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Verb To Be: Am, Is, Are, Was, Were Explained
The 8 forms of English's most important verb, explained with examples and contractions.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
The verb to be has 8 forms: be, am, is, are, was, were, being, and been. In the present, it's am, is, and are (I am, he is, we are); in the past, it's was and were (I was, they were). It's the most used verb in English and the foundation of almost every sentence you'll build.
Verb to be in the present
Verb to be in the past
Negatives: isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't
To make the verb to be negative, add "not" right after it: I am not (I'm not), you are not (you aren't / you're not), he is not (he isn't / he's not). The past works the same way: I was not (I wasn't), you were not (you weren't). You never need "don't" or "doesn't" with the verb to be, that mix-up usually comes from learning the Present Simple first.
Questions: Am I...? Is he...? Was she...?
To ask a question, the verb to be moves to the front of the sentence, before the subject: Are you ready? Is she your sister? Was he at home? Were they happy? You don't use "do" or "does" to ask with the verb to be, unlike the Present Simple with other verbs (Do you like...? vs. Are you...?).
Present or past: which one do I use
Use am/is/are to talk about now, general facts, or what you're like: I am a teacher. She is tired right now. Use was/were to talk about something that already happened, usually with a past time word: I was at the gym yesterday. They were happy last year. Switching from is/are to was/were is the clearest signal you're talking about the past.
Common mistakes learners make with the verb to be
Using "have" instead of "be" for age. Many languages say the equivalent of "I have 20 years," but English uses the verb to be: "I am 20 years old," never "I have 20 years." Dropping the verb to be before an adjective. In English it's never optional, even in short sentences: don't say "She happy," say "She is happy." Using "make" for the weather. "It's hot" uses the verb to be, not "make": weather in English almost always goes through the verb to be, not "make."
Practice the verb to be with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Contractions in speech and writing
In everyday English, to be is nearly always contracted: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're, and in negatives, isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't. Both "he is not" and "he isn't" are correct, but "he isn't" sounds more natural in conversation. In very formal writing, the full forms are often preferred, but in emails, messages, and speech, contractions are the norm.
Verb to be: present and past
To be for age, feelings, and weather
Where other languages use "to have" for age, English uses to be: "I am twenty years old" (not "I have twenty"). The same goes for feelings and states: "I am hungry," "She is cold," "We are afraid." And with weather, English uses it: "It is sunny today." This is one of the most important differences for learners to notice.
Examples of the verb to be
- I am a student and my brother is a nurse.
- They aren't at home right now.
- Where were you yesterday?
- She was very tired after the trip.
- Is your sister older than you?
Using have for age
Incorrect
I have twenty years.
Correct
I am twenty years old.
the verb to be in a real conversation
A: "Where are you from?" B: "I'm from Colombia, and my wife is from Peru." A: "Are you both teachers?" B: "No, I'm an engineer and she's a doctor. We were students here ten years ago."
To be as an auxiliary
To be is also a helping verb. It forms the Present Continuous ("I am working"), the passive ("The house was built in 1990"), and the past continuous ("They were sleeping"). When it plays this role, it carries no meaning of its own, it only shows tense and person. Recognizing this helps you understand why the verb appears in so many different sentence types.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 8 forms of the verb to be?
be, am, is, are, was, were, being, and been. Am, is, and are are present tense; was and were are past tense; being and been are special forms used in compound tenses.
When do I use am, is, or are?
Am only with "I". Is with he, she, it (third person singular). Are with you, we, and they.
What's the difference between was and were?
Was goes with I, he, she, it (singular). Were goes with you, we, they. Both are the past of the verb to be: am/is becomes was, are becomes were.
How do you make the verb to be negative?
Add "not" right after the verb: is not (isn't), are not (aren't), was not (wasn't), were not (weren't). You never use "don't" or "doesn't" with the verb to be.
How do you ask questions with the verb to be?
The verb moves to the front of the sentence, before the subject: Are you...? Is she...? Was he...? Were they...? You don't need "do" or "does".
Why does English say "I am 20 years old" instead of "I have 20 years"?
Because English expresses age with the verb to be, not "have". Saying "I have 20 years" is a direct translation from other languages that sounds wrong in English; the correct form is always "I am + number + years old."
Why is there no -s with I am and you are?
To be is an irregular verb with its own forms for each person, not a regular verb that follows the -s rule.
Can I say I'm agree?
No. "Agree" is a normal verb in English, so you say "I agree." It is one of the most common mistakes from translating "estoy de acuerdo" literally.
Practice the verb to be with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Keep learning
- There Is / There Are: How to Say Something Exists (Present and Past)There is (singular) and there are (plural) are the two ways to say something exists in English, and they do change based on number.
- Present Simple in English: Affirmative, Negative, and Questions (Full Guide)The tense for habits, routines, and general facts, with the rule almost everyone forgets: the -s on he/she/it.
- Subject Pronouns: The Complete List, Rules, and ExamplesThe 7 words that go before the verb in English, explained with examples and the mistakes learners make most often.