LingoLadder

Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)

Updated 24 Oct 2026 · LingoLadder Editorial Team
Cover: Verb 'To Be' — am · is · are, with examples: I am, you are, she is, we are
Short answer

English 'to be' has three present-tense forms: I am, he/she/it is, and you/we/they are. Use it to link a subject to a description, job, age, feeling or place — for example, 'I am a student' or 'She is tired.' In everyday English these forms are usually contracted: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're.

Level: A1. The verb to be is the first verb most learners need, because it links a subject to who or what it is. You can say “I am a teacher”, “the coffee is hot”, or “they are at work” — all with to be.

The rule

A verb is a word for an action or a state. To be describes a state: what someone or something is. In the present tense it changes shape depending on the subject (the person or thing the sentence is about):

  • I → am
  • he / she / it (one person or thing) → is
  • you / we / they (or any plural) → are. They can mean more than one person, or one person when singular they is used — it still takes are.

The full present tense

Subject Positive Negative Contraction (negative)
I I am I am not I’m not
you you are you are not you aren’t / you’re not
he / she / it he is he is not he isn’t / he’s not
we we are we are not we aren’t / we’re not
they they are they are not they aren’t / they’re not

Positive contractions: I’m, you’re, he’s, she’s, it’s, we’re, they’re.

Questions put the verb first: Am I late? Is she a nurse? Are you ready?

Example sentences

Each example below was written for this lesson (not copied from a third-party corpus).

  1. I am a student. — a simple identity statement.
  2. She is a doctor. — someone’s job.
  3. He is twelve years old. — age.
  4. You are my best friend.
  5. We are at home now. — place.
  6. They are from Canada. — origin.
  7. It is cold today. — weather / a thing’s state.
  8. I am not hungry. — negative.
  9. The children are tired.
  10. Is he your brother? — a question.
  11. Are you happy? — a question.
  12. We are not late. — negative.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ I happy. → ✅ I am happy. Don’t drop the verb; English needs to be.
  • ❌ He are tired. → ✅ He is tired. Use is for he/she/it.
  • ❌ You is nice. → ✅ You are nice. You always takes are.
  • ❌ I no am ready. → ✅ I am not ready. Make negatives with not, not no.
  • ❌ She happy is? → ✅ Is she happy? In questions the verb comes first.

Compared with other verbs

In ordinary active sentences, other verbs in the present simple (like work, live, play) do not use am/is/are — you say “I work”, not “I am work”. (Passive sentences such as “it is made” are a different structure that does use is.) The -s on he/she/it (he works) marks the present simple here. See the present simple (affirmative) topic in the English grammar section for that pattern.

Recap card for the English lesson with the key forms and a friendly anime-style study buddy

Quick recap before the quiz.

Mini quiz

  1. I ___ a teacher.
  2. She ___ from Spain.
  3. ___ you ready?
  4. They ___ not at school today.
  5. He ___ tired. (contraction)
Answers
  1. am — the subject is I.
  2. is — she takes is.
  3. Are — question with you; verb first.
  4. are — they takes are (they aren’t / they are not).
  5. ’s → He’s tired. — contraction of he is.

Sources & licensing

  • Forms cross-checked with Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
  • Example sentences were written for this lesson; no third-party sentences were copied.
  • This topic sits at beginner level (A1) in common course sequencing; the CEFR and Cambridge grammar are used as general references, not as a topic-by-topic level ruling.

Next

Sources

  1. be — conjugation and forms — Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) (as of October 2026)
  2. British Grammar: be — Cambridge University Press (as of October 2026)
  3. CEFR level descriptions (A1) — Council of Europe (as of October 2026)