All You Need to Know About the Present Simple Tense with To Be

The verb to be is one of the most important auxiliary verbs in English. In the present simple tense, to be appears as am, is, and are, and its form depends on the subject of the sentence. Explore its structure and usage in detail below.

Affirmative Form

Formula: Subject + to be (am / is / are) + noun / adjective

Examples:

• I am Liams daughter.

• He is a very nice friend.

• We are friends.

Negative Form

Formula: Subject + to be + not + noun / adjective

Examples:

• I am not tired.

• She is not Lina.

• We are not Japanese.

Interrogative Form

Yes/No Questions

Formula: Am / Is / Are + subject + object?

Examples:

• Is your sister beautiful?

• Are we exhausted?

• Isnt it good?

Wh- Questions

Formula: Wh-word + am / is / are + subject + object?

Examples:

• Where am I?

• Who is Lisas mom?

• How are you?

You can also form negative questions:

• Am / Is / Are + subject + not + object?

• Or use contracted forms: Isnt / Arent + subject + object?

The form of to be depends on the subject. The subject can be a personal pronoun, countable or uncountable noun, or demonstrative phrase (this, that, these, those, there).

With Personal Pronouns

With Countable Nouns

Singular countable nouns use is, plural countable nouns use are.

Examples:

• Your blue pen is on the table in the living room.

• A cup of coffee is enough for me.

• My teeth are caries.

• Children are innocent.

With Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns such as water, advice, information go with is.

Examples:

• Water is extremely necessary for life sustaining.

• Patience is helpful for your career path.

• Thunder is the greatest fear in my sisters life.

With Demonstratives (this, that, these, those, there)

• This / That + is + singular noun / uncountable noun

  • This is my cap.

  • That is my son.

• These / Those + are + plural nouns

  • These are my darling cousins.

  • Those books are very interesting.

• There + is + singular / uncountable noun

  • There is some chocolate in the refrigerator.

  • There is only one boy in my class.

• There + are + plural nouns

  • There are a lot of mountains in my hometown.

  • There are many people who go to church on Sunday.

The present simple tense with to be can express:

1. Introducing Information

Used to introduce someone or something.

Examples:

• I am a teacher.

• Storm is a nightmare for Central region residents.

2. Expressing Current Situations or States

Describes a condition at the moment.

Example:

• The traffic is bad now, so I cannot come on time.

3. Describing Traits or Characteristics

Used to describe someone’s personality or qualities.

Examples:

• Alan is very handsome.

• The cat is so cute.

• My mom is caring.

1. Write the correct form of “to be” in simple present tense

• Emily ___ an excellent English teacher.

• We ___ siblings in spite of looking alike.

• ___ they doctors?

• Apple ___ good when you eat in the morning.

• The books ___ on the table next to the bedroom.

• I ___ busy so I can hang out with you.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of “to be”

My name (be) ___(1) John. I (be) ___(2) fifteen years old. I live on a farm. It (be) ___(3) in the country. It is quiet in the country. It (be, not) ___(4) loud. I wake up early. Sometimes I wake up before the sun rises. Sometimes it (be) ___(5) still dark when I wake up. But I do not mind. I like waking up that early. I like the way the country looks in the morning. The first thing I do after I wake up is milk the cow. After I (be) ___(6) finished milking the cow, I bring the milk to my mom. I think she uses it to make breakfast. She makes a delicious breakfast. My mom (be) ___(7) a really good cook. Next, I feed the pigs. One time I asked my mom why my little sister does not feed them. She said it is because my sister (be, not) ___(8) strong enough. But I still do not understand. She is almost as strong as me. I guess my mom does not want her to get hurt. After all, the pigs can (be) ___(9) pretty rough, especially when they (be) ___(10) hungry. The last thing I do (be) ___(11) feed the chickens. That (be) ___(12) easy. I just throw food on the ground and they eat it. While the chickens (be) ___(13) eating, I collect their eggs. Chicken eggs (be) ___(14) really good to eat. They (be) ___(15) easy to cook too. That is what I do in the mornings. I (be) ___(16) pretty busy.

Answer Key:

Exercise 1

• is

• are not / arent

• Are

• is

• are

• am not

Exercise 2

• is

• am

• is

• is not

• is

• am

• is

• is not

• be

• are

• is

• is

• are

• are

• are

• am

The verb to be plays an essential role in the present simple tense, used to describe characteristics, states, and introduce people or things. To master this tense, it is crucial to remember the correct form of to be based on the subject. Practice regularly and refer to this guide as needed.