Grammar

Present Simple tense with am, is and are

1,800 fill-in-the-gap exercises across 4 forms

The verb be is the only English verb with three present forms. It also makes its own negatives and questions, without do.

Pick a form to practice

Why be is different

Every other English verb has one present form plus an -s for he, she and it. Be has three: am, is, are. It is also the only common verb that does not need do to make a negative or a question — it does both on its own.

That is why learners who have mastered do/does still stumble here: the rules they learned do not apply.

Which form goes with which subject

• am — only with I
• is — he, she, it, and any single person or thing
• are — you, we, they, and any plural

I am late. He is late. They are late.

In speech the positive almost always contracts: I’m, you’re, he’s, she’s, it’s, we’re, they’re.

What be is used for

It links the subject to a description rather than to an action:

• a quality: The soup is cold.
• a job or role: She is an engineer.
• a place: The keys are on the table.
• age, price, size: He is nine. The tickets are twelve euros.
• feelings and states: I am tired. They are afraid of dogs.

Several of these are said with have in other languages, which is where I have hungry and I have 20 years come from. In English they take be.

be as a helper

Be also builds the continuous tenses, and there it is not the main verb but a helper:

She is working. — here is supports working.

The forms and the rules are the same, which is why this page is worth getting right first.

All forms

Mistakes to avoid