Hello, friends. Many people make the mistake of not using auxiliary verbs AM, IS, ARE in the present tense when they are needed. In our lesson we will dwell in detail on am, is, are, and analyze situations when these three words must be inserted into a sentence. At the end of the lesson you can take a test and test yourself. As I already said, AM, IS, ARE are needed in the present tense. These three words are verb forms TO BE, which translates as “to be.” AM, IS, ARE can be translated as “there is,” but almost always in Russian these verbs are completely omitted from speech. This is where difficulties arise.
A little theory
As you probably know, in English language We must use both subject and predicate in a sentence. In other words, in any sentence there is always an author of the action (who?) - this is the subject. And there is an action it produces (what does it do?) - this is the predicate. This is very important for understanding the English grammar system as a whole.
But now we will focus on the present tense.
In Russian, when an action is not specified, we understand that the situation takes place in the present tense.
For example: It's cold. Rain. I'm under an umbrella.
In each of these sentences there is no verb, no explicit action. But reading them, we understand that all this is happening in the present.
Now let's look at how an English-speaking person sees this situation:
[This state exists] cold. [This state exists] rainy. I [There is] under the umbrella.
“This state” - “it” is the subject. By the way, it is also called “formal subject”. Because it is needed solely for grammatical construction, and does not make any sense.
In the third sentence from our example, the subject is the word “I”, the author of the action.
As you might have guessed, the action that is present in each of the examples is the verb “is” - a variant of the verb “to be”, “to be in a state”.
Do you know that in the Old Russian language the word “is” was used, but it sounded like “is”? Remember one of catch phrases from the wonderful film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession,” when Tsar Ivan the Terrible says: “I am the Tsar, Ivan Vasilyevich.” “Az” is “I”, and “am” is “there is”. Over time, this form fell out of use.
Let's remember the rule:
Where in Russian there is no visible action, in English there is action.
Usually this applies to the present tense.
In Russian we call action for past and future tense.
Example in past tense: Was Cold. Was rain. I was under the umbrella. Example in the future tense: Will Cold. Will rain. I will under the umbrella.
Here the action is expressed by the verb “was/was/was” in the past and “will/will be” in the future. You just need to add a formal subject to translate such a sentence into English.
Verb “to be” in the present tense has 3 forms in English tense: am / is / are. Please note that to be itself is not translated into any tense, but depending on whether we are talking about the present, past or future, to be begins to change. As well as Russian word"to be" changes to "was", "is" or "will be" depending on the time.
The following act as the subject: pronouns, How
I - I
You, you - You
He, she, it - He, she, it
We - We
They - They
And words that can be replaced with these pronouns.
For example, children - they - they
The form of the predicate depends on the subject:
I am
You are
He, she, it is
We are
They are
So am can only be used with I, not in any other case.
We put Are if the subject is you, we, they and words that can be replaced with these pronouns (people, eggs, “you and I”, etc.)
Is appears only after he, she, it and the words they replace (Kate, a boy, an apple, a cow, etc.)
Carefully study the table and examples:
Am, is, are very often are being reduced in speech and writing. An apostrophe is used instead of the first letter.
Negative particle not
If we want to make a negation, then we need to put the negative particle “not” immediately after am, is, are. Not can also be shortened for ease of speech. There are 3 negation options used at the same time:
You are not - You aren't - You're not
But for I am there are only 2 options:
I am not - I’m not. There is no abbreviation for I amn't.
To be or not to be? That is not the question... The sea deity Proteus of the ancient Greeks could (like the sea) take on any form. What are we talking about?
Moreover, the verb “to be” is known in the world not only as the most vital and always relevant, but also as the most changeable (protean) in the English language, constantly changing and accepting different shapes, sometimes not so noticeable to us.
Considering that it is used so often in English speech, it is rather sad that "to be" should be the most fickle and slippery verb in the language. Let's get to know him better. C"mon!
What is the verb to be and why is it needed?
The verb To Be (am, is, are) is the basis of English grammar. If you misunderstood or understudied this material, then your entire study of the English language will most likely be unsuccessful. Therefore, if you feel that there is a gap somewhere in this material, then it is better to stay longer on this article.
It is this verb that underlies the construction of approximately 30 percent of all English grammatical constructions and is where you should start studying English grammar.
For example, to say “I am a student,” we must insert the desired form of the linking verb “to be” and the sentence will take on the meaning “I am a student." - “I (am) a student.”
We must carefully choose the correct verb form for the object, depending on whether it is singular or plural. This is usually easy. We wouldn’t write: “The troops were moving to the border.” Well, where is this good?
However, some proposals require closer attention. For example, how would you write:
The majority of Facebook users are (or is?) upset about the increase in spam.
Most Facebook users are upset about the increase in spam.
In fact, in this sentence everything depends on your accent - if it is focused on users— put “ are", if on group of people— « is».
Plural or singular depends on your choice. If you find it difficult what exactly to focus on, then choose what sounds best to you. It is unlikely that your chosen form of “to be” will upset anyone.
By the way, “majority” is used only with countable nouns: “he ate the majority of cookies", but not "he ate the majority of the pie". instead we will say: “he ate most of the pie."
Translation into Russian of the verb To Be
“To be” is translated as “to be”, “to be”, “to exist”, “to appear” or not translated at all, and can be in Present (am, is, are), Past (was, were) and Future (will ( be)/shall (be)) tenses. The form of the verb depends on who is doing the action.
Unlike the Russian language, in English the linking verb is never omitted, due to the strictly fixed word order:
Rule To Be: subject ( subject) + predicate ( verb) + addition ( object).
- As independent verb(to be, to be, to exist or not translated):
I am at home.
I am at home.
She was at the Institute yesterday.
She was at the institute yesterday.
Not is in New York.
He (be) in New York.
- IN interrogative form of the verb “to be” is placed before subject to and does not require an auxiliary verb to form the interrogative or negative form. The same thing happens in the continuative (durative) form of the verb (Continuous).
Is he in New York?
Is he (to be) in New York?
Was she at the Institute yesterday?
Was she at the institute yesterday?
- Negative the form is formed using the negation " not", which is put after verb "to be".
She was not (wasn't) at the Institute yesterday.
She wasn't at the institute yesterday.
Not is not (isn't) in New York.
He is not (located) in New York.
IN colloquial speech"not" usually merges with "to be" to form abbreviations:
is not = isn't
are not = aren't
The verb "to be" is also shortened with personal pronoun:
I am = I"m
We are = we"re
He is = he's
- As auxiliary verb.
Used to form continuous verb forms ( Continuous) and continuous perfect tenses ( Perfect Continuous).
They are reading a book.
They are reading a book.
He is sleeping now.
He is sleeping now.
We have been working here for 10 years.
We have been working here (for) 10 years.
Auxiliary Verbs, By the way , can also be combined with the basic form of "to be" to form simple answers:
Is Jack in class this morning?
Well, he might be.
Is anyone helping Jack with his homework?
I'm not sure. Jane could be.
“to be” is also used to form the passive voice ( Passive Voice):
Active: Didn't buy a new magazine.
He bought a new magazine.
Passive: A new magazine was bought.
New magazine bought.
- As verb-ligaments(to be, to appear).
I am a doctor.
I am a doctor.
Not is a doctor.
He is a doctor.
Her new hat is red. Her new hat is red.
- In the design " there is/there are"(to be, to be).
There is a table in the room.
There (is) a table in the room.
In this sentence " there" is a formal subject. The active subject is the noun that follows the verb "be" (is), i.e. "table".
If the subject is plural, then the verb “to be” must also be plural.
There are tables in the room.
There (are) tables in the room.
At time change the form of the verb changes to be»:
There was a table in the room.
There was a table in the room.
There were tables in the room.
There were tables in the room.
Translation of sentences with the construction “there is/there are” begins with translation circumstances places.
Negative form:
There is no table in the room. (There isn't a table...).
In the room there is (no) table.
There is no water in the bottle. (There isn't any water in the bottle.)
In a bottle no water.
Interrogative form:
Is there a man in the house?
In the house is there a man?
Are there(any) apples in the greengrocers?
In vegetable Are there any apples in the store?
- “To be” often works in conjunction with others verbs:
He is playing the piano
She will be arriving this afternoon.
- And sometimes “to be” will stand myself By to myself. Especially in simple answers to equally simple questions:
Who's going to the movies with me tonight?
I am.
Who's responsible for this mess?
She is.
Present:
I am to (not to) / We are to (not to) / You are to (not to);
He/she/it is to (not to) / They are to (not to).
Past:
I was to (not to) / We were to (not to) / You were to (not to) You were to (not to);
He/she/it was to (not to) / They were to (not to).
- To be ( Present) is used only With Indefinite Infinitive(indefinite infinitive).
They are to be here.
They should be here.
- "To be" ( Past) used with Indefinite Infinitive(indefinite infinitive) and with Perfect Infinitive(perfect infinitive), which means that the action was not performed:
She was(supposed) to be in the cinema.
She should have been in the movies.
- The modal verb "to be" can be used to express responsibilities, which is based on previous agreements (plan, schedule etc.)
We are to go to the cinema.
We should go to the cinema.
- We also use this modal verb to express order or instructions:
You are to go to school.
You have to go to school.
- We use "to be" if something categorically forbidden V negative form.
Children are not allowed to drink alcohol.
Children are prohibited from drinking alcohol.
- "To be" is used for urgency council or wishes:
You are to drive straight.
Drive straight.
- "To be", in passive voice(constructed using the infinitive “to be”) and Past Participle— 3rd form of irregular verb or adding the ending “- ed" to the correct one), describes opportunity:
She was not to be heard.
It was impossible to hear her.
You were to be heard very good on the concert.
You could be heard very well at the concert.
Conclusion
We have looked at all the main important nuances of this tricky verb. For the last time, we draw your attention to the fact that when you say a phrase and doubt whether you should put the verb be there, you can always test yourself by asking questions to the sentence: am I who/what, is where, is what?
If in translation the words “is, is, is” give the sentence a logical meaning, then in English such a sentence will be correct.
We hope this article helped you understand the verb to be, which is simple only at first glance. Cheers!
Big and friendly EnglishDom family
The common English verb to be is one of the irregular verbs and its conjugation and application differs from the conjugation of regular verbs. In time, the verb to be has two forms: was and were (this is where the notorious “was” comes from were the rule"). We will tell you which form to use where and when in this article. The basic rule to remember about the use of was and were: the form was is used with singular nouns, and the form were will be used with plural nouns.
Form was
The verb to be in the Past Simple will usually have the form was with the pronouns I, it, he and she i.e. with singular pronouns. The verb was is used only when there are no other verbs in the sentence, otherwise the auxiliary verb did will be written.
Free lesson on the topic:
Irregular English verbs: table, rules and examples
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She was an happy child— She was a happy child.
She was prettier than me- She was more beautiful than me.
He was a terrible actor- He was a terrible actor.
He was a boy, she was a girl- He was a boy and she was a girl.
I was the ugliest man in a room“I was the ugliest person in the room.”
I was made for loving you, baby“I was made to love you, baby.”
It was a perfect first date— It was an amazing first date.
It was a very good year— It was a very good year.
Shape were
The verb to be in the Past Simple tense, as a rule, will have the form were with the pronouns you, we, they i.e. with plural pronouns. Verb were is used only when there are no other verbs in the sentence, otherwise did will be written.
You were so right to say that“You were so right to say that.”
You were meant for me- T was meant for me.
They were so tired after school— They were so tired after school.
They were all dead“They were all dead.”
We were best friends- We were best friends.
We were reading the whole evening- We read all evening.
Exceptions
There are exceptions to any rule, and the use of the verbs was/were was not without them. We have highlighted for you some of the most common exceptions:
- In the stable construction If I were, the singular pronoun I and the verb were will be used.
If I were her, I would like this dog- If I were her, I would like this dog.
If I were here I would dance a pasodoble- If I were here, I would dance the paso doble. - In sentences with the construction I wish (when the fulfillment of a wish is unattainable), the phrase I were will be written.
I wish I were Batman- It's a pity that I'm not Batman.
I wish I were smart- It's a pity that I'm not smart.
Was/were in negative sentences
There are two ways to get a negative sentence with the verb was/were: adding no to the sentence or adding a negative particle not, after which you will need to add an auxiliary word (any, much, etc.)
There was no gift for her“There was no gift for her.”
Were there boxes on the bureau?– Were there boxes on the bureau?
Was/were in interrogative sentences
To get an interrogative sentence with the verb was/were, you need to put the verb before the subject.
Was she a doctor?— Was she a doctor?
Was it breathtakingly?- It was exciting?
Were you honest with me?-Were you honest with me?
Were we fun?— Did we have fun?
Where was she yesterday?-Where was she yesterday?
Were they yelling?— Did they fight?
Video about the use of the verbs was and were:
You've probably come across the verb to be more than once in the form being. To be honest, at first this word “being” bothered me terribly. There is already too much that is incomprehensible in the English language, and now there is this. Although, if you think about it, every verb has four forms: present tense, past tense, past participle and continuous form. Therefore everything is logical.
Be- present tense form. Past tense - was, were. Past participle - been(for the formation of perfect tenses). And the long-term form is being. Now all that remains is to figure out exactly when we use being .
Let's take the easiest to understand examples - descriptions of people.
Use being And be: feel the difference
The boy is naughty. This boy is naughty. (This is a trait of his character, he always behaves like this).
The boy is being naughty. (In this particular situation, this boy is behaving badly.)
You are rude. You are rude. (This is your character trait, you always treat people rudely).
You are being rude. (In this situation, you behaved rudely and impolitely. Although, perhaps, you are a completely well-mannered person).
I was careful when I drove. (I am an attentive person, I try to be attentive when I drive a car).
I was being careful when I drove. (I'm not usually that attentive on the road, but maybe I saw a traffic police officer on the road and that changed my behavior).
Jack is stupid. Jack is stupid.
Jack is being stupid. (Jack is smart enough, but he did one stupid thing)
Stacy is lazy. Stacy is lazy.
Stacy is being lazy. (Stacy may be a workaholic and loves to work, but on this day (moment) she was tired and decided to do nothing).
Thus, being + adjective characterizes someone's behavior or actions. A few more examples:
Why are you being so silly? Why are you acting so stupid?
You are being cruel when you hurt others with your words or actions.
Of course, being can be used not only in the present tense with am, are or is, but also in the past tense with was, were.
When I said that dress doesn’t look good on you, I was just being honest. When I said the dress didn't suit you, I was just being honest (with you).
Note that when adjectives describe feelings and emotional states, the continuous form is not used:
I was upset when I heard that I had failed the test. (Not"I was being upset")
I am delighted to hear that you have won the first prize. (Not"I am being delighted")
Use being to form the passive voice
Being is also used with the past participle to form the passive form:
My sister is cooking dinner. (Assets)
Dinner is being cooked by my sister. (Passive)
I’m quite sure that somebody is following me. (Assets)
I’m quite sure that I am being followed. (Passive)
My car is being repaired. My car is being repaired.
Other uses being
Besides, being used with verbs followed by a gerund (verb + ing):
I love being with my family. I love spending time (being) with my family.
I hate being alone.
Stop being lazy and help me wash the dishes.
And we also put being after prepositions, such as here:
I was in the hospital for a month after being in a car accident. I was in the hospital for a month after a car accident.
That’s the problem with being late all the time – people stop trusting you. This is the problem with constant lateness - people stop believing you.
The best part of being a teacher is interacting with the students. The best thing about being a teacher is interacting with students.
She got an award for being the best salesperson in the company. She received an award for being the best salesperson in the company.
Don’t even think about using be or been in such cases! Just being!
Finally you can meet being V complex sentences as part of a subordinate clause when being replaces unions because/as/since.
These were all the cases and uses of being. Hopefully you now understand the difference between be and being and can use them correctly in your sentences.
Verb to be in Past Simple
In the present tense (Present Simple) the verb to be has 3 forms: am (singular), is (singular), are (plural), in the past (Past Simple) 2 forms: was (singular) , were (plural).
Past Simple tense circumstances:
1. Yesterday - yesterday
2. Last week (last year, last month)- last week (last year, last month)
3. Last autumn (last spring) - last fall (last spring)
4. 2 years ago - 2 years ago
5. in 1997 - in 1997
6. When I was young - when I was young (when my grandmother was young - when my grandmother was young, being young - being young, in his youth)
7. In childhood - in childhood.
When the verbs were, were ( in what situations)?
- in the same semantic cases as the verbs am, is, are (see memo):
1. When we call person's name:
Her name was Jane. - Her name was Jane.
Their names were Jack and Fred. - Their names were Jack and Fred.
2. When we call age:
Jane was 21 last year. - Jane turned 21 last year.
My parents were 45 last month. - My parents turned 45 last month.
3. When we call location person or group of people.
They were at the party last week. - They were at a party last week.
4. When we describe a person or object.
He was tall and slender. - He was tall and slim.
5. When we list a person’s qualities.
He was smart and generous. - He was smart and generous.
6. In stable expressions:
They were interested in Music 5 years ago. - They were interested in music (as a subject) 5 years ago.
I was fond of basketball when I was young. - I was fond of basketball when I was young.
My sister was good at History when she studied at school. - My sister was a good history student (= she was good at history) when she was at school.
7. Pr Anddescription of weather conditions.
It was warm and slippery last week. - Last week it was warm and slippery.
It was cold and windy this autumn. - This autumn it was cold and windy.
When do we use was, were (with what pronouns)?
Linking verb was we use with all singular pronouns(I, he, she, it) and singular nouns numbers, for example: I was a student (I was a student). John was a student. (John was a student)
Linking verb were we use with all plural pronouns(you, we, they) and plural nouns, for example: They were students (They were students). Our parents were students many years ago (Our parents were students many years ago).
!!!: With a pronoun you we always use a plural linking verb: in the present tense are, in the past were, regardless of how you is translated in the sentence “you” or “you”, since the pronoun you has in English. language only plural form. For example: You were a good specialist. (You/You were/were a good specialist).
At the same time, when we address you, meaning a whole group of people, we use the plural noun after the linking verb: You were good students.(You were good students ).
Formation of a sentence with the verb to be:
|
Affirmative Offer |
Negative offer |
Interrogative offer |
|
I was a writer. |
I was not a writer. |
Was I'm a writer? |
|
She was a writer. |
She was not a writer. |
Was she a writer? |
|
We were writers. They |
We were not writers. They |
Were we writers? They |
Accepted abbreviations
I wasn't = I wasn't (worried)
He was = He’s (khiz) He was not = He "s not = He wasn"t (heightened)
She was = She’s (shiz) She was not = She’s not = She wasn’t (worried)
You were= You’re (yue) You were not = You weren’t (vent)
We were= We’re (vie) We were not = We weren’t (vent)
They were= They're (ve(th)e) They were not = They weren't"t (vent)
