Grammar » A1 Grammar lessons and exercises » Present simple forms of ‘to be’ – am/is/are » Page 4
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  • Present simple forms of ‘to be’ – am/is/are

    Exercise 4

    Fill in the gaps with the correct present simple forms of ‘to be’.

    Sofie: Hello. 1 you from here?

    Dino: No, we 2 . And you? 3 you from here?

    Sofie: No, I 4 from France. My name 5 Sofie.

    Dino: Nice to meet you. I 6  Dino. And this 7 Francesca.

    Sofie: Where 8 you from?

    Dino: We 9 from Italy.

    Sofie: 10 you from Rome?

    Dino: No, we 11 . We 12 from the north of Italy. I 13 from Torino, and Francesca 14 from Milano.

    Sofie: 15 you here on holiday?

    Dino: No, we 16 . It 17 a study trip. This 18 a beautiful place.

    Sofie: Yes, it 19 . 20 the trip nice?

    Dino: Very nice.


     

  • The present simple of be – FORM

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    The present simple of the verb be has three forms:

    • 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.

    • Yes, I am.
    • Yes, I’m.
    • Yes, she is.
    • Yes, she’s.
    • Yes, they are.
    • Yes, they’re.

    The present simple of be – USE

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    We use the verb be to talk about:

    • Who we are: I‘m Steven, and this is Isabella. And this is my daughter, Alicia.
    • Age: I‘m 24 years old, and my father is 50. 
    • Job: I‘m a teacher, and my wife is a doctor. 
    • Nationality: Alex is from Ireland, and Sonia is from Spain.
    • Feelings: I‘m scared. She is very tired. 
    • ColourOur dog is black. His eyes are blue.
    • Prices: It‘s seven pounds. This T-shirt is twenty dollars.  
    • The weather: It‘s sunny today. It is very cold this morning. 
    • The time: What time is it? It‘s ten past four. 
    • Descriptions in general: He is very short and thin. The cars are old and cheap. 
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