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Be

Be: forms​

Be is an irregular verb with several forms:

Present: (I) am, (he, she, it) is (you, we, they) are + *-*ing form: being

Past: (I, he, she, it,) was, (you, we, they) were + -ed form: been

  • I*’m** in college at the moment.*
  • Where is she?
  • He was her first husband.
  • Were you at the U2 concert?
  • The weather has been really nice since June.

Be: uses​

We use be as a main verb and an auxiliary verb.

See also
  • Be as a main verb
  • Be as an auxiliary verb

Be as a main verb​

Be as a main verb has a number of meanings.

Qualities​

We use be to talk about permanent or temporary qualities or states:

  • He*’s** very rich.*
  • My father is old now.
  • The weather was terrible.
  • The food is so good in Italy.
warning

When we use there as a subject with be, we use there is + singular noun and there are + plural noun:

  • There are lots of wonderful places to see on the south coast.
  • Not: There is lots of wonderful places …
See also
  • There is, there’s and there are

Nationality and group identity​

We use be to talk about our nationality and our identity within groups or clubs:

  • Is she Irish or English?
  • I am an Arsenal fan.
  • He*’s*** been a member of the rowing club for twenty years.

Jobs and professions​

We can use be to talk about a person’s job or profession. Note the use of a with singular names of jobs and professions:

  • He’s a firefighter.
  • Not: He’s firefighter.
  • Both of my brothers are policemen.
  • My grandmother was a nurse.

Age​

We use be to talk about age:

  • I was seventeen when I met Bob.
  • Because I wasn’t eighteen, I couldn’t vote in the last election.
  • How old is she?

Relationships​

We use be to talk how people are related:

  • He is my first cousin.
  • They are my best friends.
  • Are you her sister?

Place​

We can use be to refer to where places and things are situated:

  • Her house is on the edge of the lake.
  • The shops are at the end of the street.

Time​

We use be to talk about time and dates:

  • What time is it?
  • The match was at seven o’clock.
  • We are always late!
  • The meeting is on the fifth of October.

Behaviour and personality​

We can use be to talk about behaviour and personality:

  • He was always gentle.
  • Is she nice?
  • The children can be rough with the new puppy.

When we talk about a way of behaving at the moment of speaking, we use the continuous form of be:

  • You*’re being** too generous.*
  • Ignore him. He*’s** just being silly.*

We use be to describe feelings and situations:

  • I was very happy.
  • Are you hungry?

There are a number of expressions with be which have modal meanings, for example, be to, be able to, be allowed to, be supposed to:

  • Will Martin be able to get everyone in his car?
  • We were supposed to get there an hour ago.
See also
  • Be expressions (be able to, be due to)
  • Modality: expressions with be

Be as an auxiliary verb​

Be is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do and have. We use be to make the continuous form and the passive voice:

  • I*’m reading** a book about the Titanic at the moment.* (continuous)
  • What was she doing in France? (continuous)
  • The job was advertised last week. (passive)
  • The house was being painted. (continuous and passive)
warning

We don’t use auxiliary be to make questions with main verbs in the present simple. We use auxiliary do:

  • Do you live near here?
  • Not: Are you live near here?
See also
  • Present continuous (I am working)
  • Past continuous (I was working)
  • Passive
  • Do as an auxiliary verb

Be: typical errors​

Remember to use are for the third person plural form of be:

  • The company’s profits are lower this year.
  • Not: The company’s profits is lower this year.

We use there is + singular noun and there are + plural noun:

  • There are so many great restaurants here.
  • Not: There is so many great restaurants here.

We use auxiliary do, not auxiliary be, for questions with main verbs in the present simple:

  • Do you accept credit cards?
  • Not: Are you accept …