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The verb to be, part 3 of 5

Verb To Be Negative: Am Not, Is Not, and Are Not

To make to be negative, put not after am, is, or are, with no do: I am not tired, she is not here.

A1 · 12 minBefore:Verb to be: contractions

The idea

What a negative with to be is

It says that something is not what or where you think. Be needs no helper: not goes right after am, is, or are.

  1. What something is not. He is not my boss.
  2. Where something is not. The car is not here.
  3. How someone does not feel. They are not sad.

When to use it

To say what something is not, how you do not feel, or where something is not. These expressions go with it:

To correct someone

  • That is not true
  • It is not my fault
  • It is not a problem

How you do not feel

  • I am not lost
  • I am not in the mood
  • I am not in a hurry

What is not there

  • He is not in
  • It is not far
  • They are not open
  • It is not here

Examples

  • Correcting someone

    She is not my sister.

  • How you do not feel

    I am not sleepy.

  • The weather

    It is not sunny today.

  • Not yet

    We are not ready yet.

  • Where something is not

    My keys are not in my bag.

How to build it

3 steps

  1. Start with the subjectA pronoun or a noun:My brother
  2. Add am, is, or areThe same one as in the affirmative:My brother is
  3. Add not after itRight after the verb, with no do:My brother is not here.

Negative

  1. SubjectThe store
  2. am / is / areis
  3. notnot
  4. complementopen.

From affirmative to negative

Not goes after the verb

With amI am lateI am not latenot after am
  • I am sureI am not sure
  • I am coldI am not cold
  • I am at workI am not at work
With ishe is busyhe is not busynot after is
  • it is bigit is not big
  • she is sickshe is not sick
  • Ana is inAna is not in
With arewe are openwe are not opennot after are
  • you are wrongyou are not wrong
  • they are herethey are not here
  • my kids are coldmy kids are not cold

How to pronounce it

  • not

    /nɑt/

    The o sounds like the a in father: /nɑt/.

  • am not

    /æm nɑt/

    The two words join with no pause.

  • is not

    /ɪz nɑt/

    The s in is sounds like /z/ and links to not.

  • are not

    /ɑr nɑt/

    Are is one syllable: /ɑr nɑt/.

Check

My dog (blank) hungry. Which one goes in the blank?

Don't confuse it with do not

She is not tired.

With be: just not

She does not sleep much.

With another verb: does not

In a sentence with a subject, be makes its own negative: is not. Other verbs need do: does not sleep.

Present simple negatives

In real life

If the sentence already has am, is, or are, just add not. If there is another verb (work, like, agree), not needs do. (In commands, be does take do: Don't be late.)

Frequently asked questions

Where does not go with to be?

Right after am, is, or are: She is not here. Before the verb is wrong: She not is here.

Why can you not say I do not am?

Because in a sentence with a subject, be makes its own negative, with no helper. Do not is for other verbs: I do not work. With be: I am not at work. Only commands use do: Don't be late.

What is the difference between no and not?

Not makes the verb negative: I am not ready. No goes alone or before a noun: No, thanks; no money.

In short

  • To make it negative: am, is, or are + not.
  • Not goes after the verb: she is not here.
  • With a subject, be takes no do: I am not tired.
  • In speech it gets shorter: isn't, aren't (part 4).
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By Bryan López ·
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