We use “verb to be” (am, is, are) to:


Introduce yourself and others


When you’re saying your name or another person’s name:

I

am

Susan

You

are

George

He

is

Juan

She

is

Samantha

We

are

Pedro and Antonio

You

are

Sam and John

They

are

Rodrigo and Montserrat

 

You can also use the contractions:

I

‘m

Susan

You

‘re

George

He

‘s

Juan

She

‘s

Samantha

We

‘re

Pedro and Antonio

You

‘re

Sam and John

They

‘re

Rodrigo and Montserrat

 

 

Personal information:



For example: your name (Susan, George), last name (Smith, Perez), email address, phone number, address, etc.

Examples

Singular

Plural

My name’s Pamela.

His email address is daniel.smith@gmail.com

Her last name’s Roberts.

Your phone number’s 45832402

Our names are Peter and John.

Their phone numbers are 94889483473 and 383745940

Your last names are Peterson and Smith.

 

 

Age



To indicate how old you are, but also others, you need to use the verb to be:

 

-          I’m 20 years old.

-          You’re 50 years old.

-          He’s 16 years old.

-          She’s 5 years old.

-          It’s 7 years old.

-          We’re 26 years old.

-          You’re 39 years old.

-          They’re 45 years old.

 

Physical appearance




You use this to describe a person’s physical characteristics (height, weight, hair or skin colour)

 

·         I’m short

·         You’re chubby.

·         He’s tall.

·         She’s beautiful.

·         My dog’s pretty.

·         We’re brunette

·         You’re blonde.

·         They’re handsome.

You can also use parts of the body:

Plural

Singular

·         My eyes are brown and big.

·         Your ears are big.

·         Her eyebrows are brown and beautiful.

·         His eyes are blue.

·         Our feet are big.

·         Your hands are small.

·         Their arms are strong.  

·         My hair’s long.

·         Your mouth’s small.

·         His nose’s small.

·         Her hair’s brown.

·         Its tail is long.

 

Location



With these sentences you’re telling where a person is (city, country, etc.). We use these sentences we use places.

·         I’m in my house.

·         You’re in the apartment.

·         Charlie’s in the UK. *

·         Samantha’s in Brazil*

·         The dog is in the park.

·         We’re at the school.

·         You’re on the beach.

·         They’re at a party.

*you can use personal pronouns or names with the verb to be.


Origin



You can express nationalities or origin.

  • ·         I’m Mexican.
  • ·         You’re Iraqi.
  • ·       She’s from the United States
  •        He’s from Canada.
  • ·         It’s from Brazil.
  • ·         We’re Colombian. 
  • ·         You’re from the UK.
  • ·         They’re French. 

Mood or personality




You can use the verb to be to tell others how you or other people feel.

  • ·         I’m happy.
  • ·         You’re sad.
  • ·         He’s angry.
  • ·         She’s bored.
  • ·         It’s scared.
  • ·         We’re excited.
  • ·         You’re mad.
  • ·         They’re relaxed

You can also describe how you and other people are.

  • ·         I’m funny.
  • ·         You’re moody.
  • ·         He’s gentle.
  • ·         She’s nice.
  • ·         It’s fun.
  • ·         We’re generous.
  • ·         You’re smart.
  • ·         They’re polite.


Relationships



To talk about how you and others are related, you can also use the verb to be:

  • ·         I’m your mother.
  • ·         You’re my father.
  • ·         She’s my sister.
  • ·         He’s my brother.
  • ·         It’s my dog.
  • ·         We’re your cousins.
  • ·         You’re my grandparents.
  • ·         They’re my uncle and aunt.

States



You can use this when you want to tell a temporary situation or mood of a person.

  • ·         I’m bored.
  • ·         You’re worried.
  • ·         He’s busy.
  • ·         She’s angry.
  • ·         We’re stressed
  • ·         You’re lost
  • ·         They’re confused.

Occupation



When you want to tell what a person does for a living, you can use:

  • ·         I’m a doctor.
  • ·         You’re a nurse.
  • ·         He’s a teacher.
  • ·         She’s a student.
  • ·         We’re musicians.
  • ·         You’re architects.
  • ·         They’re actors.

 

NEGATIVES

You can also use the verb to be in negative and when you use it, it’s to correct information or to deny something, you only need to include “not” after the verb or use the contraction.

I am not

 

I’m not

You are not

You aren’t

You’re not

He is not

He isn’t

He’s not

She is not

She isn’t

She’s not

We are not

We aren’t

We’re not

You are not

You aren’t

You’re not

They are not

They aren’t

They’re not

 

Examples:

  • ·         I’m not Samantha, I’m Susan.
  • ·         You aren’t chubby, you’re fit.
  • ·         Her name isn’t Paula, her name’s Samantha.
  • ·         He’s not my brother, he’s my cousin.
  • ·         We aren’t teachers, we’re doctors.
  • ·          You’re not angry, you’re sad.
  • ·         We aren’t in New York, we’re in Los Angeles.

 

INTERROGATIVE

When you want to confirm something about a person; name, state, mood, etc. you need to ask with the verb to be. In questions, we invert the order of the verb to be. See the example:

You’re a doctor

Are you a doctor?

I’m

Am I… ?

You’re..

Are you…?

He’s…

Is he…?

Karla’s

Is Karla…?

My dog’s

Is my dog…?

We’re

Are we…?

You’re…

Are you…?

They’re…

Are they…?

YOU'RE FINISHED!


Now click here to practice the verb to be