The Verb Be
Level A1 · Sentence Basics
The verb be links a subject to a description — who or what it is, what it is like, or where it is: I am a teacher, she is tired, they are at home. Unlike most verbs, be does not describe an action; it simply connects.
Present forms (with contractions):
- I → am (I'm)
- he / she / it → is (he's, she's, it's)
- you / we / they → are (you're, we're, they're)
Negatives add not after be: I am not, she is not (isn't), they are not (aren't). Questions swap the subject and be: Are you ready? Is she a doctor?
The most common mistake is leaving be out, because many languages drop the equivalent of is/are in simple descriptions: she happy and they at home are wrong — English always needs the verb: she is happy, they are at home.
A second frequent error is using do/does to make be negative or into a question. Be never uses do/does — she doesn't be tired and Does he be happy? are wrong. Be forms its own negatives and questions: she isn't tired, is he happy?
There is no single trigger word for be — the signal is that the sentence describes rather than acts. If you want to say what someone or something is, what it is like, or where it is, and there is no other verb, you need be.