. This is where English grammar begins. Ordinary English verbs are not inflected for persons, but the verb to be is an exception to the general rule.

The most important table in English is table of forms of the verb to be. The table contains all forms of the verb TO BE in the present simple and past simple. To quickly remember the forms of the verb to be, use the techniques described.

The different forms of the verb to be are highlighted in blue in the table. The remaining words are English pronouns. If you don’t know how they are translated, take a look - this is also very important material.

Some grammatical constructions also use the third form (past participle) of the verb to be - been.

Pronunciation of the basic forms of to be.

Techniques for quickly memorizing tables.

You must definitely learn the entire table of forms of the verb to be. Without this, you will not be able to learn English. A mnemonic phrase will help you:

I am Balu wanted to say - “ You are they broke it." But I was afraid that he is cripples me.

There are three key phrases in this phrase: “ I am ball», « You are ku" And " He is cripples" In these phrases, the first word is a pronoun, and the beginning of the second word is consonant with the corresponding form of to be. And from them you can extract all forms of the present tense of the verb to be:

Similarly, the phrase " I am you I, and you are a thief. » Will allow you to remember the forms of the past tense. I think you'll agree that it's much easier to remember this way.

How is the verb to be translated?

To be is translated as “to be, to appear, to be.” And it is the most commonly used verb in the English language. The fact is that an English sentence must have both a subject and a predicate. And the role of a formal predicate is very often performed by the verb to be. In Russian we can say:

I am a student.

She's a doctor.

There is no predicate in these sentences. Therefore the English will say the same thing, in other words. They will literally say the following:

I am a student. – I am a student.

She is a doctor. – She is a doctor.

Short form of the verb to be

Phrases like “I am” and “We are” are very often used in English speech. And in the process of language evolution, their abbreviated (reduced) form appeared. A list of such abbreviations is given in the table:

Now we will get acquainted with one of the most important verbs of the English language - the verb to be, which means to be, to exist. This verb changes its form depending on in what tense and with what subject it is used. For now we will consider only the present tense.

So, in the present tense, the verb to be has three forms: am, is, are.

I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

I am a doctor.

He is a doctor. - No is a doctor.

He is a doctor.

You are a doctor. -You are a doctor.

You are a doctor.

Using forms of the verb "to be"

So, let's take a closer look at in which case which form of the verb to be should be used:

Case 1. If we speak in the first person singular, i.e. we use the pronoun "I", which means "I", we use the form "am". Thus, it turns out “I am” - “I am.”

I am a teacher.

I'm a teacher. (I am the teacher)

Case 2.If we speak in the third person singular, using, for example, the pronouns "he, she, it", which mean "he, she, it", we use the form "is". That is, “He is” - “He is”, “She is” - “She is”, “It is” - “It is”.

She is a teacher.

Case 3. If we say “we”, which means “we”, “you”, which means “you” or “you”, and “they”, which means “they”, we must use the “are” form. For example, “We are” - “We are”, or “You are” - “You are”, “You are”, or “They are” - “They are”.

We are teachers.

We are teachers. (We are teachers)

The verb "to be" in English is often used as connection between subject and object. In all of the above examples, it performed exactly this function. Let's look at one of the proposals in more detail.

She is a teacher.

She's a teacher. (She is a teacher)

In this sentence "She" is the subject, "a teacher" - addition, and the verb "to be" is in the form "is" is a linking verb. Unlike the Russian language, in English the linking verb is never omitted, since the English sentence has a strictly fixed word order: subject + predicate + object.

Negative form of the verb "to be"

Now let's look at how the negative form of the verb "to be" is formed. It's quite simple - in order to form a negative form, you just need to put a negative particle "not" after the verb "to be":

I am happy.

I'm happy.

I am not happy.

I Not happy.

He is a doctor

He's a doctor.

He is not a doctor.

He Not doctor.

You are a teacher.

You are a teacher.

You are not a teacher

You Not teacher.

Please note that in colloquial speech the negative particle “not” often merges with the verb “to be”, forming reductions:

The verb “to be” is one of the five hundred irregular verbs, therefore, when forming the past simple (Past Simple), the ending -ed is not added to it, as happens with regular verbs. This verb is radically transformed, being replaced by completely different sounding and spelling words: was and were.

So, the verb “to be” in the past simple tense has two forms: was (which is translated as was/was) and were (were). The first form is used with the pronouns I, He, She, It and singular nouns, while the second is used with plural nouns and the pronouns We, You, They.

When using the pronoun you, remember that in English it is plural and therefore always agrees with plural verbs!

Declension table for the verb “to be” in the past simple tense

Use of was, were in speech

These forms of the verb “to be” are used in the same meanings as the present tense forms am, is, are.

1. When specifying a person's name.

• His name was John. - His name was John.
• Their names were Jane and Frida. - Their names were Jane and Frieda.

2. When indicating age.

• Jim was 25 last year. — Jim turned 25 last year.
• My grand parents were 75 last month. — My grandparents turned 75 last month.

3. When indicating the location of a person or group of people.

• They were at the library last week. — They were in the library last week.

4. When describing a person or object.

• She was tall and slender. — She was tall and slender.

5. When listing a person’s qualities.

• He was stupid but kind. “He was stupid, but kind.”

6. In stable expressions.

• They were interested in Literature 3 years ago. — They were interested in literature 3 years ago.
• I was fond of music when I was student. — I was interested in music when I was a student.
• My brother was good at Physics when he studied at school. — My brother was a good physics student (= he was good at physics) when he was at school.

7. When describing the weather.

• It was warm and wet last winter. — Last winter it was warm and damp.
• It was hot and windy this summer. — This summer it was hot and windy.

Construction There was/There were

In English, the verb “to be” is an integral part of the construction there is/there are, which in the past tense looks like this: there was/there were. It is not always easy to translate into Russian, but its meaning is that it denotes the location of something or someone (somewhere, something was or existed).

If the sentence is about a singular noun, then the construction there was is used. To denote plural nouns, the expression there were is used.

• There was a book on the table/There was a book on the table.
• There were many birds in the sky/There were many birds in the sky.

Sometimes this phrase is translated as an impersonal sentence.

• There was a terrible cry. (A terrible scream was heard).

Was/were as an auxiliary verb

There are cases when the verbs was/were in English lose their semantic meaning (to be) and perform the function of auxiliary verbs. For example, in the sentence I was watching this program at 7 o’clock yesterday / I watched this program yesterday at 7 o’clock, the verb was indicates that the narration is in the Past Continuous (past long tense). This tense is formed using the auxiliary verb “to be” in the past tense and the present participle (Participle I).

The verbs was/were also participate in the formation of passive or passive voice (Passive Voice) in the past tense (Past Simple Passive). To form the passive voice in the past tense, you need the verb to be in the past tense + participle II, the third form of the verb.

• This theater was built 200 years ago - This theater was built 200 years ago.
• When was the computer invented? — When was the computer invented?
• They weren't invited to the conference last week. — They were not invited to the conference last week.

One of the most popular language “confusions” is the use of verbs to be And to do. This refers to the substitution of one verb for another, which occurs as a result of a misunderstanding of the functions and meanings of these words.

We have already talked in detail about the verb to be, so now we will concentrate on comparing the use of verbs in situations in which confusion most often arises.

Strong and weak verb

There are two broad categories of verbs in English - strong and weak.
Strong verbs include modal verbs and their equivalents, have got, auxiliary verbs (do/ does/ did) and to be. Strong verbs independently form negative constructions and questions:

Must does he go to the dentist? - I must go to the dentist./ I mustn't eat apples.

In the case of weak verbs, we are not able to construct a question or negation without auxiliaries, avoiding an error:

I live to Paris.

Live are you in Paris? - error/
It would be correct to say: Do you live in Paris?

He lives not in Paris.- error/
It would be correct to say: He doesn't live in Paris.

So we use the auxiliary do or two other forms of it ( does/did) in order to correctly form questions and negatives.

The mistake is born when students (by this word we mean all students of a foreign language, young and old) begin to use auxiliary verbs for forms to be:

He is Liza's brother.

Does he is Liza's brother? - error
He doesn't is Liza's brother.- error

Undoubtedly verb forms to be are not similar to their original form. We believe this is what can be confusing.
Things to remember: am, is, are, was, were are strong verbs and are never used auxiliary do:

Is he Liza's brother?- Right
He isn't Liza's brither.- Right

But do against. On my own as semantic this verb is weak and has meaning do. Accordingly, he needs the help of an auxiliary who matches him in spelling and pronunciation do, which is not translated into Russian and performs a purely grammatical function:

I do exercises every day.
Do I do exercises every day?- Right
I don't do exercises every day.- Right

Do I exercise every day?- error
I don't exercises every day.- error / This sentence makes no sense and will be translated “ I don't exercise every day" I would like to immediately ask “no What? exercises"

Auxiliary verb

The second serious problem sometimes becomes auxiliary verb choice.
Most courses are structured in such a way that familiarity with English grammar and the language in general begins with the verb to be - to be, to appear, to be somewhere. Students become so accustomed to designs with to be, that for them it becomes completely logical to use them as an auxiliary verb. It actually loses its meaning and sentences of this kind become grammatically equal:

She is in Paris.
She lives in Paris.

Let us assume that, according to the context, it is possible to translate both of them as “ She lives in Paris" The following happens:

Is she in Paris?- Right
Is she live in Paris?- ERROR

To be never will not be used as an auxiliary verb to weak, unless these are Continuous or Passive constructions, which include to be:

Is she living in Paris?- correct / Present Continuous
The work wasn't done. - correct / Passive

It's very easy to check. Ask a question to the semantic verb, for example, live (what to do?). Exactly do (do/ does/ did) will become auxiliary.

We are not dealing with BE, and with DO:

Does she live in Paris?- Right
She doesn't live in Paris.- Right

We wish you to make the right choice and achieve great success in your studies!

Victoria Tetkina

Those who study English constantly come across the verbs am, is, are in the text. What kind of constructions these are, their meaning, translation into Russian and the construction of sentences - you will learn all this in the article.

I am...

We are used to saying simply “My name is Ivan”, “I am a truck driver”, “I am 34 years old”. The English language does not have the plasticity of Russian. It cannot transfer parts of speech from one part of a sentence to another or skip words. Auxiliary verbs are used to connect the subject and predicate. The verb to be, the meaning of which is “to be, to be, to appear,” has its own form for each tense of the English language. The verbs am, is, are are auxiliary for the present continuous tense Present Progressive. This tense denotes an action that is happening at the present moment. The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) is also used to introduce yourself, name your city, age and profession using a linking verb in the Present Simple - a simple present tense. Let's construct sentences with the verb am: I am from Russia. I'm from Russia. I am 26 years old. I am 26 years old.

Use in speech

How to choose the right form? The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) depends on the number and person of the subject.

Important: the pronoun it denotes inanimate objects, as well as animals and plants. This is my rose. It's wonderful. This is my rose. She is beautiful.

The table above refers to the case when the verbs am, is are used as a connective between the subject and the predicate. The general outline of an affirmative sentence looks like this:

1. Subject.
2. Linking verb.
3. Predicate.
4. Addition or circumstance, if any.

At the same time, the verbs am, is, are are not translated into Russian. The particle to, which appears in the text, is also not translated. It simply refers to the verb.

Construction of an interrogative sentence

In Russian, the same word order can be used both in a declarative sentence and in a negative and affirmative sentence. For example: "You love me." “Do you love me?”, “Do you love me!” All that distinguishes them is the intonation during pronunciation.

In English, interrogative sentences are constructed differently. Let's take an example of a declarative sentence and transform it into an interrogative:

I am from Moscow. I'm from Moscow. To make the interrogative sentence sound more logical, let's change the pronoun I to you. Are you from Moscow? Now the sentence sounds like this: Are you from Moscow? The auxiliary verb comes first, followed by the subject and predicate, without changes. Let's build a few more interrogative sentences:

1. Am I wrong? - Am I wrong?
2. Are you busy? Are you busy?
3. Where is my cup? Where's my cup?
4. How old is she? How old is she?
5. Is it raining today? Is it raining today?

Construction of a negative sentence

A negative sentence is constructed in the same way as a narrative one, but after the verbs am, is, are, the negation not is placed.

Forms of denial

1. He is not in school. He's not at school.
2. You are not French. You're not French.
3. I am not a doctor. I'm not a doctor.

Present Progressive tense

Present progressive is used in English to denote an action taking place at a given moment in time. In Russian, prefixes, suffixes, modified roots and word endings are used for the same purpose.

Present progressive is used in the following cases:

1. To express an action that is happening right now.
2. To refer to a period of time in a broad sense: last week, today, this month. The action has already begun, but events are still happening in this period of time. It"s raining all day. It rains all day.
3. The action will take place in the near future and is already known for sure. Certificates or tickets are available. I'm going to London next week. Next week I'm going to London.
4. In those cases when you have to express boring constancy. You are always losing money. You always lose money.

How is this time formed? Here we use the already known form of the verb to be (am, is, are) with the addition of the ending ing to the verb. The required form of the auxiliary verb is selected in the same way as a declarative sentence in the Present Simple.

Declarative sentences

1. I am cooking now. I'm cooking.
2. You are drawing beautiful picture. You paint a beautiful picture.
3. She is reading a magazine now. She is reading a magazine.
4. They are studying at school now. They are at school now.
5. We are going to his work. We go to his work.
6. I am cooking very special supper with my boyfriend. My boyfriend and I are cooking a very special dinner.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences in the Present Progressive are constructed as follows:

The auxiliary verb to be in the chosen form comes first. If there is a question word in a sentence, it comes first, followed by to be. Then comes the subject, expressed by a pronoun or noun, after which the verb ending in ing is used.

1. What am I doing here? What am I doing here?
2. Are you working now? Are you working?
3. Is she going home? Is she going home?
4. Are they reading newspaper while children are playing with toys in the garden. Do they read the newspaper while the children play with toys in the garden?

Negative sentences

Negative sentences in the Present Progressive are constructed according to the following scheme:

The negative particle not is added to the existing form of the verb to be. For brevity and euphony, the form of the verb to be is shortened with an apostrophe:

• I"m not at home now. I'm not at home now.
• We aren't in the room. We are coming to Ann. We are not in the room. We are going to Anna.
• He isn't listening to my favorite musical team. He doesn't listen to my favorite musical group.

Exercises with the verbs am, is, are will help reinforce the material.