A1 Grammar: Chapter 1

The Verb 'To Be'

Learn how to use 'am', 'is', and 'are' to talk about yourself and others!

Introduction to 'To Be'

The verb "to be" is one of the most important verbs in English. We use it to talk about:

Names: My name is Ana.
Nationalities: I am from Spain.
Ages: He is 48 years old.
Feelings: I am happy.
Descriptions: It is a big house.

The verb 'to be' changes its form depending on the subject (who or what is doing the action).

1. Positive Statements (I am, You are, He is...)

When we want to say something positive or true, we use these forms:

Subject	Full Form	Short Form	Examples
I	I am	I'm	I'm a student. I'm happy.
You	You are	You're	You're new. You're welcome.
He	He is	He's	He's my brother. He's from Canada.
She	She is	She's	She's my mother. She's 45.
It	It is	It's	It's a dog. It's cold today.
We	We are	We're	We're friends. We're in class.
They	They are	They're	They're teachers. They're busy.

Note: Contractions (short forms) like "I'm" or "He's" are very common in spoken English and informal writing. Use them to sound more natural!

2. Negative Statements (I am not, You are not...)

To say that something is *not* true, we add "not" after the verb "to be".

Subject	Full Form + not	Short Form	Examples
I	I am not	I'm not	I'm not tired. I'm not from France.
You	You are not	You aren't	You aren't a teacher. You aren't old.
He	He is not	He isn't	He isn't sad. He isn't here.
She	She is not	She isn't	She isn't my sister. She isn't at home.
It	It is not	It isn't	It isn't a cat. It isn't hot.
We	We are not	We aren't	We aren't busy. We aren't colleagues.
They	They are not	They aren't	They aren't students. They aren't happy.

Note: For "is not" and "are not", you can also say "is not" and "are not" (full forms), but "isn't" and "aren't" are more common in everyday speech.

3. Yes/No Questions and Short Answers

To ask a question with "to be", we put the verb (am, are, is) before the subject.

Question Structure	Example Question	Short Answer (Yes)	Short Answer (No)
Am I...?	Am I correct?	Yes, you are.	No, you aren't.
Are you...?	Are you new here?	Yes, I am.	No, I'm not.
Is he...?	Is he from Canada?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn't.
Is she...?	Is she 12?	Yes, she is.	No, she isn't.
Is it...?	Is it a dog?	Yes, it is.	No, it isn't.
Are we...?	Are we in class?	Yes, we are.	No, we aren't.
Are they...?	Are they your parents?	Yes, they are.	No, they aren't.

Important: Always use a short answer (e.g., "Yes, I am." / "No, he isn't.") not just "Yes" or "No."

Practice Exercise: Complete with 'am', 'is', or 'are'

1. I ____ happy.

2. She ____ from Spain.

3. They ____ students.

4. He ____ my brother.

5. You ____ new here.

6. It ____ a small cat.

7. We ____ friends.