The Verb “To Be” in English and Its Various Forms

Were you aware that the verb 'to be' is the most commonly used verb in English? This might not be shocking, given its wide range of uses, as you will soon discover. However, a key challenge is that 'to be' is also the most irregular verb in the language.

In this article, you will explore the different forms of the English verb 'to be,' understand how to correctly use 'is,' 'am,' 'are,' and related verbs, and discover some unique applications and common expressions that feature this verb.

Common Forms of “To Be” Verbs

The Basic Forms of “To Be” Verbs

The verb 'to be' is the most irregular verb in English. Its fundamental forms are the infinitive 'be,' along with 'am,' 'is,' 'are,' 'was,' 'were,' 'being,' and 'been.'

Here is a brief overview:

If you're curious about whether 'to be' has always been irregular, watch the video below. (Spoiler: It has been irregular for a very long time!)

Present Simple

The present simple form of the verb 'to be' is as follows:

The present simple of the verb 'to be' is used for:

Present Continuous

The present continuous of the verb 'to be' is created by adding 'being' to the present simple form:

The present continuous is used to:

The Past Simple

The past simple of 'to be' is straightforward. It has only two forms:

Use the past simple of 'to be' to:

Past Continuous

The past continuous of 'to be' is formed by adding 'being' to the past simple of the verb:

Use 'to be' in the past continuous tense when you want to:

Present Perfect

The present perfect of 'to be' uses 'to have' and the past participle 'been':

We use this tense when we need to:

Past Perfect

The past perfect of 'to be' is very simple. It uses 'had been' for every person, whether singular or plural.

Use this tense when you want to:

Let’s compare that last use of the past perfect with the present perfect:

While the present perfect indicates that you haven't been to a place or something hasn't occurred yet, the past perfect doesn't always refer to an event further back in time. It can simply indicate that the situation described by the present perfect is no longer true. The circumstances have changed, and the action or state has now been experienced.

Future Simple

The future simple of 'to be' is another very easy tense to learn because it uses 'will be' for every person, regardless of whether it's singular or plural.

We use the future simple to:

Negative Forms of “To Be”

To create negative statements with 'to be' verbs, simply add the word 'not.' For the past and present simple tenses, place it directly after the 'to be' verb. For the future simple, insert it between 'will' and 'be.'

For the continuous/progressive and perfect tenses, write 'not' between the 'to be' verb and 'being' or 'been.'

By the way, it’s perfectly acceptable to shorten both negative and affirmative/positive statements (i.e., statements that don’t use “not”) using contractions. For more on those, read this post:

Question Forms of “To Be”

To form questions with 'to be' verbs, invert the subject and the 'to be' verb. This rule applies to the present simple and past simple tenses. For the future simple, place the subject between 'will' and 'be.'

For the continuous/progressive and perfect tenses, perform the inversion mentioned above, but keep 'being' or 'been' in their original positions.

Special Forms of “To Be”: Beyond the Tenses

You are now familiar with the main tenses of 'to be' and their uses. However, there is much more to learn about this verb!

The following sections cover specific situations where the verb 'to be' is used in particular ways.

Stative vs. Dynamic Forms

The verb 'to be' is not often used in its continuous form (with the -ing ending). When it is used this way, it conveys very specific meanings.

Consider this sentence:

Anna is very helpful.

This is a sentence in the present simple, describing Anna's inherent nature. She is consistently a helpful person. This is known as the stative form of the verb 'to be.'

Now look at the same sentence in the present continuous:

Anna is being very helpful.

Suddenly, Anna is not inherently helpful; she is acting helpfully on this specific occasion. This is the dynamic form of the verb.

We can also use the distinction between stative and dynamic forms when expressing a complaint about someone or something:

Question Tags

Question tags are short phrases added to the end of a statement. They are formed as questions and are typically used to seek agreement or confirmation from another person.

If the main verb in a sentence is 'to be,' the question tag will also include a form of this verb:

You are very happy here, aren’t you?

She isn’t pregnant, is she?

They were being silly, weren’t they?

Here’s a lesson from our YouTube channel if you’d like to learn more about question tags:

“To Be” and Adverbs: Word Order

In simple terms, adverbs are words that modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. They provide information about place, time, manner, cause, and other circumstances.

As a general rule, place adverbs after the verb 'to be':

I am always happy.

She is never tired.

The house is still on sale.

Our neighbor is seldom home.

However, if there is a participle in the sentence ('being' or 'been'), the adverb should be placed between the conjugated verb and the participle:

Mary has always been happy here.

They have never been here.

She is still being naughty!

Here’s another video lesson for extra practice with adverbs of frequency:

Modal Verbs and the Passive Voice

This post does not cover modal verbs in depth, but it is important to note that the verb 'to be' can be placed between a modal verb and the past participle of another verb:

These walls should be painted already.

It can’t be found anywhere.

In fact, sentences structured as "a modal verb + be + a past participle" are passive sentences. Here are two more examples of the passive voice with 'be':

He should be punished.

John may be injured.

However, passive sentences do not always require a modal verb; they only need the appropriate form of the verb 'to be':

He was being carried.

The house has been sold.

We were told not to talk too much.

The Imperative: “To Be” Commands

You probably know that the imperative mood is primarily used for commands and instructions.

What you might not know is that we can also use the verb 'to be' for this purpose. Consider these examples:

Be quiet! / Don’t be so noisy!

Be humble! / Don’t be so arrogant!

Be my girlfriend, please.

Don’t be silly!

If you want to learn more about giving commands in English, you can check out this video:

Expressions That Use “To Be”

We have covered a lot about the verb 'to be,' but this article would be incomplete without a list of common expressions that use it.

Here are some of the most important and common ones:

Remember to strengthen your learning by listening to native English speakers on platforms like YouTube or Lingflix.

You now have all the necessary information to use 'is,' 'am,' 'are,' and other forms of 'to be' like a native English speaker.

When studying this verb, follow the sequence presented in this article. The content progresses in difficulty but is divided into manageable sections to make your learning process smoother.

To be, or not to be. That is the question.

And the answer is both!

Stay curious, my friends. As always, happy learning!