The verb “to be” is different from other verbs in English.
“Be verbs” do not show an action. “Be verbs” show a state of being. They act like an equals sign (=) in math. “Be verbs” are usually followed by a noun or an adjective.
A noun is a person, place, thing, or thing.
An adjective is a word that describes a noun like big, small, happy, fast, interesting, and annoying.
Simple present tense “be verbs” are – am, is, are.
“Be verbs” go after the subject. Use this pattern with “be verbs”.
Subject + be verb + noun/adjective
The verb “to be” changes depending on the subject of the sentence.
Put “am” after the subject I.
- I am tired.
- I am sick and cold.
- I am a doctor.
- I am a good man.
Put “is” after he, she, it, or one person or the name of a thing.
- Bill is handsome.
- He is a student.
- Erin is funny.
- She is a writer.
- My dog is huge.
- It is cute.
Put “are” after you, we, they, or two or more people’s or the name of a thing.
- You are a good friend.
- Mary and I are coworkers.
- We are hungry.
- The children are cute.
- They are 5 years old.
- The buildings are tall.
- They are new.
Look at the difference.
- My friend is nice.
- My friends are nice.
- Her book is blue.
- Her books are blue.
This is difficult for many English learners, and even advanced English speakers sometimes have trouble with this.
Try to practice a lot and you will get used to it quickly. It will become natural for you to make sentences with be verbs in the present tense. I am…. You are…Tim and I are… / We are… Tim is… / He is….Sue is… / She is… The dog is… / It is…The pizza is… / It is… Tim and Sue are… / They are…The cats are… / They are… The cars are… / They are…Here are many examples sentences, example conversations, practice sentences, and a quiz to give you some extra practice.
Example Sentences
- I am tired because I worked late last night.
- I am an engineer at a company in Korea.
- You are really nice.
- You are a great chef.
- We are married.
- We are artists.
- David and I are baseball fans.
- He is cute.
- He is a teacher.
- David is an interesting guy.
- My professor is kind.
- She is a hard worker.
- She is a great speaker.
- Erin is so nice.
- My mom is generous.
- It is very big.
- It is really interesting.
- The pizza is so hot.
- My dog is very cute.
- They are cool.
- They are happy because they won the game.
- Richard and Monica are very serious people.
- My friends are artists.
English Conversation 1
A) This car is cool.
B) It is my car. It is new.
A) I am jealous of you.
English Conversation 2
A) Hello. I am David.
B) Hi David. I am Chris. It is nice to meet you.
A) It is nice to meet you too.
Improve your English and learn to speak fluently with this simple practice. Finish the sentences below and then practice making your own sentences. It is a simple yet effective way to learn English.
Tip: Say the sentences aloud. This will help you practice speaking English and improve your pronunciation and fluency. It will help your tongue get used to speaking English and making English sounds.
I am _______________.
My mother is _______________.
My best friend is _______________.
Dogs are _______________.
My job is _______________.
Cookies are _______________.
The weather is _______________ today.
She is _______________.
We are _______________.
This pizza is _______________.
Math is _______________.
Speaking English is _______________.
Yoga is _______________.
My country is_______________.
My family is _______________.
I am _______________ because _______________.
She is _______________ because _______________.
It is _______________ because _______________.
Speaking English is _______________ because _______________.
