Am, is and are: introduce yourself

Match the verb to the subject

Use am, is or are to connect a person or thing to a description. These are present-tense forms of be. Use am with I; is with he, she, it or one named person; and are with you, we, they or more than one person. You takes are even when you are speaking to just one person.

The word after be may describe a feeling, a job or a location. Compare “I am tired”, “I am a teacher” and “I am at home”. English needs the verb in all three sentences. “I tired” is incomplete in standard English.

• I am Nino. I am from Tbilisi.
• My brother is a student. He is at school.
• Nino and Luka are friends. They are ready.

Use contractions in conversation

I am becomes I’m; she is becomes she’s; they are becomes they’re. The apostrophe marks omitted letters. Full forms and contractions have the same basic meaning, although full forms can add emphasis: “I am ready!”

A contraction does not always work at the end of a short answer. Answer “Are you ready?” with “Yes, I am”, rather than “Yes, I’m”. You can use a contraction before a following description: “Yes, I’m ready.”

Make a negative or ask a question

To make a negative, put not after be: “I am not late”, “She is not tired”, “They are not here”. Common contractions include I’m not, isn’t and aren’t. Use “I’m not” rather than “I amn’t” in standard English.

For a yes/no question, move be before the subject: “You are ready” becomes “Are you ready?” Keep the other words in the same order. Do not add do: “Do you are ready?” mixes two different question patterns.

A question word goes before be: “Where are you?” asks about location; “Who is she?” asks about identity. A useful conversation is: “Where are you from?” “I’m from Georgia.” “Are you a student?” “No, I’m not. I’m a nurse.”

• She is at home. → Is she at home?
• They are hungry. → They aren’t hungry.
• Are they your friends? → Yes, they are.

Know when a different verb is needed

Be links a subject to a description; it does not replace every action verb. Say “I work in a school”, not “I am work in a school”. “I am working” is a different structure, used for an action in progress. Start by deciding whether you are giving a description or naming an action.

Practise and check your reasoning

Say or write each answer before opening the explanation. If you make a mistake, identify which part of the rule changes your answer.

1. Complete: I ___ at the library.

   Show answer and explanation

   am

   The subject I takes am. “At the library” tells us the location.

2. Complete: My keys ___ on the table.

   Show answer and explanation

   are

   Keys is plural, so use are, as you would with they.

3. Make this negative: She is tired.

   Show answer and explanation

   She is not tired. / She isn’t tired.

   Put not after is. Both the full form and contraction work.

4. Turn this into a question: Your brother is a teacher.

   Show answer and explanation

   Is your brother a teacher?

   Move is before the subject your brother. Do not add do.

5. Answer briefly and positively: Are you from Georgia?

   Show answer and explanation

   Yes, I am.

   In a short answer ending with be, keep am in its full form.

Use it in your own words

Write three true sentences: your name, where you are from, and how you feel today. Change the last sentence into a negative, then ask a partner the corresponding question. Check the subject before choosing am, is or are.

Continue with grammar practice in the classroom →