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English The Verb “to be”

The verb to be has three present forms: am (I), is (he, she, it) and are (you, we, they). Use it to say who you are, how you feel, your age, your job and where things are.

  • CEFR A1
  • 10-question quiz
  • 2 exercises
Present simple of to be
  1. I am→I'mI am
  2. you are→you'reyou are
  3. he is→he'she is
  4. it is→it'sit is
  5. we are→we'rewe are
  6. they are not→they aren'tthey are not

The verb to be is one of the most used verbs in the English language. It has different forms. Below are the positive and negative conjugations of the verb “to be” in the present simple tense.

Positive

CORE Languages English The Verb "to be"

I’m 25 years old.
My brother is 22 years old.
Bob and I are neighbors.
Hello, my name is Mary.
My keys are in my bag.
You’re late for work.
It’s 9 a.m.
We’re happy.

Negative

CORE Languages English The Verb "to be"

Tom isn’t a teacher. He’s a lawyer.
Mary isn’t a student. She’s a nurse.
Tom and Mary aren’t teachers.
It isn’t cool today. It’s hot.
They aren’t Canadian. They are American.
We aren’t happy. We are sad.
I’m not Italian. I’m Spanish.
You aren’t early. You are late.

Key vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
am / I'mthe form of to be for II'm a project manager.
is / he's, she's, it'sthe form for he, she, it and one person or thingMy manager is in a meeting.
are / you're, we're, they'rethe form for you, we, they and plural nounsWe're ready for the presentation.
I'm notnegative of I am (there is no "amn't")I'm not available on Friday.
isn'tis notThe printer isn't working today.
aren'tare notThey aren't in the office this week.
Are you...? / Is it...?questions: put am, is or are before the subjectIs the meeting at ten?
years oldused with to be to say your ageMy daughter is twelve years old.

Practice: English The Verb “to be”

Work through the exercises, then test yourself with the quiz. Learn from your mistakes and try again as often as you like.

Exercises

Choose am, is or are

Complete each sentence with am, is or are.

  1. I ______ 25 years old.

    I

    Show answer

    am

  2. My brother ______ 22 years old.

    he

    Show answer

    is

  3. Bob and I ______ neighbors.

    we

    Show answer

    are

  4. My keys ______ in my bag.

    they

    Show answer

    are

  5. You ______ late for work.

    you

    Show answer

    are

  6. It ______ 9 a.m.

    it

    Show answer

    is

  7. Our new colleague ______ from Brazil.

    she

    Show answer

    is

  8. The reports ______ on your desk.

    they

    Show answer

    are

Make it negative

Rewrite the sentence in the negative. Use a short form (isn't, aren't, I'm not).

  1. Tom is a teacher.

    He's a lawyer.

    Show answer

    Tom isn't a teacher.

  2. Mary is a student.

    She's a nurse.

    Show answer

    Mary isn't a student.

  3. They are Canadian.

    They're American.

    Show answer

    They aren't Canadian.

  4. I am Italian.

    I'm Spanish.

    Show answer

    I'm not Italian.

  5. It is cool today.

    It's hot.

    Show answer

    It isn't cool today.

  6. We are happy.

    We're sad.

    Show answer

    We aren't happy.

Quiz: 10 questions

1. She _____ smart.
2. Make the following sentence negative: I am a student.
3. We _____ married.
4. Which of the following contractions is not correct?
5. Form a question from the following sentence: You are at home.
6. It _____ very hot today.
7. Which question below is incorrect?
8. Which sentence is incorrect?
9. You _____ not short.
10. It _____ good.

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