This page will present the simple present of the verb to be:
its form
and its use
The verb to be
The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It is difficult to use because it is an irregular verb in almost all of its forms. In the simple present tense, to be is conjugated as follows:
Affirmative forms of the verb to be
Subject Pronouns
Full Form
Contracted Form
I
am
'm
you
are
're
he/she/it
is
's
we
are
're
you
are
're
they
are
're
Interrogative forms of the verb to be:
Am
I?
Are
you?
Is
he/she/it?
Are
we?
Are
you?
Are
they?
Negative Forms of the verb to be:
Subject Pronouns
Full Form
Contracted Form
I
am not
'm not
you
are not
aren't
he/she/it
is not
isn't
we
are not
aren't
you
are not
aren't
they
are not
aren't
Examples:
Is Brad Pitt French?
No, he isn't. He's American.
What about Angelina Joli? Is she American, too?
Yes, she is. She is American.
Are brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
No, They aren't. They are American.
Use of the simple present of to be
The principal use of the simple present is to refer to an action or event that takes place habitually, but with the verb "to be" the simple present tense also refers to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.
I am happy.
She is helpful.
The verb to be in the simple present can be also used to refer to something that is true at the present moment.
She is 20 years old.
He is a student.
Remember:
I, you, he, she, it, you, they are subject pronouns (also called personal pronouns, a term used to include both subject and object pronouns.)
am, are, is are forms of the verb to be in the simple present.
'm, 're, 's are short (contracted) forms of am, are, is
'm not, aren't, isn't are short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not.
The Simple Past of the Verb "to be"
The simple past tense of the verb to be:
This page will present the simple past tense of the verb to be:
its form
and its use.
The affirmative form:
I, he, she, it
was.
you, we, they
were.
Examples:
I was in London in 1999.
Pam was in London in 1999, too.
We were together.
She was my girlfriend.
The interrogative form:
Was
I, he, she, it?
Were
you, we, they?
Examples:
Were you in London last year?
Was Pam with you?
Were you together?
The negative form:
I, you, he, she
was not.
wasn't.
You, we, they
were not.
weren't.
Examples:
I wasn't in Paris in 1999.
Pam wasn't in Paris in 1999.
We weren't in Paris.
Use of the simple past
The simple past is used principally to describe events in the past.
Remember:
1. wasn't is the short form of was not. You can say either:
I was not in Paris, or
I wasn't in Paris.
2. weren't is the short form of were not. You can say either:
