Verb to be (am, is, are): Forms, Uses and Common Mistakes

The verb to be has three present forms: am, is and are. We use it to say who or what something is, to describe people and things, and to talk about age, jobs, places and feelings. It is the first verb most learners need. It also works differently from other English verbs in negatives and questions.

Am, is or are: the basic rule

The form depends on the subject.

Subject	Verb to be
I	am
he, she, it	is
you, we, they	are

The same rule works with nouns. A singular noun (one person or thing) takes is. A plural noun, or two subjects joined with and, takes are.

• My sister is a nurse.
• The children are at school.
• Tom and I are friends.
• This coffee is hot.

You always takes are, for one person or for many people: You are late, Anna. / You are all welcome.

When do we use the verb to be?

Names and identity

• I**’m** Daniel.
• This is my brother, Leo.

Age

• I**’m** 25 (years old).
• My grandmother is 80.

Nationality and origin

• We**’re** from Brazil.
• She**’s** Japanese.

Jobs

• He**’s** a teacher.
• They**’re** doctors.

Use a or an with a singular job: She’s an engineer, not She’s engineer.

Descriptions

• The flat is small but nice.
• Your eyes are blue.

Feelings and states

• I**’m** tired.
• Are you hungry?
• We**’re** ready.

Place

• The keys are on the table.
• Mum is at work.

Time, days, weather and prices

• It**’s** seven o’clock.
• It**’s** Monday today.
• It**’s** sunny.
• How much is this T-shirt? It**’s** £15.

Affirmative: full forms and contractions

In speaking and informal writing (messages, emails to friends) we usually use contractions, or short forms. In formal writing, full forms are more common.

Full form	Contraction	Example
I am	I’m	I’m a student.
you are	you’re	You’re right.
he is	he’s	He’s from Italy.
she is	she’s	She’s my manager.
it is	it’s	It’s cold today.
we are	we’re	We’re at home.
they are	they’re	They’re very kind.

You can also contract is after nouns and question words: My phone’s in my bag. Where’s the station? What’s your name?

Spelling note: it’s or its?

It’s means it is: It’s late. Its (no apostrophe) shows possession: The cat is eating its food. In the same way, they’re = they are, their = possessive (their house), and there = a place (over there).

Negative: am not, isn’t, aren’t

To make the negative, put not after am, is or are. Do not use don’t or doesn’t.

Full form	Short form 1	Short form 2
I am not	I’m not	–
you are not	you’re not	you aren’t
he is not	he’s not	he isn’t
she is not	she’s not	she isn’t
it is not	it’s not	it isn’t
we are not	we’re not	we aren’t
they are not	they’re not	they aren’t

Both short forms are correct and common. With I there is only one: I’m not. (I amn’t is not standard English.)

• I’m not ready yet.
• It isn’t expensive.
• My parents aren’t at home.

Questions and short answers

To make a yes/no question, put am, is or are before the subject. Again, there is no do or does.

Statement	Question
You are tired.	Are you tired?
She is a doctor.	Is she a doctor?
They are from Spain.	Are they from Spain?
I am late.	Am I late?

Short answers

In conversation we often answer with Yes or No + subject + be.

Question	Yes	No
Am I late?	Yes, you are.	No, you aren’t. / No, you’re not.
Are you tired?	Yes, I am.	No, I’m not.
Is he here?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn’t. / No, he’s not.
Is it open?	Yes, it is.	No, it isn’t.
Are they ready?	Yes, they are.	No, they aren’t.

Do not contract a positive short answer. Say Yes, I am, not Yes, I’m, and Yes, she is, not Yes, she’s.

Wh- questions

Put the question word first, then am/is/are, then the subject.

Question word	be	Subject + rest
Where	is	the bathroom?
How old	are	you?
What	is	your job?
Who	is	that man?
Why	are	they late?

Useful everyday questions: What’s your name? Where are you from? How are you? How old is your son? What time is it?

Be and the structures learners confuse it with

Be, not have, for age and feelings

In many languages you have years, hunger or cold. In English, use be.

• I’m 30. (not I have 30)
• She’s hungry. (not She has hunger)
• Are you cold? (not Do you have cold?)

To talk about things you own, family and appearance, use have or have got: I’ve got a brother. She’s got long hair. See our guide to have got and has got.

Be vs other present simple verbs

Do not put am/is/are in front of another verb in the present simple.

• I work in a bank. (not I am work)
• She likes pizza. (not She is like pizza)

With other verbs, negatives and questions use do/does: Do you work here? She doesn’t like tea. With be, they never do: Are you a student? She isn’t at home. Read more in our Present Simple guide.

It is vs there is

Use there is / there are to say that something exists. Use it is to describe it or say where it is.

• There’s a café near my house. It’s small and quiet.

For more examples, see our guide to there is and there are.

Don’t drop the verb or the subject

Some languages don’t need a verb in sentences like She happy. English always needs one: She is happy. English also needs a subject, so say It’s hot, not Is hot.

Common mistakes

• ✗ I is a student. → ✓ I am a student. — I always takes am.
• ✗ She are my friend. → ✓ She is my friend. — he, she, it take is.
• ✗ My friends is nice. → ✓ My friends are nice. — plural nouns take are.
• ✗ I have 20 years. → ✓ I’m 20. — use be for age.
• ✗ I don’t am hungry. → ✓ I’m not hungry. — the negative of be uses not, not don’t.
• ✗ Do you are from Spain? → ✓ Are you from Spain? — questions with be don’t use do.
• ✗ You are ready? → ✓ Are you ready? — in a question, be goes before the subject.
• ✗ Yes, I’m. → ✓ Yes, I am. — no contraction at the end of a positive short answer.
• ✗ He’s doctor. → ✓ He’s a doctor. — a singular job needs a or an.
• ✗ Is very cold today. → ✓ It’s very cold today. — an English sentence needs a subject.
• ✗ My brother he is tall. → ✓ My brother is tall. — don’t repeat the subject with a pronoun.
• ✗ I am live in London. → ✓ I live in London. — don’t add am to another verb.

Quick check

Choose or write the correct form.

1. My parents ___ teachers. (am / is / are)
2. ___ she from Canada? — Yes, she ___.
3. I ___ hungry. (negative)
4. How old ___ your sister?
5. Correct the mistake: He have 12 years.

Answers

1. are
2. Is / is
3. ’m not (am not)
4. is
5. He’s 12. / He is 12 (years old).

Next step

Now put the rules into practice. Start with our A1 Verb to be test 1, then try Verb to be test 2 for more practice with negatives, questions and short answers. If you make mistakes, check the tables above and try again. When you feel confident, move on to the past forms in our guide to the past simple of to be (was, were).