Verb to be (am, is, are) – With Examples and Online Exercises

The verb to be is also called “am, is, are“. We use the verb to be to express present states and conditions. We can use “am, is, are” followed by a noun, adjective, preposition, or phrase.

  • He is a doctor.
  • My bike is new.
  • Alice is out.
  • Here is the number of the my friend.

Formation of verb to be

To make affirmative (positive) sentences we use am, is, are after the subject. For negative sentences we add “not” after the verb to be. To make questions we put “am, is, are” before the subject. See the chart below to learn the structure of the verb to be.

  Is Why is 

Mike

isis not is not is

in his room.

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Verb to be (am, is, are) Formation
(+) Affirmative form (-) Negative form (?) Question form
 I am happy.  I am notin the office.  Am I right?
 He is fine.  He isn’t ready.  Is he a teacher?
 They are my friends.  They aren’t good at basketball.  Are they in your class?

Example sentences:

  • (+) Sally is in the park now.
  • (-) Sally isn’t in the park now.
  • (?) Is Sally in the park now?
  • (?) Why is Sally in the park now?

Use of “am, is, are” according to the subjects

The verb to be (am, is, are) Formula
(+) Affirmative sentences (-) Negative sentences (?) Interrogative sentences
 I am  I am not  Am I ?
 You are  You aren’t  Are you ?
 He is  He isn’t  Is he ?
 She is  She isn’t  Is she ?
 It is  It isn’t  Is it ?
 We are  We aren’t  Are we ?
 They are  They aren’t  Are they ?

SIMILAR PAGES:
❯❯ Learn simple present tense here
❯❯ Learn present continuous tense here
❯❯ Learn future simple tense (will) here
❯❯ Learn be going to future tense here
❯❯ Learn simple past tense here
❯❯ Learn past continuous tense here
❯❯ Learn present perfect tense here

Explanations and usages of verb to be with examples

Usage of verb to be with nouns

Example sentences

  • I am a student.
  • It is a bird.
  • They are doctors.
  • Is she a nurse?

Usage of verb to be with adjectives

Example sentences

  • She is old.
  • Mike is tired.
  • It is cold.
  • They are young.
  • Are you sure?

Usage of verb to be with prepositions such as “in, on, at, to, for, from, with etc.”

Example sentences

  • I am in my car.
  • She is at home.
  • We are from Germany.
  • The flower is for you.

Example sentences with images

You can learn verb to be (am, is, are) with images and example sentences below.

A dialogue to learn “am, is, are”

Here is a dialogue to learn the verb to be (am, is, are) so that you can make similar dialogues.

  1. Dad.

    Are you busy tonight?

  2. No, I’m not.

    I am free all day.

  3. It is not cold outside.

    We can talk a little in the park.

  4. Sure.

    What’s the problem?

  5. I am worried about my son.

    He is a little bit rude nowadays.

    You are his grandfather and

    your advice is important for me.

  6. OK.

    I am sorry to hear that.

    See you at 8PM.

  7. OK

Translate the sentences below into your native language.

You will see random examples of the verb to be (am, is, are) below. After you read, please translate them into your native language.

Sentence scramble game about verb to be (am, is, are)

You will see scrambled words of the verb to be (am, is, are) sentences. Click on the words in order to make meaningful sentences.


tries

Example sentences

These are examples sentences of verb to be. If you understand them, try to make similar sentences.

10 example sentences :

    My sister is 6 years old.Paris is a city in France.
  1. Orange is a winter fruit.
  2. Gold is expensive to buy.
  3. Trains are more comfortable than cars.
  4. This is not my wallet.
  5. Is that your bicycle?
  6. My brother is married.
  7. I am from Italy.
  8. William is my best friend.

Questions and answers

You can see 10 questions with their answers related to verb to be here. When you read them, try to make similar questions and answers.

10 questions and answers

  1. How old are you?
    I am 19.
  2. Is he a good singer?
    Yes, he is good at singing and playing the guitar.
  3. Are the the students in the classroom?
    Yes, they are.
  4. What is the name of your pet?
    It is Barny.
  5. Where is are my glasses?
    They are on the table.
  6. How many books are there on the shelf?
    There are 9 books.
  7. Are you crazy about football?
    Yes, I am.
  8. Am I right?
    Yes, You are right?
  9. Which one is easy?
    This one is easy to do.
  10. Is it hot or cold outside?
    It is very cold.

External resources:
You can learn verb to be (am, is, are) on British Council page, or watch a video to see the usage of verb to be with animations . You can also visit WikiBooks to see examples . And
this is a pdf worksheet about verb to be from the British Council.

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