Look at these examples to see how we use to be in the present simple.
I'm a student.
My mum's a doctor.
They aren't very busy.
Is he a teacher?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
We can use the present simple of the verb to be to talk about situations and states in the present.
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I am | I am not | Am I? |
| You/we/they are | You/we/they are not | Are you/we/they? |
| He/she/it is | He/she/it is not | Is he/she/it? |
Contractions
We can contract the verb, especially when we're speaking.
I am a shop assistant. = I'm a shop assistant.
You are a good friend! = You're a good friend!
He is my wife's brother. = He's my wife's brother.
We are very busy at the moment. = We're very busy at the moment.
They are on holiday in Italy. = They're on holiday in Italy.
Negatives
For negatives, use not after the verb. We can contract the verb or not.
I am not at work. = I'm not at work. Note: I amn't is not possible.
She is not a student. = She's not a student. = She isn't a student.
Money is not important. = Money's not important. = Money isn't important.
We are not hungry. = We're not hungry. = We aren't hungry.
They are not at home. = They're not at home. = They aren't at home.
Questions
For questions, change the order of am, is or are and the person.
Are you tired?
Is she Mexican?
Is this your phone?
Are we late?
Are they your children?
Short answers
| Affirmative | Negative | (Verb contracted) | (not contracted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, I am. | No, I am not. | No, I'm not. | |
| Yes, you are. | No, you are not. | No, you're not. | No, you aren't. |
|
Yes, we are. |
No, we are not. | No, we're not. | No, we aren't. |
| Yes, they are. | No, they are not. | No, they're not. | No, they aren't. |
| Yes, he is. | No, he is not. | No, he's not. | No, he isn't. |
| Yes, she is. | No, she is not. | No, she's not. | No, she isn't. |
| Yes, it is. | No, it is not. | No, it's not. | No, it isn't. |
Note that with short answers, we only use contractions with no answers.
Questions with question words
We can also make questions by using a question word like where, when, who or what. We put the question word at the beginning.
Where are you from? I'm from Brazil.
When is the meeting? It's next Tuesday.
Who's she? She's my sister.
What time is it? It's six o'clock.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello.
Which sentence is correct? I'm interested in books or I'm interested in reading books.
Thanks in advance.
Hello Monike.sophie10,
Both sentences are correct.
In is a preposition and must have an object. The object can be a noun (like 'books') or an -ing form/gerund (like 'reading'), so both sentences are grammatically correct. The difference is that the first sentence is less specific. The speaker may be interested in books because they enjoy reading them, but could also be a collector of books or someone who enjoys studying the history of books.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Where are the worksheet for Grammar and Vocabulary in this section? Only worksheets with teens
Hello LukaX2001,
Creating pdf worksheets is a very time-intensive process for us. Sometimes we publish a page without the pdf worksheets and try to add them when time allows.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
hi I need help beacuse the all excersises are wrong and just the fisrt is good I dont know what doing
Hi,
I know we can contract this - "teacher is" to "teacher's"
(But my Grammarly spell checker suggest it is wrong)
My question is can we contract - "teachers are"
If the answer is Yes, how? And if the answer is No, why?
Thanks in advance.
Hi RajithaSL,
Grammarly and similar apps are only ever rough guides. They can be useful but they are fairly blunt instruments, especially when it comes to grammar suggestions, as they do not take much context into account.
Contractions can lead to ambiguity. For example, teacher's could be teacher is or it could be a possessive form. Apps like Grammarly have problems identifying which one you intend and often correct to the unambiguous option, sacrificing variety and style in the process. Whether or not teacher's is a good choice for your text would depend on the broader context, so I can't say whether it would be a good choice in your case.
Generally we contract other forms of 'be' only with pronouns (I, you, he etc). Sometimes 'will' is contracted in informal writing, but it is unusual. Thus, you can contract 'are' with you, we and they, but not with full nouns.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
hello i know this is not the right place to ask this.
I'm just really curios what is the difference between for getting and to get? when is the spesific time we use for/to?
thank you so much for answering my question 🙏
Hello ashiecajlenreese,
This depends upon the particular verbs used and the context. However, there are some tendencies.
First, we generally use for + -ing to talk about the use of an object (what the object is capable of) whereas we use to + verb to talk about the intention or purpose of the agent (what the person doing the action is trying/hoping to do). For example:
1. I need a knife for cutting bread. [i.e. the kind of knife which lets me do this]
2. I need a knife to cut bread. [I have some bread to cut and I need a knife]
The difference is subtle and there are many contexts in which both would be possible, such as when standing in a kitchen and cooking or when in a shop and buying. However, imagine a situation in which I am doing something else and need a knife. For example, I may be cutting some rope or a cable. In this case I would use the first sentence because I am asking for a particular type of knife, not telling you what I am going to do with it.
I hope that helps to clarify it for you a little. It is a very subtle, as I said, and in many contexts both forms are fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
thank you so much for the explanation, sir.