Present Simple of "be"

Beginner (A1)en

Present simple of ‘be’

Present Simple of “Be” (am / is / are) – A1 Level

1. What Is the Verb “Be”?

The verb “be” is one of the most important verbs in English.
We use it very often to talk about who we are, how we feel, and where we are.

The verb “be” is special because it changes its form depending on the subject.
In this lesson, we focus on the verb “be” in the present simple tense.

In the present simple, “be” has three forms:

am
is
are

2. When Do You Use the Present Simple of “Be”?

You use am / is / are to talk about:

Identity → who you are
→ “I am a teacher.”
Introducing people → saying someone’s name
→ “I am Sam.”
Feelings → how someone feels
→ “She is happy.”
Colour → describing colour
→ “Our car is white.”
Age → saying how old someone is
→ “He is 10 years old.”
Jobs → what people do
→ “They are doctors.”
Place → where someone or something is
→ “We are at home.”
Weather → talking about the weather
→ “It is raining today.”
Time → saying the time
→ “It is four o’clock.”
Nationality / origin → where someone is from
→ “He is from Spain.”
Descriptions → what something is like
→ “The room is clean.”

3. Choosing the Correct Form: am / is / are
The form of “be” depends on the subject.

Use am only with “I”
→ “I am tired.” → I’m tired.
Use is with he / she / it
(one person or one thing, singular)
→ “He is my brother.” → He’s my brother.
→ “The weather is nice.” → The weather’s nice.
Use are with you / we / they
(one person, more than one person, or a group, plural)
→ “You are welcome.” → You’re welcome.
→ “They are friends.” → They’re friends.

Important tip:
Even when “you” means one person, it always uses are.

4. Positive Sentences with "Be"
Sentences with “be” are simple and clear.
You must always have a subject before the verb “be.”

Basic structure:

Subject + am / is / are + information

Examples:

“I am hungry.”
“He is hungry.”
“She is hungry.”
“It is hungry.”
“You are hungry.”
“We are hungry.”
“They are hungry.”

5. Negative Sentences with “Be”
To make a sentence negative, add not after am / is / are.

Basic structure:

Subject + am / is / are + not + information

Examples:
“I:“

“I am not hungry./ I'm not hungry.”

“He/She/It:“

“He is not hungry./He's not hungry./He isn't hungry ”
“She is not hungry./She's not hungry./She isn't hungry ”
“It is not hungry./It's not hungry. /It isn't hungry. ”

“You/We/They:“

“You are not hungry./You're not hungry./You aren't hungry.”
“We are not hungry./We're not hungry./We aren't hungry.”
“They are not hungry./They're not hungry./They aren't hungry.”

Short forms:

am not → (no short form)
is not → isn’t
are not → aren’t

6. A Helpful Way to Remember
Think of “be” as a mirror verb.
It gives information about the subject.

I → am
You → are
He / She / It → is
We / They → are

Practice Exercises

Test your knowledge with interactive fill-in-the-blank exercises