To Be Verbs in English: Am, Is, Are, Was, Were Explained

If there's one verb every English learner meets on day one, it's this one. To be verbs — am, is, are, was, were, been, and being — are the most frequently used verbs in the entire language, and also one of the few verbs in English that's genuinely irregular in every direction: present, past, and participle forms all look completely different from each other.

This guide breaks the verb "to be" down clearly, with the forms, the rules, and the mistakes that come up most often in real classrooms.

The Forms of "To Be"

Why "To Be" Matters So Much

The verb "to be" does more heavy lifting than almost any other verb in English. It's used for:

• Identity: She is a doctor.
• Description: The soup is delicious.
• Location: They are at the park.
• Existence: There is a problem.
• As a helping (auxiliary) verb: I am studying. / It was written by her.

That last point is worth pausing on — "to be" isn't just a main verb. It's also the backbone of the present continuous, past continuous, and passive voice, which means getting comfortable with it early pays off across nearly every other grammar topic.

Negative and Question Forms

Note the one exception in the negative contraction pattern: "am not" contracts informally to "I'm not," but there's no standard contraction like "amn't" — it simply doesn't exist in standard English.

Common Mistakes Learners Make With "To Be"

A Teaching Tip: Why Learners From Certain Languages Struggle More

In my experience, learners whose first language allows dropping the verb "to be" in simple sentences (as some languages do with statements like "he tired" instead of "he is tired") need extra, deliberate drilling on this verb — not because the concept is hard, but because the habit of omitting it is deeply automatic. Repetition drills that force the "to be" verb into every single sentence, even short ones, work better here than grammar explanations alone.

Try This: Practice Exercise

Fill in the blank with the correct form of "to be" (am, is, are, was, or were).

1. I ___ a student at this school.
2. She ___ very tired yesterday.
3. They ___ at the meeting right now.
4. We ___ late for class last Monday.
5. He ___ studying for his exam.

Answer key: 1. am   2. was   3. are   4. were   5. is

Related Grammar Guides

Since "to be" is the foundation for so many other structures, it pairs naturally with our guide to present tense verbs, and with irregular past tense verbs if you're teaching "was" and "were" alongside other irregular past forms.

FAQ

What are the 8 forms of the verb "to be"?
Be, am, is, are, was, were, been, and being.

Why is "to be" considered irregular?
Because its forms don't follow the normal conjugation pattern (adding -s or -ed). Instead, the word changes shape entirely between "am," "is," "are," "was," and "were."

What's the difference between "was" and "were"?
"Was" is used with I, he, she, and it. "Were" is used with you, we, and they — and also in certain hypothetical statements ("If I were you...").

Can "to be" stand alone without another verb?
Yes — when describing identity, states, or location ("She is a nurse," "The book is on the table"), "to be" functions as the main verb of the sentence on its own.

Explore more grammar guides in the Worksheets section of English by Teacher Yassine, or return to the homepage.

External reference: British Council LearnEnglish: Present simple 'to be'.