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The verb to be, part 1 of 5
Verb To Be: Am, Is, and Are in Affirmative Sentences
Am goes with I, is with he, she, or it, and are with you, we, and they: I am tired, she is a nurse.
The idea
What the verb to be is
It is the verb that says who someone is, how they feel, or where they are. In the present it has three forms, and the subject picks one.
- Who or what it is. My grandma is a teacher.
- How someone feels. We are cold.
- Where it is. I am at the store.
When to use it
To say who you are, where you are from, how old you are, how you feel, and where something is. These expressions go with it:
To introduce yourself
- I am from...
- I am a student
- I am 30 years old
How you feel
- I am tired
- I am hungry
- I am cold
- I am late
With it
- It is late
- It is sunny
- It is ten o'clock
Examples
- Your job
I am a cook.
- Where you are from
We are from Bolivia.
- Age
My son is six years old.
- How someone feels
They are nervous.
- Where something is
The keys are in the car.
- The weather
It is hot in July.
How to build it
3 steps
- Start with the subjectWho or what: a pronoun or a noun:My sister
- Choose am, is, or areAm with I; is with he, she, it, or one person or thing; are with you, we, they, or more than one:My sister is
- Finish with the restWhat she is, how she feels, or where she is:My sister is a nurse.
Affirmative
- SubjectLima
- am / is / areis
- complementa big city.
The rule
Which form goes with each subject
| Subject | To be | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | I am ready. |
| he, she, it, or one | is | Carlos is at work. |
| you, we, they, or more than one | are | My friends are here. |
What Spanish says with tener
| Spanish idea | English |
|---|---|
| age | I am 25 years old. |
| hunger | I am hungry. |
| feeling cold | I am cold. |
| being right | You are right. |
How to pronounce it
am
/æm/The a is open, as in cat: /æ/.
is
/ɪz/The s sounds like /z/, not /s/.
are
/ɑr/One syllable: the e is silent.
Check
My grandparents (blank) from Oaxaca. Which word goes in the blank?
Don't confuse it with the present simple
I am a teacher.
With be
I teach English.
With another verb: no am
Am, is, and are go in when there is no other verb. With a verb like teach or work, there is no be.
Present simpleIn real life
If you are not sure between is and are, count: one person or thing, is; two or more, are. My mom is at work, my mom and dad are at work.
Frequently asked questions
What does the verb to be say?
Who someone is, how they feel, or where they are: I am a doctor, I am tired, I am at home.
Do you use is or are with you?
Always are, even when you talk to one person: You are right. With you, never use is.
Why do you say I am hungry?
In English, hunger, cold, being right, and age go with be: I am hungry, I am cold, I am 30.
In short
- Am goes only with I: I am ready.
- Is with he, she, it, or one: Ana is here.
- Are with you, we, they, or more than one: we are late.
- Age, hunger, and feeling cold go with be: I am 30.