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Joy English · Level A1 · Verbsjoy-english.com

The verb be: am, is, are

Name:Date:

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

Choose am, is or are

Choose the correct form of be.

  1. Mina ___ from Busan.
    • a) am
    • b) is
    • c) are
  2. My parents ___ at work today.
    • a) is
    • b) am
    • c) are
  3. I ___ very tired this evening.
    • a) am
    • b) is
    • c) are
  4. ___ Tomás your teacher?
    • a) Is
    • b) Are
    • c) Am
  5. We ___ late. The class starts at nine, and it's only half past eight.
    • a) isn't
    • b) aren't
    • c) am not
  6. Are you a nurse? — ___
    • a) Yes, I'm.
    • b) Yes, I am.
    • c) Yes, I is.
  7. How old ___ your brother?
    • a) am
    • b) are
    • c) is
  8. The windows ___ open. It's cold in here!
    • a) are
    • b) is
    • c) am

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 ___.

Answer key

Choose am, is or are

  1. b) isMina is one person (she), so we use is.
  2. c) areMy parents means they, so we use are.
  3. a) amWith I, the form of be is always am.
  4. a) IsTomás is one person (he). In a question, is comes before the subject.
  5. b) aren'tWe takes are, so the negative is aren't.
  6. b) Yes, I am.In a positive short answer, use the full form: Yes, I am. We do not say Yes, I'm.
  7. c) isYour brother is one person (he), so we use is.
  8. a) areWindows is plural (they), so we use are.

Write the missing word

  1. am not / 'm notWith I, the negative is am not. The short form is I'm not.
  2. areKofi and Lena are two people (they), so we use are.
  3. isn't / is not / 's notThe soup is one thing (it). The negative is is not or isn't.
  4. AreYou takes are. In a question, are comes before the subject.
  5. is / 'sMy sister is one person (she), so we use is.
  6. aren't / are not / 're notWe takes are. The negative is are not or aren't.
  7. areKeys is plural, so we use are. The question word where comes first.
  8. isn't / is not / 's notThe question uses is, so the negative short answer is No, he isn't.

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