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Verb To Be

Verb To Be

The verb “to be” is the most common verb in English and has many uses: 

To exist “I am alive”, to happen “The meeting is on Monday”, or to describe people “She was a happy child”.

The verb is irregular, so it changes depending on the subject or tense: 
“am/are/is”, “was/were”, “be/being/been”.
The most common way we use the verb to be is in the present simple and past simple tenses.

The form changes depending on the type of subject and if the subject is singular (one) or plural (more than one). 

Present Simple Form

I

am

you/we/they

are

he/she/it

is

Past Simple Form

I

was

you/we/they

were

he/she/it

was

Present Participle Form

I/you/we/they/
he/she/it

being

Past Participle Form

I/you/we/they/
he/she/it

been

Common uses:

  1. Talking about states or conditions
    • I am happy.
    • He wasn’t hurt.
    • Was the weather nice?
  1. Describing people or things
    • She was a teacher.
    • The book isn’t interesting.
    • Are they friends?
  1. Telling the time and talking about dates
    • It is six o’clock.
    • It isn’t Friday yet.
    • Was the party last week?

Check your understanding of the Verb To Be

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