Joy English
Joy English

A1 Grammar

A1Verbs10 min

The verb be: am, is, are

Use am, is and are to say who people are, where they are and how they feel.

We use the verb be to give basic information about people and things: names, jobs, ages, nationalities, places and feelings. In the present, be has three forms: am, is and are.

SubjectPositiveNegativeShort forms
II am hungry.I am not hungry.I'm / I'm not
he / she / itRavi is a cook.He is not at work.he's / he isn't
you / we / theyWe are students.We are not late.we're / we aren't

Questions and short answers

To make a question, put am, is or are before the subject. In short answers, we use the same form of be again. We do not use a short form in a positive short answer.

  • Is Aiko your sister? Yes, she is.
  • Are you a student? No, I'm not.
  • Am I late? No, you aren't.
  • Where is the bus stop?
  • How old are your children?

Age and feelings

English uses be, not have, for age and for many feelings: I am cold, she is hungry, they are afraid of the dog.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose am, is or are

Choose the correct form of be.

  1. Mina _____ from Busan.

  2. My parents _____ at work today.

  3. I _____ very tired this evening.

  4. _____ Tomás your teacher?

  5. We _____ late. The class starts at nine, and it's only half past eight.

  6. Are you a nurse? — _____

  7. How old _____ your brother?

  8. The windows _____ open. It's cold in here!

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Write the missing word

Type am, is or are. When you see (not), make the verb negative.

  1. I (not) hungry right now.

  2. Kofi and Lena in the garden.

  3. This soup (not) hot.

  4. you from Brazil?

  5. My sister a pilot.

  6. We (not) at home on Saturdays.

  7. Where my keys?

  8. Is Jamal at school today? — No, he .

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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