The Verb “To Be” in English
Mục Lục
Verb “To Be” in English
by Craig Shrives
How to Use “To Be” in English
The verb “to be” is the most common verb in English. It has 8 different forms:
- be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Table of Contents
- The Verb “To Be” Explained
- The Different Forms of “To Be”
- Negative Forms of “To Be”
- Using the Different Forms of “To Be”
- Printable Test
- Conjugating “To Be” Fully
The Verb “To Be” Explained
This graphic shows how the different forms are used. (Notice that there are short forms too.)
“To be” is a special verb because it can be used as a main verb or an auxiliary verb. As a main verb, it means “exist,” “occur,” or “happen.” As an
The verb “to be” is the most common verb in English. It has 8 different forms:This graphic shows how the different forms are used. (Notice that there are short forms too.)”To be” is a special verb because it can be used as a main verb or an auxiliary verb. As a main verb, it means “exist,” “occur,” or “happen.” As an auxiliary verb (or helping verb), the meaning comes from the verb it is helping. Look at these examples:
“To be” as a main verb:
- I
am
here.
- The meeting
was
in London.
(I “exist” here.)
(The meeting “happened” in London.)
“To be” as an auxiliary verb:
- I
am
working at home.
- Tom
was
painting the fence yesterday.
(Here, “to be” is an auxiliary verb helping the verb “to work.”)
(Here, “to be” is an auxiliary verb helping the verb “to paint.”)
When used as an auxiliary verb, “to be” helps to show the
“Am,” “is,” and “are” are used to show the
For example:
- Tom
is
cleaning the car.
“Was” and “were” are used to show the
For example:
- Tom and Alice
were
cleaning the car.
The Different Forms of “To Be”
- “Be” is the base form.
- “Am,” “Is,” and “Are” are the present tense forms.
- “Was” and “Were” are the past tense forms.
- “Being” is the present participle.
- The cows
are
being
milked.
- You
are
being
silly.
- “Been” is the past participle.
- The cows have
been
milked.
- You have
been
naughty.
I
am
happy.We
are
happy.
You
are
happy.You
are
happy.
He/she/it
is
happy.They
are
happy.
I
was
sad.We
were
sad.
You
were
sad.You
were
sad.
He/she/it
was
sad.They
were
sad.
As a present participle, “being” is mostly used as an auxiliary verb.
(Here, the meaning comes from the verb “to milk.” The verbs “are” and “being” are both auxiliary verbs.)
When “being” is not an auxiliary verb, it has a meaning like “existing in a state of.”
(Notice that “to be” is both the auxiliary verb (“are”) and the main verb (“being”) in this example.)
As a past participle, “been” is mostly used as an auxiliary verb.
(As before, the meaning comes from the verb “to milk.” The verbs “have” and “been” are both auxiliary verbs.)
When “been” is not an auxiliary verb, it has a meaning like “existed in a state of.”
(Here, “have” is an auxiliary verb helping “been.”)
Negative Forms of “To Be”
The negative forms of “to be” are made by adding “not.”
- Here are the present tense forms:
- Here are the past tense forms:
I
am not
happy.We
are not
happy.
You
are not
happy.You
are not
happy.
He/she/it
is not
happy.They
are not
happy.
I
was not
sad.We
were not
sad.
You
were not
sad.You
were not
sad.
He/she/it
was not
sad.They
were not
sad.
As shown in this graphic, with the exception of “am not” and the future tense, all of these negative forms have at least one short version. Some have two short versions.
The short forms are called
Using the Different Forms of “To Be”
Here are the most common uses for the 8 different forms of “to be”:
When used as an auxiliary verb, “to be” helps to show the tense of the verb it is helping.”Am,” “is,” and “are” are used to show the present progressive tense For example:”Was” and “were” are used to show the past progressive tense For example:The negative forms of “to be” are made by adding “not.”As shown in this graphic, with the exception of “am not” and the future tense, all of these negative forms have at least one short version. Some have two short versions.The short forms are called contractions Here are the most common uses for the 8 different forms of “to be”:
“Be” has three common uses:
(1) “Be” is used after “will” to form the
- She will
be
rich soon.
(2) “Be” is used to give an order.
-
Be
quiet.
(The form used to give an order is called the imperative form. In English, the imperative form is the same as the base form.)
(3) “Be” is used after a
- You might
be
correct.
“Be” is used after “will” to form the simple future tense “Be” is used to give an order.”Be” is used after a modal verb (can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would).
“Am,” “Is,” “Are” have two common uses:
(1) As main verbs, they are often used to link something to a description.
- I
am
happy.
- He
is
a policeman.
- We
are
on the bus.
(Used like this, the verb “to be” is called a linking verb.)
“Is” and “are” are used in a similar way in two very common constructions that start with “it” or “there.”
- It
is
cold.
- There
is
one reason.
- There
are
two reasons.
(2) As auxiliary verbs, “am,” “is,” and “are” are used to form the
- I
am
painting the fence.
- He
is
painting the fence.
- We
are
painting the fence.
As main verbs, they are often used to link something to a description.”Is” and “are” are used in a similar way in two very common constructions that start with “it” or “there.”As auxiliary verbs, “am,” “is,” and “are” are used to form the present progressive tense
“Was” and “Were” have two common uses:
(1) As main verbs, they are often used to link something to a description.
- I
was
happy.
- He
was
a policeman.
- We
were
on the bus.
(Just as before, the verb “to be” is a linking verb. This time though, they are in the past tense.)
“Was” and “were” are also used in those two constructions starting “it” or “there.”
- It
was
cold.
- There
was
one reason.
- There
were
two reasons.
(2) As auxiliary verbs, “was” and “were” are used to form the
- She
was
painting the fence.
- They
were
painting the fence.
As main verbs, they are often used to link something to a description.”Was” and “were” are also used in those two constructions starting “it” or “there.”As auxiliary verbs, “was” and “were” are used to form the past progressive tense
“Being” has two main uses:
(1) As the main verb in a sentence, “being” has a meaning like “existing in the state of.”
- Sarah
is
being
annoying.
- You
were
being
silly.
(In this example, the verb “to be” appears twice. Once as an auxiliary verb (“is”) and once as a main verb (“being”). The verb phrase “is being” is an example of the present progressive tense.)
(As before, the verb “to be” appears twice. Once as an auxiliary verb (“were”) and once as a main verb (“being”). The verb phrase “were being” is an example of the past progressive tense.)
(2) As a present participle, “being” is used as an auxiliary verb in a
- Tom
is
being
promoted this afternoon.
- The cows
were
being
milked.
(In a passive sentence, the action of the verb is done to the subject. So, the action of the verb “to promote” is happening to the subject “Tom.”)
(This is another passive sentence. The action of the verb “to milk” happened to the subject “cows.”)
As the main verb in a sentence, “being” has a meaning like “existing in the state of.”As a present participle, “being” is used as an auxiliary verb in a passive sentence
“Been” has two common uses:
(1) As the main verb in a sentence, “been” has a meaning like “existed in the state of.”
- We have
been
happy.
(In this example, “have” is an auxiliary verb.)
(2) As a past participle, “been” is used as an auxiliary verb in a passive sentence.
- Tom has
been
promoted.
- The cows have
been
milked already.
(Notice that “been” is helped by the auxiliary verb “to have,” while “being” is helped by the auxiliary verb “to be.”)
As the main verb in a sentence, “been” has a meaning like “existed in the state of.”As a past participle, “been” is used as an auxiliary verb in a passive sentence.
The Eight Forms of “To Be”
Here are the 8 different forms of “to be” with their official descriptions. (Note that normal verbs in English have only 5 forms.)
The Five Forms of Normal Verbs
This table shows the 5 forms of a normal verb (“to know”).
More about “To Be”
The verb “be” is an
Conjugating “To Be” Fully
The tables below show how “be” conjugates in all 12 of the past, present, and future tenses. Bear in mind that “to be” is used as both the auxiliary verb and the main verb in these conjugation tables.
Past Tenses
PersonSimple PastPast Progressive TensePast Perfect TensePast Perfect Progressive Tense
- I
- you
- he/she/it
- we
- you
- they
- was
- were
- was
- were
- were
- were
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
- was being
- were being
- was being
- were being
- were being
- were being
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
- had been
- had been
- had been
- had been
- had been
- had been
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
- had been being
- had been being
- had been being
- had been being
- had been being
- had been being
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
Present Tenses
PersonSimple PresentPresent Progressive TensePresent Perfect TensePresent Perfect Progressive Tense
- I
- you
- he/she/it
- we
- you
- they
- am
- are
- is
- are
- are
- are
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
- am being
- are being
- is being
- are being
- are being
- are being
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
- have been
- have been
- has been
- have been
- have been
- have been
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
- have been being
- have been being
- has been being
- have been being
- have been being
- have been being
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
Future Tenses
PersonSimple FutureFuture Progressive TenseFuture Perfect TenseFuture Perfect Progressive Tense
- I
- you
- he/she/it
- we
- you
- they
- will be
- will be
- will be
- will be
- will be
- will be
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
- will be being
- will be being
- will be being
- will be being
- will be being
- will be being
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
- will have been
- will have been
- will have been
- will have been
- will have been
- will have been
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
- will have been being
- will have been being
- will have been being
- will have been being
- will have been being
- will have been being
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
Most Common Irregular Verbs
The three most common irregular verbs in English are “to be,”
Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:
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Here are the 8 different forms of “to be” with their official descriptions. (Note that normal verbs in English have only 5 forms.)This table shows the 5 forms of a normal verb (“to know”).The verb “be” is an irregular verb . (This means that “be” does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the base form.)The tables below show how “be” conjugates in all 12 of the past, present, and future tenses. Bear in mind that “to be” is used as both the auxiliary verb and the main verb in these conjugation tables.The three most common irregular verbs in English are “to be,” to have , and to do Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:
