The verb to be

5. The simple present of the verb to be

   This page will present the simple present of the verb to be:
   

   • its form
   • and its use

   The verb to be

   The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It is difficult to use because it is an irregular verb in almost all of its forms.  In the simple present tense, to be is conjugated as follows:
   

   Affirmative forms of the verb to be

   Subject Pronouns	Full Form	Contracted Form
   I	am	'm
   you	are	're
   he/she/it	is	's
   we	are	're
   you	are	're
   they	are	're

   Interrogative forms of the verb to be:

   Am	I?
   Are	you?
   Is	he/she/it?
   Are	we?
   Are	you?
   Are	they?

   Negative Forms of the verb to be:

   Subject Pronouns	Full Form	Contracted Form
   I	am not	'm not
   you	are not	aren't
   he/she/it	is not	isn't
   we	are not	aren't
   you	are not	aren't
   they	are not	aren't

   Examples:
   

   • Is Brad Pitt French?
   • No, he isn't. He's American.
   • What about Angelina Joli? Is she American, too?
   • Yes, she is. She is American.
   • Are brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
   • No, They aren't. They are American.

   Use of the simple present of to be

   The principal use of the simple present is to refer to an action or event that takes place habitually, but with the verb "to be" the simple present tense also refers to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.
   

   • I am happy.
   • She is helpful.

   The verb to be in the simple present can be also used to refer to something that is true at the present moment.
   

   • She is 20 years old.
   • He is a student.

   Remember:

6. I, you, he, she, it, you, they are subject pronouns (also called personal pronouns, a term used to include both subject and object pronouns.)
7. am, are, is are forms of the verb to be in the simple present.
8. 'm, 're, 's are short (contracted) forms of  am, are, is
9. 'm not, aren't, isn't are short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not.

5. Fill in the blanks with the right subject / personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they):

   1. Angelina Joli is American. isn't French.
      
   2. Brad Pitt is American, too. isn't German.
      
   3. Brad and Angelina aren't French. are American.
      
   4. My friend and I are high school students. aren't primary school students.
      
   5. The Statue of Liberty is in New York. isn't in Washington.

   Fill in the blanks with the right form of to be ( am, are or is):

   1. you the new student?
      
   2. Yes, I .
      
   3. Leila and Nancy students.
      
   4. Nancy Australian .
      
   5. My sister and I students.
   6. The girls tired.
   7. These women beautiful.
   8. The tea delicious.
   9. Nadia and Leila friends.
   10. The newspaper cheap.

   Choose the correct answer (negative or affirmative form of to be):

   1. Is Julia Robert French? No, she
   2. What about Robert de Nero? Is he an American actor? Yes, he
   3. .
      
   4. Are New York and Los Angeles Spanish Cities? No, they
   5. Spanish cities.
      
   6. Is Big Ben in Paris? No, it
   7. in Paris.
      
   8. Is Mount Everest in Africa? No, it
   in Africa. It   in Asia.