The verb to be means. Verb To Be in English

You can't envy a person who is learning a foreign language for the first time. The student thinks in his native language, unconsciously tries to transfer the categories, norms and rules of his language to a foreign one. Therefore, meeting with a concept or phenomenon that is absent in native speech, even elementary things seem difficult to perceive.

Often the verbs am, is, are of the English language become a stumbling block. It is necessary to allocate time and understand this issue.

Three-Headed Dragon To be

The verb to be has no analogue in Russian. The fact is that the verb is rather an indicator of person and number, rather than an independent meaning. To be retained separate singular and plural forms for the first and third person in the present tense.

Other verbs retained only the ending -s, which is a sign of the 3rd person singular, for example, She speak s. The same verb in conjunction with the pronoun of the 1st and 2nd person will differ from the initial form to speak only by the absence of the particle to: "I speak" and "You speak". The verbs am, is, are are forms to be. You can draw the student's attention to this by depicting the verb to be in the form of a dragon, and name its heads Am, Is and Are.

Translation problems

The translation sounds like "is" or "be". The most common mistake young learners make is trying to translate phrases like "I am Kristian" as "I am a Christian." This is a delicate moment for beginners to learn the language. It is worth immediately correcting such reservations.

The interaction of native and foreign languages ​​is very important for the learning process, so the translation must always sound correctly and in accordance with the norms of the language. In general, everyone should memorize the verbs am, is, are.

When do they say am and is, and when do they say are?

Verbs are used in the present tense. For the past there are forms was and were, in sentences with the future tense they use the form will be and very rarely - shall be. You can remember the rules for using the forms of the verb to be by studying the table below.

As can be seen from the table, the forms am, is, was are used to denote the singular, while are and were are used to denote the plural. In modern English shall and will are considered insufficient verbs. Both verbs are used only in the present tense - shall/will, and the past - should/would.

Shall in current English is used only in the British version. In shall retained its modal meaning and is used only in cases where they want to say about the inevitability of an event. In British English, shall is used with the pronouns I and we, and will is used with the pronouns she, he, it. Carefully study the following table, which shows the uses of the verb shall.

Common abbreviations in spoken and written speech

When used in negative sentences, the particle not is added to all forms of the verb to be. The full spelling is rarely used, the abbreviated form of negation is more common:

• I am = I "m, I am not = I" m not;
• he is = he "s, he is not = he" s not or he isn "t;
• she is = she "s, she is not = she" s not or she isn "t;
• it is = it "s, it is not = it" s not or it isn't;
• we are = we"re, we are not = we"re not or we aren't;
• you are = you"re, you are not = you"re not or you aren't;
• they are = they"re, they are not = they"re not or they aren't;
• I (he, she, it) was not = I (he, she, it) wasn't;
• we (you, they) were not = we (you, they) weren "t.

In common parlance and for recording, the following abbreviations of the forms will and shall are used:

• will/shall = "ll;
• will not = won't;
• shall not = shant "t;
• would/should = "d;
• would not = wouldn't;
• should not = shouldn't.

As you can see, the abbreviated form for shall in the present and past tenses coincides with will, and in speech the difference between the use of forms has practically disappeared.

"To be or not to be" - that is the question

What does Shakespeare's famous line have to do with it?

To consolidate the rules for the use of the verbs am, is, are and others in practice, it is worth practicing in making affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

The most effective in terms of developing speech skills are interrogative sentences. It is necessary to train the use of the verb to be not only in the present, but also in the past and future tenses.

Another way to practice the knowledge of the language is to memorize small rhymes and poems. Studying poems in a foreign language will not only expand knowledge of grammar, but also increase vocabulary.

Variants of the use of the verb to be and its forms in speech

In speech, the verb to be can be used as the main semantic predicate, and as a connecting or auxiliary part of the compound predicate.

Here are examples of the most common ways to use the verb in speech:

1. The verb to be acts as the main predicate in order to emphasize belonging to a particular group. For example, Sara is a florist (Sarah is a florist) or Alan is my brother (Alan is my brother). In other words, the verb to be does not express an action, but states the state of the object and its ownership.
2. To be plays the role of the main word in the compound predicate along with adjectives. For example, Jilian is a beautiful young lady (Jilian is a beautiful young girl) or The TV-show is interesting (This TV show is interesting).
3. The verb is the main predicate in statements indicating a place or geographical location. For example, She is at dinner (She is at dinner) or His flat is in the center (His apartment is located in the center).
4. To be acts as a predicate in comparative constructions. For example, The light is faster than the sound (The speed of light is greater than the speed of sound).
5. The verb to be can play an auxiliary role in "long" tenses (continuous tenses). For example, Present Continuous: They are sitting on the ground (They are now sitting on the site); Past Continuous: We were watching the TV-show when she telephoned (When she called, we were watching a TV show); Future Continuous: Jilly will be singing tonight (Jili will sing all evening).
6. The verb is used to express the tenses of the passive voice. In such sentences, to be is conjugated in the required tense. The semantic verb is always used in the form of the past participle - Past Participle. The form of all passive sentences is the same: Passive Subject + To Be + Past Participle. For example, Past Perfect: The breakfast had been eaten before she arrived (Breakfast was eaten before she arrived) or Past Simple: His car was bought in 1995 (His car was bought in 1995).

The verb to be plays a huge role in the English language. Proper use of verb forms is necessary for beautiful and correct speech.

The verb be in English performs many roles: a linking verb, an integral part of a predicate, a part of a temporary construction, an independent and modal verb. In some cases, in oral and written speech, it can be used in an abbreviated form.

Conjugation to be at times

In the present tense, regardless of whether this verb is used as a semantic verb or is part of a grammatical construction, to be has 3 forms:

• am in the 1st person singular;
• is in the 3rd person singular;
• are plural.

I am a generous person. - I am a generous person.

He is a generous person. - He is a generous person.

We are generous people. We are generous people.

The pronoun you is used both in the singular and in the plural, but in any case they put are with it.

You are young enough to take up sport. You are young enough to play sports.

You are to come to school at 9 tomorrow. You must come to school at 9 tomorrow.

The verb to be in the present tense can only be abbreviated in affirmative sentences. The full and short forms of the verb be are used in this case equally, without changing the meaning of the phrase.

I'm a generous person.

He's a generous person.

We're generous people.

The verb be belongs to the group of irregular ones, therefore its second form is used in the past tense. In the singular was (was), in the plural were (were).

Kate was at the hospital when her friend called her. Katya was in the hospital when her friend called her.

The Ivanovs were in Moscow last weekend. The Ivanovs went to Moscow last weekend.

According to the correct use of was/were in speech and writing, these forms cannot be abbreviated.

Table Forms of the verb to be

A table will help you get acquainted with the use of be in the present and past tenses in different types of statements.

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The verb to be has 2 forms in the past tense. To be can be abbreviated in affirmative sentences of the present tense, where this verb is presented in 3 variants.

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verb to be in English it has personal forms in the present and past tenses. This is quite rare in English. Verb to be can be used as .

The verb to be as an auxiliary verb

1. verb to be used for education (Continuous Tenses) and (Passive Voice).

Examples: I am waiting for you. - I'm waiting for you.
Alex didn't help by Ann. Alex Ann is not helping.
The book was written by O.Wilde. – The book was written by O. Wilde.

The determinant of the auxiliary verb is the endings -ing (waiting) or -ed (written, helped), which are added to semantic verbs, i.e. to verbs that carry the main meaning.

The verb to be as a semantic verb

2. verb to be corresponds to the Russian verb to be, be, be, i.e. the verb is translated, has a meaning. In the negative form of the present tense, the verb to be translated into Russian by the word No. In the future tense verb to be transforms into shall be and will be. The verbs shall be and will be are both semantic verbs and linking verbs.

Examples: She does her homework every day. She does her homework every day.
Kiev is the capital of Ukraine. – Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine (is, is).
He was here 2 minutes ago. He was here 2 minutes ago.
She isn't in Chicago. She's not in Chicago.
He will be here in time. He will be here on time.

The determinant of the semantic verb is the presence of articles and prepositions in front of the noun, which performs the function of the nominal part of the predicate with the verb to be or circumstances.

The verb to be as a modal verb

3. verb to be used in combination with the particle to to express a pre-planned or agreed action according to a plan. Present tense verb to be translates as must, must. Past tense verb to be translates as had, should be.

Examples: He is to come in time. He must come on time. (arrangement)
The train is to arrive at 3 o'clock. – The train arrives at 3 o’clock. (Scheduled)

The determinant of modality is the particle to after the verb to be and the infinitive behind it.

The verb to be as a linking verb

4. verb to be used in a compound predicate. The verb partially loses its lexical meaning and connects the subject with the nominal part of the predicate. into Russian to be often not translated.

Examples: I am happy to be with you (where am- a linking verb, and happy- nominal member or predicate). - I'm happy to be with you.
He is lazy to press ups every day. He is too lazy to do push-ups every day.
She is a good driver. - She is a good driver.
The book was interesting - The book was interesting.

Everyone knows Shakespeare's phrase from the work "Hamlet": "To be or not to be? That is the question…”, which translates as “To be or not to be, that is the question…”. In fact, for people studying English, it is the verb to be that causes a huge number of questions and difficulties regarding its use. This article will provide detailed information about all forms and cases of using the verb to be.

So, the verb to be plays a particularly significant role in the grammar of the English language. It can act in a sentence as a semantic verb, modal, auxiliary, linking verb, and a large number of grammatical constructions are formed with the verb to be. By itself, to be is an irregular verb, which means that all three of its forms are not formed according to the rule, and they just need to be remembered: be - was / were - been.

Below, the verb to be will be considered in detail in each case of use. But first of all, we should mention the conjugation of the verb according to persons, numbers and tenses.

The table shows the conjugation of the verb to be by tense and number for the Simple group.

As can be seen from the table, special attention should be paid to the conjugation to be in the 1st and 2nd person singular, as well as the fact that in the Future Simple the verb to be needs an auxiliary verb will.

The negative form of the verb to be is formed using the negative particle not, which is attached directly to the verb itself.

Interrogative sentences with the verb to be are formed without an auxiliary verb. The verb to be in the required form comes first, followed by the subject, and then the secondary members of the sentence. When constructing a question in the Future Simple (simple future tense), the auxiliary verb will will come first, then the subject, then the verb to be, and then everything else.

Now let's move on to the study of each specific case of the use of the verb to be.

1. The verb to be as an independent verb.

As an independent (semantic) verb, the verb to be has the meaning "to be", "to be", "to be". For example:

I am at home. - I'm home.(Literally, I am at home or I am at home)

We are not happy with the situation. We don't like this situation.(That is, we are not happy in connection with it).

2. The verb to be as an auxiliary verb.

Like other auxiliary verbs, in this case the verb to be has no semantic meaning, it only performs an important grammatical function. As an auxiliary verb, the verb to be is involved in the formation of the following tenses: Present Continuous, Past Continuous, Future Continuous, partially in all tenses of the Perfect Continuous group (in the form has been), as well as for the formation of passive constructions.

The Continuous tense implies that the action happened, is happening or will happen at a certain moment in the past or future, or at the moment of speech in the present. Therefore, the following temporary indicators are typical for this time: now - now, at the moment - at the moment, at 5 o'clock - at 5 o'clock, at this / that time - at this / that time and others.

Continuous forms are formed according to the following formula: to be (in the right form) + a verb with the ending -ing.

I am reading now. - I'm reading now.

In the Future Continuous, along with the verb to be, there will be an auxiliary verb will.

Tomorrow at 6 o'clock I will be watching TV. Tomorrow at 6 o’clock I will be watching TV.

The verb to be will change in persons and numbers only in the present and past tense groups. In interrogative and negative sentences in Present Continuous and Past Continuous, the auxiliary verb for to be is not required.

I wasn't sleeping. - I did not sleep.
Am I reading? - I am reading?

In negative sentences in Present and Past Continuous, we attach the particle not to the verb to be, and in the Future Continuous, the particle goes to the auxiliary verb will. In interrogative sentences in Present and Past Continuous, the verb to be comes first, then the subject, then the verb ending in -ing, followed by the secondary members of the sentence. If there is a question word in the question, then it will take the first position in the sentence. As for the word order in questions in the Future Continuous, we first put will, then the subject, then be and the verb ending in -ing, followed by the secondary members of the sentence.

The verb to be in Present Continuous:

I am reading a book now. - I'm reading a book now.
I am not reading a book now. - I'm not reading a book now.
Are you reading a book now? - Are you reading a book now?
Why are you reading this book? - Why are you reading this book?

The verb to be in Past Continuous:

He was watching TV at 5 o'clock yesterday. He was watching TV at 5 o'clock yesterday.
He wasn't watching TV at 5 o'clock yesterday. He didn't watch TV yesterday at 5 o'clock.
Was he watching TV at 5 o’clock yesterday? Was he watching TV at 5 o'clock yesterday?
Where was he watching TV at 5 o'clock yesterday? Where did he watch TV yesterday at 5 o'clock?

The verb to be in the Future Continuous:

She will be swimming tomorrow at this time. She will be swimming at this time tomorrow.
She won't be swimming tomorrow at this time. She won't be swimming at this time tomorrow.
Will she be swimming tomorrow at this time? - Will she swim at this time tomorrow?
What will she be doing tomorrow at this time? What will she be doing at this time tomorrow?

In perfect forms, sentences using the auxiliary verb to be will look like this:

Now it is necessary to consider the use of the verb to be in passive constructions (Passive Voice).

The passive voice is used when talking about the person or thing that the action is directed at:

when the action that occurs with a person or an object is important (The problem is solved - The problem is solved)

when there is no information about the person performing the action, or it is not important at all. My bike is stolen - My bike was stolen (who did it is unknown).

The forms of the verb to be in the passive voice can be presented in the form of a table:

Examples of the use of the verb to be in the passive voice:

Students are examined twice a year. - Students are examined twice a year.
They were examined in June. - They were examined in June.
They will be examined next Friday. They will have an exam next Friday.
Keep quiet! The students are being examined. - Do not make noise! Students are taking an exam.
The students were being examined when the Professor came. The students were taking an exam when the professor came.
Our students have already been examined. - Our students have already taken the exam.
They had been examined by 2 o'clock. - By two o'clock they had already taken the exam.
Everybody will have been examined by 3 o'clock. - Everyone will have an exam by three o'clock.

3. The verb to be as a linking verb.

The verb to be is very often used as a linking verb to connect the subject and the compound predicate:

The house is very old and ugly. - The house is very old and ugly.
He was my best friend when we were children. - As a child, he was my best friend.
He was a middle-aged man. - He was a middle-aged man.

4. The verb to be as modal.

To all of the above, it must be added that the verb to be can also act as a modal verb to be to. As a modal verb, to be to is used in Present Simple and Past Simple.

We are to meet at six. - We have to meet at six.
We were to meet at six. We were supposed to meet at six.

The modal verb to be to is used in the following meanings:

• A preformed plan or a need that arises from a given plan

  We are to discuss this issue next time. - We need to discuss this issue next time.
  We were to discuss it the following week. We were supposed to discuss this next week.
  Is he to arrive tomorrow? - Should he come tomorrow?
  Who was to speak at the meeting? - Who should speak at the meeting?

• Orders and instructions that are of an official nature

  Norman says I am to leave you alone. Norman said to leave you alone.
  All students were to tell the headmaster about the incident. All students were required to report the incident to the principal.

• When something is destined to happen (in this case, the modal verb would be translated as "destined")

  He was to be my teacher and friend for many years to come. He was destined to be my teacher and friend for many years to come.

• Possibility, probability of occurrence of an event

  Where is he to be found? - Where can I find it?
  Nothing was to be done under the circumstances. Nothing could be done under the circumstances.

• Also in set expressions with to be to:

  What am I to do? - What should I do? What do i do?
  What is to become of me? - What will happen to me?
  Where am I to go? - Where should I go? Where am I to go?

5. The verb to be in constructions to be going to/ to be about to/ to be due to

The construction to be going to is used in English to express the future tense, and is translated into Russian as "to gather, intend to do something." It can be used in Present or Past, therefore, the verb to be in this construction can take the forms am/is/are and was/were, depending on the context.

I am going to wash the floors. - I'm going to wash the floors.
She wasn't going to tell me the whole story. - She wasn't going to tell me the whole story.
They were going to sell the house last year. They were going to sell the house last year.

The construction to be about to is also used to express a future action and implies that the action will take place in the near future.

Hurry up! The performance is about to start! - Hurry! The show is about to begin.

The construction to be due to should be used when we are talking about future actions that will occur according to a schedule.

The plane is due to land at 2.45. - The plane should land at 2.45.

In conclusion, I would like to present a list of expressions that are often used with the verb to be:

To be happy / unhappy - to be happy / unhappy
I am so happy that you have come! - I'm so happy you came!

To be glad - to be joyful
We are glad to say that you won't have this new car! - We are happy to inform you that you have won this brand new car!

To be hungry / to be full up - to be hungry / full
I am so hungry. I would like to eat a big pizza! - I'm so hungry. I would like to eat a big pizza.

To be fond of - love, get involved in something
I am fond of gardening. - I'm into gardening.

To be busy - to be busy
Mary is always so busy that she doesn't have any time for hobbies. - Mary is always so busy that she doesn't have time for hobbies.

To be late (for) - to be late (on)
John is always late for appointments. John is always late for meetings.

To be in time for - be on time
You are in time! - You're just in time!

To be lucky - to be lucky
You are so lucky that you have been there! - You are so lucky that you managed to go there!

To be afraid (of) - to be afraid
I am afraid of spiders. - I'm afraid of spiders.

To be interested (in) - be interested in / get involved in something
He is interested in aviation. - He is interested in aviation.

To be ill / well - get sick / feel good
I am ill. I have a sore throat and a terrible headache. - I am sick. I've got a sore throat and headache.

To be angry (with) - angry, angry (at someone)
Jane is angry with Tim, that's why they don't talk to each other. Jane is mad at Tim, that's why they don't talk.

One of the most popular language "confusions" is the use of verbs to be and to do. This refers to the substitution of one verb for another, which occurs as a result of a misunderstanding of the functions and meanings of these words.

We have already talked in detail about the verb to be, so now we will focus on comparing the use of verbs in situations in which confusion most often occurs.

Strong and weak verb

There are two broad categories of verbs in English - strong and weak.
Strong verbs are modal verbs and their equivalents, have got, auxiliary verbs (do/do/did) and to be. Strong verbs independently form negative constructions and questions:

Must he go to the dentist? -I must go to the dentist./I mustn't eat apples.

In the case of weak verbs, we are not able to build a question or negation without auxiliary ones, avoiding an error:

I live to Paris.

live are you in Paris? - error/
It would be correct to say: Do you live in Paris?

He lives not in Paris.- error/
It would be correct to say: He doesn't live in Paris.

So we use the helper do or two other forms of it ( did/did) in order to correctly form questions and negatives.

The mistake is born when students (by this word we mean all learners of a foreign language from young to old) begin to use auxiliary verbs for forms to be:

He is Liza's brother.

Does he is Liza's brother? - error
He doesn't is Liza's brother.- error

Undoubtedly verb forms to be not similar to their original form. We think that this can be confusing.
It should be remembered: am, is, are, was, were are strong verbs and never use auxiliary do:

Is he Liza's brother?- right
He isn't Liza's brother.- right

But do against. On my own as semantic this verb is weak and has meaning do. Accordingly, it needs the help of an auxiliary, coinciding with it in spelling and pronunciation do, which the is not translated into Russian and performs a purely grammatical function:

I do exercise every day.
Do I do exercise every day?- right
I don't do exercise every day.- right

Do I exercise every day?- error
I don't exercise every day.- error / This sentence is meaningless and will be translated “ I don't exercise every day". I would like to ask immediately what? exercises"

Auxiliary

The second major problem is sometimes auxiliary verb choice.
Most courses are structured in such a way that acquaintance with English grammar and the language as a whole begins with the verb to be - to be, to be, to be somewhere. Students get so used to designs with to be that for them it becomes completely logical to use them as an auxiliary verb. It actually loses its meaning and sentences of this kind become grammatically equal:

She is in Paris.
She lives in Paris.

Let's assume that it is possible to translate both of them according to the context as “ She lives in Paris". The following happens:

Is she in Paris?- right
Is she live in Paris?- ERROR

to be never will not be used as an auxiliary verb to weak, unless it is a Continuous or Passive construction that includes to be:

Is she living in Paris?- correct / Present Continuous
The work wasn't done. - correct / Passive

It's very easy to check. Ask a question to the semantic verb, for example, live (what to do?). Exactly do (do/do/did) will become auxiliary.

We are not dealing with TO BE, and with DO:

Does she live in Paris?- right
She doesn't live in Paris.- right

We wish you to make the right choice and achieve great success in your studies!

Victoria Tetkina