To be verbs completely explained | FLS Online — FLS Online

 

Example sentences using “to be” verbs

These are examples of how you will see “to be” verbs most often. 

“To be” verbs in positive present tense sentences

I am American.

He is a teacher.

She is happy. 

They are at the movies. 

“To be” verbs in negative present tense sentences

I am not angry.

She is not at school.

It is not broken.

We are not students.

“To be” verbs in affirmative past tense sentences 

I was hungry. 

She was at the movies. 

You were there. 

It was great!. 

They were excited. 

“To be” verbs in negative past tense sentences

I was not there.

You were not here. 

He wasn’t a teacher.

We weren’t at the restaurant. 

Questions using “to be” verbs 

To make questions with be verbs, use this order: To be verb + subject + complement

Was I there?

Were you sad?

Was she at school?

Was it a good movie?

Were they late?

Advanced Section

The previous section contained examples of what most beginners need to learn for using “to be” verbs correctly. In this section, we’ll be covering many other ways to use them. 

The present perfect form 

The present perfect form is used for describing experiences or events that have happened in the past when the exact time is not important. 

It uses this structure: subject + has/have + been + complement

Examples:

I have been there. 

You have been good. 

It has been difficult. 

He has been an electrician. 

We have been here all day. 

They have been well-behaved. 

Asking questions using the present perfect form. 

Questions in the present perfect perform form use the structure: Has/have + subject + been + complement

Examples:

Have I been mean?

Have you been worried?

Has he been there? 

Have they been anxious? 

The Present Progressive Form

The present progressive form is for describing continuous or ongoing actions happening right now vs the simple present which describes habits or things which happen now and again. 

Use this structure for the present progressive tense for “to be” verbs: 

Subject + be verb + verb + ing 

Examples:

I am watching television. 

You are pushing the wrong button. 

He is looking at the window. 

She is studying. 

It is raining. 

We are traveling. 

They are thinking. 

 

Question tags using “to be” verbs 

You can add a question tag to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. To put question tags onto sentences using “to be” verbs, use this structure: 

statement + “to be” verb + pronoun. The “to be” verb used in the question tag must be the same one used in the statement.

Note: When adding question tags, if the “to be” verb in the statement is positive, then the one in the question tag must be negative. If the “to be” verb statement is negative, the one in the question tag, must be positive. 

Just think: 

• +statement – question tag

• -statement + question tag

Examples:

I wasn’t being rude, was I? (negative statement with positive question tag) 

It was good, wasn’t it? (positive statement with negative question tag)

You were there, weren’t you? (positive statement with negative question tag)

It wasn’t too bad, was it? (negative question tag with positive question tag)

They weren’t angry, were they? (negative statement with positive question tag) 

 

The linking “To be” verb (descriptions)

The linking “to be” verb describes the condition of the subject. Below are a few sentence structures using the linking “to be” verbs. 

In statements that describe, you’ll see this structure in which the sentences have a “to be” verb linking the subject to a subject complement or adjective complement: 

Subject + “to be” verb + complement

Examples:

I am excited. 

It is boring. 

She is the leader. 

They are at the bank. 

Sometimes when answering a question you can see just a subject and “to be” verb used as in this structure: 

subject + “to be” verb

Examples:

Q: Are you the doctor?

A: I am.

Q: Is she the teacher?

A: She is. 

Adding adverbs to your sentences with linking  “to be” verbs

Reminder: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs in order to tell us how, when, where, why, how often or to what extent

Structure: Subject + “to be” verb + adverb +complement or

Adverb, subject + “to be” verb + complement

Examples:

I am always on time. 

It is never boring. 

Sometimes, it is difficult. 

“To be” verbs for discussing possibility or giving suggestions

When describing possibilities you’ll typically use the following structure:

Subject + modal verb (could, should, would, might etc) + be + complement

Note: “be” stays in this base form directly after a modal verb. 

Examples:

He could be a superstar.

She might be late.

You should be nice to your parents. 

When giving suggestions, it is a little more complicated. 

Examples:

subject + modal verb (suggest)+ object + be + complement

subject + modal verb (advise)+ object + to be + complement

I suggest you be nice to your mother. 

I advise you to be cooperative.

Imperatives: giving commands using “to be” verbs

When giving imperatives or commands, “to be” verbs stay in the base form of be and typically stay at the beginning of the sentence. In these sentences, the subject is implied so it doesn’t have to be written, that is why you only see the “to be” verb followed by the complement. 

Structure: “to be” verb + complement or

Do not + “to be” verb + complement

Examples:

Be a good student. 

Be nice to your teacher. 

Don’t be mean to him. 

When to use “to be” verbs as infinitives. 

Infinitives are to plus a verb in order to make a noun. So you’ll see them in the subject or object of a sentence. They are used to describe the abstract, so they most often are used with a modal verb of desire.

I want to be a singer. 

He likes to be the best at what he does. 

They hope to be friends.

When making these negative, you’ll put do not or does not before the modal verb.

Examples:

Note: following don’t or doesn’t modal verbs such as like, want, need, or hope will stay in base form. 

I don’t want to be difficult. 

He does not like to be mean. 

She doesn’t want to be a musician. 

The passive voice using “to be” verbs

In sentences using the passive voice, the person or thing which is performing the action is either in the object of the sentence or even omitted. When written, the noun performing the action is normally found following a preposition such as “by”

The most common passive voice construction is this: 

Subject + “to be” verb + verb or

Subject + “to be” verb + verb + by + object 

In these constructions, the “to be” verb will follow the standard rules for subject verb agreement. The examples below have sentences using “to be” verbs in different tenses. 

Examples:

Present: The car is powered by electricity. 

Present progressive: The work is being done. 

Past: The building was demolished by the crew. 

Future: The meal will be prepared by the chef. 

Present perfect: The coffee had been made. 

We have covered many ways in which you can use “to be” verbs. Follow our blog for more lessons like this one. Also, if you would like to find out more about studying English online or in the United States, contact us here. FLS International offers live online classes, in-person classes, cultural tours and more!

Written by: Welkin Tang