Present simple forms of 'to be': am/is/are

Exercises: 1 2 3 4

Present simple forms of ‘to be’: am/is/are

Exercise 1

Choose the correct present simple forms of ‘to be’ for the gaps below.

Exercises: 1 2 3 4

The present simple of be: Form

Educational chart illustrating the present simple forms of the verb 'to be' with examples in positive, negative, and question forms, alongside short answers for an elementary-level English grammar lesson.

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The present simple of the verb be has three forms:

‣ I am.
‣ He/She/It is.
‣ We/You/They are.

They= people and things

We use he for a man, she for a woman, and it for a thing.

He‘s a little boy.
She‘s beautiful.
I like this TV. It‘s very big.

We use they for people and for things.

I love Sara and Jonas. They are my friends.
I love these chairs. They are very beautiful.

Don’t forget the subject

We always need a subject before the verb.

It is cold.
Is cold.
Sally is a wonderful woman.
Is a wonderful woman.

Contractions or short forms

We use ‘m, ‘s and ‘re with personal pronouns (I, you, he, etc.)

I’m sad.
You’re tired.
She’s from Scotland.

But we can also use ‘s with names.

Laura’s beautiful.
London’s an expensive city.

Contractions in short answers

We can only use contractions in negative short answers. Not in positive short answers.

The present simple of be – USE

Infographic displaying various uses of the verb 'to be', including introducing people, age, job, nationality, feelings, color, prices, weather, time, and descriptions, with example sentences.