A1 · Core grammar

Verb be: affirmative, negative and questions

The verb "be" is one of the most important verbs in English. At A1 level, you use am, is and are to identify people and things, describe states and qualities, say where someone or something is, and form simple negatives and questions.

Learning objectives

Use am with I.
Use is with he, she, it and singular noun subjects.
Use are with you, we, they and plural noun subjects.
Build affirmative sentences with the verb be.
Build negative sentences with am not, is not and are not.
Form yes/no questions by placing am, is or are before the subject.
Give short answers such as Yes, I am. / No, she isn't.
Match singular and plural subjects with grammatically correct complements.

Grammar rules

Use am with I: I am ready.
Use is with he, she, it and singular nouns: She is happy. The room is clean.
Use are with you, we, they and plural nouns: You are early. We are students.
In an affirmative sentence, use Subject + am/is/are + complement.
For negatives, add not after the verb: I am not tired. He is not late. They are not busy.
Common contractions are I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're and they're.
Common negative contractions are isn't and aren't. Am not normally stays am not.
For yes/no questions, move the verb before the subject: Are you ready? Is she at home?
Use the same form of be in short answers: Are they students? Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
A singular subject normally takes a singular count-noun complement, and a plural subject takes a plural count-noun complement: He is a student. We are students.
Do not use do/does with the verb be in simple present questions or negatives: Is he ready? not Does he be ready?
Keep normal word order after be: subject + be + adjective/noun/place expression.

Examples

I am a student.
I am not tired.
Am I early?
You are my friend.
You are not late.
Are you ready?
He is a teacher.
He isn't at home.
Is he busy?
She is happy today.
She isn't angry.
Is she from India?
It is cold outside.
It isn't expensive.
Is it new?
We are students.
We aren't late.
Are we in the right room?
They are teachers.
They aren't at school.
Are they ready?
Ravi is at home.
The children are happy.
My parents are busy.

Common mistakes

I is a student. → I am a student.
He are happy. → He is happy.
They is ready. → They are ready.
We am late. → We are late.
We are a student. → We are students.
They are a student. → They are students.
Does he be ready? → Is he ready?
He does not be tired. → He is not tired.
Are she at home? → Is she at home?
Is they students? → Are they students?
I amn't late. → I am not late.
She are not busy. → She is not busy.

Revision notes

Before the assessment, remember the subject groups: I → am; he/she/it/singular noun → is; you/we/they/plural noun → are. For negatives, place not after am/is/are. For questions, move am/is/are before the subject. Check singular and plural complements carefully: He is a student, but We are students. Do not use do or does with be.

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