The verb to be, part 5 of 5

Verb To Be Questions: Am, Is, and Are

To ask a question with to be, put am, is, or are before the subject: Is your mom here? Yes, she is.

A1 · 12 minBefore:Verb to be: negative contractions

The idea

What a question with to be is

You change the order: am, is, or are moves in front of the subject. There is no do, and you answer with the same verb.

For yes or no. Is your dad at work?
With where, what, or how old. Where are my glasses?
For a short answer. Yes, he is.

When to use it

To ask about someone or something, give short answers, and ask for details: where, what, how old. These expressions go with it:

To get to know someone

Where are you from?
How old are you?
Are you married?

To check that everything is OK

Are you sure?
Is everything OK?
Is this seat free?

To ask for details

What's your last name?
Where is the restroom?
How much is it?
What's the date today?

Examples

Where someone is from
Where is your family from?
How someone feels
Are you cold?
Age
How old is your daughter?
Whether something is open
Is the pharmacy open?
The time
What time is it?
Short answers
Yes, we are.

How to build it

3 steps

Start with am, is, or areThe one that goes with the subject:Is
Add the subjectAfter the verb:Is your mom
Finish with the restAnd the question mark only at the end:Is your mom at home?

Question

Am / Is / AreIs
subjectyour mom
complementat home
??

Short answer

Yes / NoYes,
subjectshe
am / is / are (+ not)is.

With where, what, how old

Where / What / How oldWhere
is / areare
subjectthe kids
??

From statement to question

The verb moves to the front

With isShe is here.Is she here?is goes first

It is far.Is it far?
Leo is sick.Is Leo sick?
The bus is late.Is the bus late?

With areYou are ready.Are you ready?are goes first

They are here.Are they here?
We are early.Are we early?
The eggs are fresh.Are the eggs fresh?

With amI am right.Am I right?am goes first

I am next.Am I next?
I am on the list.Am I on the list?
I am too loud.Am I too loud?

The rule

Short answers

Question	Yes	No
Are you tired?	Yes, I am.	No, I'm not.
Is he here?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn't.
Are they ready?	Yes, they are.	No, they aren't.

How to pronounce it

am
/æm/
In a question it comes first: Am I late? The a is open: /æ/.
is
/ɪz/
The s sounds like /z/ and links to the next word: Is it...?
are
/ɑr/
One syllable. In a yes or no question, your voice goes up at the end.

Check

(blank) your sisters at home? Which word goes in the blank?

Don't confuse it with do

Are you a student?

With be: are first

Do you study here?

With another verb: do

With be, am, is, or are goes first. With other verbs, the question starts with do or does.

Questions with do and does

In real life

To answer, look at the verb in the question and repeat it: Is it...? Yes, it is. Are you...? No, I'm not. You do not need to repeat the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Can you ask a question with intonation only?

In speech you sometimes hear it (You're sleepy?), but the normal form, and the written one, changes the order: Are you sleepy?

Why can you not say Yes, I'm?

Because a yes short answer ends with the verb, and that verb does not contract: Yes, she is; Yes, they are. In a no answer it does: No, I'm not.

Where do where, what, and how old go?

At the start, before is or are: Where is the bank? How old is your dad? The subject comes next.

In short

To ask, be goes first: Is she here?
With where or what: Where are you?
You answer with be: Yes, I am. No, it isn't.
To ask with be, you need no do: Are you tired?

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