The Verb "To be"

To be is the most common verb in the English language. It can be used as an auxiliary or a main verb.
Singular = 1

Plural = 1+

am

You

are

You

are

We

are

He/she/it

is

They

are

Uses
Am/Is/Are
Question ?

Positive Statement +

Negative Statement -

Contracted
Written Form or spoken for
Form
Singular
emphasis
(spoken)

Contracted
Written Form or spoken for
Form
emphasis
(spoken)

Am I?

I am not

I'm not

You are not

You're not
or
You aren't

He's
She's
It's

He is not
She is not
It is not

He isn't
She isn't
It isn't
or
He's not
She's not
It's not

We're

We are not

We aren't
or
We're not

You are not

You're not
or
You aren't

I am

Are you? You are

Is he?
Is she?
Is it?

He is
She is
It is

I'm

You're

Plural

Are we? We are

Are you? You are

You're

Are
they?

They are

They're

They aren't
or
They're not

They are not

Examples
The verbs am / is / are are used with:Am/Are

Is

a noun group

Are you an English teacher?

Mr Bean is an English
teacher.

an adjective

I'm tired.

She's English.

an expression of place or
time

They're at home.

It's nine o'clock.

an expression of age

I'm 44.

He's two years old.

the form of the present

continuous tense

We're learning English.

She's teaching English.

Am/Are

Is

Question - ?

"Am I disturbing you?"

"Is this your coat?"

Positive Answer + Yes

"Yes you are. We're very busy."

"Yes, it is"

Negative Answer - No

"No you're not. We aren't very busy."

"No, it isn't"

Short form (spoken)

Full form
(written)

I am

I'm

you are

you're

he is

he's

she is

she's

it is

it's

are not

aren't

is not

isn't

There are only three articles in the English language: a, an and the.
Their actual use is a complex one especially when you get into the advanced use of English. Quite
often you have to work by what sounds right, which can be frustrating for a learner.
We usually use no article to talk about things in general - the doesn't mean all.
For example:

"Books are expensive." = (All books are expensive.)

"The books are expensive." = (Not all books are expensive, just the ones I'm talking
about.)

A and an
A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you
are communicating with.
You use a when the noun you are referring to begins with a consonant.
You use an when the noun you are referring to begins with a vowel.
For example:

"I saw an elephant at the zoo."

"I ate a banana for lunch."

The
You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing
you are talking about.
For example:

"The apple you ate was rotten."

"Did you lock the car?"

You should also use the when you have already mentioned the thing you are talking about.
For example:

"She's got two children; a girl and a boy. The girl's eight and the boy's fourteen."

We also use the when we know there is only one of a particular thing.

For example:

the sun, the wind, the world, the North Pole etc..

However if you want to describe a particular instance of these you should use a/an.
For example:

"I could hear the wind." / "There's a cold wind blowing."

"What are your plans for the future?" / "She has a promising future ahead of her."

a or an?
a = b, c, d ...

an = a, e, i, o, u

an apple, an elephant,
a banana, a car, a dog... an igloo, an orange, an
umbrella
Question - What/Who is it?
What ....? = things
Who .....? = people
"What's" = What is
"It's" = It is
"Who's" = Who is

) - What is your name?

- My name is John Roberts.
(Here you could also answer in the short form - "John Roberts."
b) - Who are you?
- I am John Roberts.
(Here you could also answer in the short form - "John Roberts."

c) - Who is John Roberts?

- I am.
d) - Are you John Roberts?
- Yes I am.

(Here you could also answer in the short form - "Yes."

e) - Who is she?
- She is my wife.
(Here you could also answer in the short form - "My wife."

f) - Who are they?

- They are Mr and Mrs Roberts.
(Here you could also answer in the short form - "Mr and Mrs Roberts."