Grammar Core
Study the present, past, questions, negatives, short answers, and contractions of the most important verb in beginner English.
By the end of this page, students can build affirmative, negative, and question forms with to be in the present and past.
Meaning
To be connects the subject with identity, location, age, feelings, descriptions, and temporary states. In Spanish, it can feel like ser or estar, but in English we use the same verb family.
Present
| Subject | Verb | Affirmative example | Contraction |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | I am in class. | I'm in class. |
| He / She / It | is | She is a teacher. | She's a teacher. |
| You / We / They | are | They are my classmates. | They're my classmates. |
Past
Use was and were to talk about the past: yesterday, last week, when I was a child, or a completed situation.
| Subject | Past form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | was | I was at home yesterday. / She was tired. |
| You / We / They | were | We were in class. / They were at the park. |
Negatives
Questions
For yes/no questions, place am, is, are, was, or were before the subject. For information questions, start with the question word.
| Statement | Yes/No question | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| She is from Colombia. | Is she from Colombia? | Yes, she is. / No, she isn't. |
| They are in class. | Are they in class? | Yes, they are. / No, they aren't. |
| He was at home. | Was he at home? | Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't. |
| You were ready. | Were you ready? | Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't. |
Do not use do with the verb to be. Say Are you a student?, not Do you are a student?
Practice
Use this grammar in classroom location sentences, Guess Who questions, family descriptions, and personal information conversations.