Word order in questions verb to be

In some languages, you can ask a question by changing only the intonation in the voice. This is not enough in English. In English, there is special word order in interrogative sentences.

Therefore, in English, when we see the interrogative word order, we already understand that this is a question and not a statement!

What is the interrogative word order? This is the order in which we put the auxiliary verb first in the sentence.

Take a look at these two examples:

Statement: I know you.
Question: Do I know you?

As you can see, this interrogative order still contains the main verb after the subject. That is, the subject and predicate remain in their usual order. But in the question, the predicate has an additional part: an auxiliary verb. And this auxiliary comes first.

The auxiliary verb in an interrogative sentence plays a huge role. The auxiliary verb depends on who we ask the question, who is the subject in our question.

Does she like you?

Did you throw your ring?

Have they been there before?

Will he work here someday?

Another important function of the auxiliary verb in the question is that the auxiliary verb indicates the tense. By changing the auxiliary verb, we change the meaning of the question.

Thus, if we want to know what a person is currently doing, we ask:

Do you live here?

If we are interested in the past of this person, we ask:

Did you live here?

Or we can ask about future plans:

Will you live here?

Word Order in Interrogative Sentence With the Verb To Be

We ask a question with the verb to be using the same scheme where we put an auxiliary verb at the beginning of the question.

But the main difference between to be and other verbs is that to be has no auxiliary verbs. The verb to be acts as an auxiliary verb for itself.

So to ask a question with to be we just put to be first before the subject. Compare:

I am going to spoil the plan!

Am I going to spoil the plan?

The only exception to this rule is when we form a question with the to be verb in the future.

The verb to be in the future has the form: Will be.

To ask a question with Will be, we put only Will in the first place, and be remains in its place.

Correct: Will you be there next time?
Incorrect: Will be you there next time?

Remember that we do not use auxiliary verbs with to be. Many English learners make the mistake of using auxiliary verbs to form a question with to be.

Correct: Is she here?
Incorrect: Does she here?
Incorrect: Does she is here?

Correct: Were they in your school?
Incorrect: Did they in your school?
Incorrect: Did they were in your school?

Correct: Are we friends?
Incorrect: Do we friends?
Incorrect: Do we are friends?

The verb to be in questions plays the same role as auxiliary verbs with ordinary verbs. The verb to be also changes depending on who is the subject in the sentence:

Is she your girlfriend?

Were they in your old team?

Will you be working as always?

Are we the people you are looking for?

Also, the verb to be indicates the tense we are asking about:

Past: Was she your friend?

Present: Is she your friend?

Future: Will she be your friend?

Look at all forms of the verb to be not to be mistaken when you use it:

Present:

• I am
• He is
• She is
• It is
• We are
• They are
• You are

Past:

• I was
• He was
• She was
• It was
• We were
• They were
• You were

Future:

• I will be
• He will be
• She will be
• It will be
• We will be
• They will be
• You will be

Word Order in Subject Question

A subject question has exactly the same word order as an affirmative sentence. But at the beginning, we use the question word who or what.

Who broke the vase?

Who told you the truth?

What fell to the roof?

Thus, it is the word who or what that plays the role of the subject in the sentence. But we do not know who exactly is the subject, who is this person, thing, or being. Therefore, we ask a question.

Compare the usual question in which we know who the subject is and the question to the subject.

Who did she ask about it? (The subject is she)
Who asked you about it? (The subject is who)

What did he throw from the roof? (The subject is he)
Who threw something from the roof? (The subject is who)

Who will you take with you to the dance? (The subject is you)
Who will take you to the dance? ((The subject is who)

This is your car? (The subject is you)
Whose car is this? (Subject is Whose)

Most often, we use a singular verb after the word who or what. Because by asking a question to the subject, we mean that who or what is one person or thing.

Who works here?

We can use the main verb as we do it for the plural if we and our interlocutor understand exactly that who or what in the question means several people or objects:

Who were the people you are talking about?

Word Order in Short Answer and Full Answer

A short answer to a question in English also has its own specific order.

In English, it is not customary to answer questions shortly: Yes or No.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes.

This answer may be considered rude.

So, in English, it is customary to form an answer in this order:

1. Affirmative or negative word.
2. Subject.
3. Auxiliary verb.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes, I do.

The word order in the answer above is considered correct and polite.

A full answer is even simpler. In a full answer, we keep the order of an affirmative or negative sentence. At the beginning of the sentence, we add the affirmative or negative words Yes or No.

1. Affirmative or negative word.
2. Subject
3. Predicate.
4. Object.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes, I like the movie. (Yes, I like / Yes, I like it)

If the answer is no, then we add an auxiliary verb with a negative particle not. In a full negative answer, the order looks like this:

1. Affirmative or negative word.
2. Subject
3. Auxiliary verb + not.
4. Predicate.
5. Object.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: No, I don’t like the movie. (No, I don’t like / No, I don’t like it)

In some cases, we can add an auxiliary verb even in an affirmative full answer if we want to emphasize the main verb.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes, I do like the movie.

In this example, the verb do underlines the main verb like. Such an answer seems to mean:

Yes, I really like the movie.

1. Questions without question words and be

Subject and verb change their position in statement and question.

• Sentence: You are from Germany.
• Question: Are you from Germany?

We always use the short answer, not only Yes or No. That’s why questions without question words are also called YES/NO-questions.

2. Questions with question words and be

Question word	Verb	Subject	Rest	Answer
Where	are	you	from?	I am from Stuttgart. I‘m from Stuttgart.
What	is	your name?		My name is Peter.
How	are	Pat and Sue?		They are fine. They‘re fine.

Questions with question words are also called WH-questions.

3. Questions without question words and have

Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Have	you	got	a cat?	Yes,	I	have.
Have	you	got	a new car?	No,	we	haven’t.
Has	your brother	got	a bike?	Yes,	he	has.
Do	you	have	a cat?	Yes,	I	do.
Do	you	have	a new car?	No,	we	don’t.
Does	your brother	have	a bike?	Yes,	he	does.

4. Questions with question words and have

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
Where	have	you	got	your ruler?	I‘ve got it in my pencil case.
Where	do	you	have	your ruler?	I have it in my pencil case.

5. Questions without question words in the Simple Present

Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Do	you	read	books?	Yes, No,	I I	do. don’t.
Does	Peter	play	football?	Yes,	he	does.

6. Questions with question words in the Simple Present

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
What	do	you	play	on your computer?	I play games on my computer.
When	does	your mother	go	to work?	She goes to work at 6 o’clock.

7. Questions without question words in the Simple Past

Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Did	Max	play	football?	Yes, No,	he he	did. didn’t.

BUT:

to be	Subject	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Were	you	in Leipzig last week?	Yes, No,	I I	was. wasn’t.

8. Questions with question words in the Simple Past

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
What	did	you	play	yesterday evening?	I played computer games.

BUT:

Question word	to be	Subject	Rest	Answer
Where	were	you	yesterday?	I was at the cinema.

9. Subject question

Question word	Verb	Rest	Subject	Verb	Rest
Who	runs	to the shop?	Peter	runs	to the shop.

10. Object question

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
Who	did	Mandy	phone	last Monday?	Mandy phoned her uncle.

NOTE!

Subject question	Object question
Who phoned John?	Who did John phone?

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To Be – Past Tense

To Be – Affirmative

Subject + To Be + Examples

Examples of use of ‘to be’ in sentences 

• I + was + tired this morning. (subject + to be + rest of the sentence)
• You were very good.
• He was the best in his class.
• She was late for work.
• It was a sunny day.
• We were at home.
• You were on holiday.
• They were happy with their test results. 

To Be – Negative

The negative of to be can be made by adding not after the verb (was or were). Verb ‘to be’ examples of negative sentences are given here.

• I was not tired this morning. (subject + to be + not + rest of the sentence)
• You were not crazy at eating.
• He was not married.
• She was not famous.
• It was not hot yesterday.
• We were not invited.
• They were not friends.

To Be – Negative Contractions

We can make negative contractions of the verb to be in the past tense by joining the verb (was or were) and n’t (e.g. were not = weren’t). We don’t make a contraction of the subject and the verb (e.g. I was). Some example sentences are given here.

• I wasn’t tired this morning.
• You weren’t crazy.
• He wasn’t married.
• She wasn’t famous.
• It wasn’t hot yesterday.
• We weren’t invited.
• They weren’t friends.

You may have noticed that we don’t have contractions for to be in past tense affirmative.

To Be – Questions

To create questions with to be, you put the verb before the subject.

Affirmative	Question
I was sleeping.	Was I sleeping?
You were eating.	Were you eating?
She was at work.	Was she at work?
It was a delicious cake.	Was it a delicious cake?
We were taking tests.	Were we taking tests?
You were attending class.	Were you attending class?
They were going for a walk.	Were they going for a walk?

Noun + To Be + Noun

By definition, nouns are used to name the objects/things. Examples of common nouns include that are used for countries, languages, cities and animals etc.

When we are explaining things, we use Noun+To Be+Noun. For example,

• English is a language. (Noun + to be + noun)
• A cow is a mammal.

Short Answers with ‘To Be’

With ‘To Be’ it is possible to give a short answer or a long answer to a question in English though, in casual conversation, short answers are much more common than long answers. 

Long answers are for more formal conversations or if you want to give more information in your response.

In questions that use IS or ARE it is possible to give short answers as follows.

Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Am I early?	Yes, you are.	No, you aren’t.
Are you busy now?	Yes, I am.	No, I’m not.
Are you both surprised?	Yes, we are.	No, we aren’t.
Are they hungry?	Yes, they are.	No, they aren’t.
Is he late again?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn’t.
Is she a good student?	Yes, she is.	No, she isn’t.
Is it ready?	Yes, it is.	No, it isn’t.

To Be – Present Tense

To Be affirmative sentence examples.

Subject + To Be + Examples

• I + am + from New Zealand. (Subject + To Be + Rest of the sentence)
• You are Chilean.
• He is twenty years old.
• It is very easy for you to complete the task.
• You are student of this college.
• We are intelligent.

We have already discussed to make the negative sentences , questions and contractions in the past tense. In case of present ‘was/were’ is replaced with ‘is/am/are’. The rest of the procedure is same.  

Where + To Be

‘Where’ is used as a question word for asking about place or any location. 

Here is the word order of ‘to be’ in questions which start with ‘where’.

Where + To Be + Subject + rest of the sentence, for example,

• Where + are + you + going? (I am going to office.)
• Where is she now? (She is at work now.)
• Where are they? (They are in the meeting room.) 

You can also ask where things or places are.

Where	to be	subject	example answers
Where	is	my book?	It’s on the table.
Where	are	my books?	They’re on the desk.

Remember : Is + singular word, are + plural word.

Other examples of Where + To Be

• Where is the Statue of Liberty? It’s in New York.
• Where is the Eiffel Tower? It’s in Paris.
• Where are your parents right now? They’re on holiday. 

‘To Be’ Verb List

Verb ‘be’ can be of following forms.

• Be
• Being
• Been
• Is
• Am
• Are
• Was
• Were

How to use “to be” verbs

Are you confused by “to be” verbs? It’s okay. “To be” verbs change almost more than any other verb. In other words, they are very irregular. Let’s learn how to use “to be” verbs correctly.  Refer back to this lesson when you have questions about how to use them in the future. 

What are “to be” verbs? 

Forms of “To be” by tense.

 There are many English tenses, but the main ones you will use are present, past, present progressive and present perfect

Subject Verb Agreement When Using “to be” verbs

The correct “to be” verb to use depends on your subject and tense. This chart shows you proper subject verb agreement with “to be” verbs. 

Note: Contractions are short forms that will sound more like how people speak. 

Feel free to print this out for reference. 

Example sentences using “to be” verbs

These are examples of how you will see “to be” verbs most often. 

“To be” verbs in positive present tense sentences

I am American.

He is a teacher.

She is happy. 

They are at the movies. 

“To be” verbs in negative present tense sentences

I am not angry.

She is not at school.

It is not broken.

We are not students.

“To be” verbs in affirmative past tense sentences 

I was hungry. 

She was at the movies. 

You were there. 

It was great!. 

They were excited. 

“To be” verbs in negative past tense sentences

I was not there.

You were not here. 

He wasn’t a teacher.

We weren’t at the restaurant. 

Questions using “to be” verbs 

To make questions with be verbs, use this order: To be verb + subject + complement

Was I there?

Were you sad?

Was she at school?

Was it a good movie?

Were they late?

Advanced Section

The previous section contained examples of what most beginners need to learn for using “to be” verbs correctly. In this section, we’ll be covering many other ways to use them. 

The present perfect form 

The present perfect form is used for describing experiences or events that have happened in the past when the exact time is not important. 

It uses this structure: subject + has/have + been + complement

Examples:

I have been there. 

You have been good. 

It has been difficult. 

He has been an electrician. 

We have been here all day. 

They have been well-behaved. 

Asking questions using the present perfect form. 

Questions in the present perfect perform form use the structure: Has/have + subject + been + complement

Examples:

Have I been mean?

Have you been worried?

Has he been there? 

Have they been anxious? 

The Present Progressive Form

The present progressive form is for describing continuous or ongoing actions happening right now vs the simple present which describes habits or things which happen now and again. 

Use this structure for the present progressive tense for “to be” verbs: 

Subject + be verb + verb + ing 

Examples:

I am watching television. 

You are pushing the wrong button. 

He is looking at the window. 

She is studying. 

It is raining. 

We are traveling. 

They are thinking. 

Question tags using “to be” verbs 

You can add a question tag to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. To put question tags onto sentences using “to be” verbs, use this structure: 

statement + “to be” verb + pronoun. The “to be” verb used in the question tag must be the same one used in the statement.

Note: When adding question tags, if the “to be” verb in the statement is positive, then the one in the question tag must be negative. If the “to be” verb statement is negative, the one in the question tag, must be positive. 

Just think: 

• +statement — question tag

• -statement + question tag

Examples:

I wasn’t being rude, was I? (negative statement with positive question tag) 

It was good, wasn’t it? (positive statement with negative question tag)

You were there, weren’t you? (positive statement with negative question tag)

It wasn’t too bad, was it? (negative question tag with positive question tag)

They weren’t angry, were they? (negative statement with positive question tag) 

The linking “To be” verb (descriptions)

The linking “to be” verb describes the condition of the subject. Below are a few sentence structures using the linking “to be” verbs. 

In statements that describe, you’ll see this structure in which the sentences have a “to be” verb linking the subject to a subject complement or adjective complement: 

Subject + “to be” verb + complement

Examples:

I am excited. 

It is boring. 

She is the leader. 

They are at the bank. 

Sometimes when answering a question you can see just a subject and “to be” verb used as in this structure: 

subject + “to be” verb

Examples:

Q: Are you the doctor?

A: I am.

Q: Is she the teacher?

A: She is. 

Adding adverbs to your sentences with linking  “to be” verbs

Reminder: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs in order to tell us how, when, where, why, how often or to what extent

Structure: Subject + “to be” verb + adverb +complement or

Adverb, subject + “to be” verb + complement

Examples:

I am always on time. 

It is never boring. 

Sometimes, it is difficult. 

“To be” verbs for discussing possibility or giving suggestions

When describing possibilities you’ll typically use the following structure:

Subject + modal verb (could, should, would, might etc) + be + complement

Note: “be” stays in this base form directly after a modal verb. 

Examples:

He could be a superstar.

She might be late.

You should be nice to your parents. 

When giving suggestions, it is a little more complicated. 

Examples:

subject + modal verb (suggest)+ object + be + complement

subject + modal verb (advise)+ object + to be + complement

I suggest you be nice to your mother. 

I advise you to be cooperative.

Imperatives: giving commands using “to be” verbs

When giving imperatives or commands, “to be” verbs stay in the base form of be and typically stay at the beginning of the sentence. In these sentences, the subject is implied so it doesn’t have to be written, that is why you only see the “to be” verb followed by the complement. 

Structure: “to be” verb + complement or

Do not + “to be” verb + complement

Examples:

Be a good student. 

Be nice to your teacher. 

Don’t be mean to him. 

When to use “to be” verbs as infinitives. 

Infinitives are to plus a verb in order to make a noun. So you’ll see them in the subject or object of a sentence. They are used to describe the abstract, so they most often are used with a modal verb of desire.

I want to be a singer. 

He likes to be the best at what he does. 

They hope to be friends.

When making these negative, you’ll put do not or does not before the modal verb.

Examples:

Note: following don’t or doesn’t modal verbs such as like, want, need, or hope will stay in base form. 

I don’t want to be difficult. 

He does not like to be mean. 

She doesn’t want to be a musician. 

The passive voice using “to be” verbs

In sentences using the passive voice, the person or thing which is performing the action is either in the object of the sentence or even omitted. When written, the noun performing the action is normally found following a preposition such as “by”

The most common passive voice construction is this: 

Subject + “to be” verb + verb or

Subject + “to be” verb + verb + by + object 

In these constructions, the “to be” verb will follow the standard rules for subject verb agreement. The examples below have sentences using “to be” verbs in different tenses. 

Examples:

Present: The car is powered by electricity. 

Present progressive: The work is being done. 

Past: The building was demolished by the crew. 

Future: The meal will be prepared by the chef. 

Present perfect: The coffee had been made. 

We have covered many ways in which you can use “to be” verbs. Follow our blog for more lessons like this one. Also, if you would like to find out more about studying English online or in the United States, contact us here. FLS International offers live online classes, in-person classes, cultural tours and more!

Written by: Welkin Tang

The verb BE is the biggest verb of English. It can function as a main verb, a linking verb, an auxiliary verb, a phrasal verb and can also express modality in the phrase «be to».

The verb BE is the only English verb that has several verb forms for showing person and number: Present tense – I am, he/she/it is, we/you/they are; Past tense – I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were. Present participle – being; past participle – been.

(The terms «main verb, linking verb, auxiliary verb» and some other terms related to verbs are explained in Verbs Glossary of Terms in the section Grammar.)

BE as a main verb

As a main verb, the verb BE has the following meanings: be located somewhere, exist, take place. Examples:

Madrid is in Spain.

The TV is in the living room.

Anton will be here tomorrow.

This book is in two versions.

Max has been to London several times.

Ella was in Paris a year ago.

They were at the conference last week.

The meeting was at six yesterday.

The phrases «there is; there are»

The phrases «there is; there are» (there was, there were, there will be, etc.) are a special type of predicate that is placed at the beginning of the sentence; the subject is placed after the predicate.

The phrases «there is; there are» are used when you want to say WHAT is in some place. Compare these sentences: The book is on the table. (The sentence tells you WHERE the book is.) – There is a book on the table. (The sentence tells you WHAT is on the table.)

There is an old man in the room.

There are two cups on the table.

There was a car accident on Trenton Street yesterday.

There will be a meeting tomorrow.

There is a lot of light in this room.

There were a lot of people on the streets.

There’s no food in the house. There isn’t any food in the house.

There are no flowers in the garden. There aren’t any flowers in the garden.

Is there any meat in the refrigerator? – Yes, there is. – No, there isn’t.

Are there any letters for me? – Yes, there are. – No, there aren’t.

BE as a linking verb

The verb BE as a linking verb connects the subject with the predicative complement which describes the subject (i.e., what the subject is or what qualities it has).

The linking verb BE may be followed by a noun, an adjective, a numeral, a pronoun, an infinitive, a gerund. The verb BE in this function gives you a lot of ways to build sentences.

He is a doctor. They are teachers.

It is a pencil. It is red.

She is hungry. He is young.

Thank you. You are very kind.

He is interested in history.

I’m tired of his complaints.

She is two years old. She is two.

The book was forty pages long.

It’s me, dear.

It was he who invited them.

Your task is to write a report.

His hobby is collecting coins.

Other linking verbs

Some other verbs which can also be used as linking verbs are «become, feel, look, seem, appear, get, grow».

He became a doctor. It became warmer.

He feels tired. She looked ill.

It seemed possible. It grew dark.

In some phrases with adjectives, the verb BE can be replaced by the verb GET to show the beginning, change, or result of the action. Compare these sentences:

It is cold. It is getting cold.

She was angry at Richard. She got angry at Richard.

My coat is wet. My coat got wet.

(The use of the verb BE with adjectives is described in the section Idioms. See BE with Adjectives Short List.)

BE as an auxiliary verb

As an auxiliary verb, the verb BE helps to form the continuous and perfect continuous tenses in the Active Voice and all of the tenses in the Passive Voice.

Active Voice

He is sleeping now.

He was sleeping at three o’clock yesterday.

He will be sleeping at three tomorrow.

He has been sleeping for two hours.

He had been sleeping for about two hours by the time you returned.

Passive Voice

This work is usually done by Tom.

That picture was brought from Italy.

This work will be done tomorrow.

The report is being prepared now.

This letter has been written by John.

(Read about the formation and usage of tenses in the subsection English Tenses in the section Grammar.)

BE as a stative verb

The verb BE is a stative verb; generally, it is not used in the continuous tenses (i.e, in the continuous and perfect continuous tenses). (Stative verbs and action verbs are described in Key to Present Tenses in the section Grammar.) Compare BE with other verbs:

He is here. – He is waiting in the hall.

He is busy now. – He is working now.

He has been sick since Friday. – He has been coughing since Friday.

He has been a history teacher for many years. – He has been teaching history for many years.

The verb BE is sometimes used in the continuous tenses, mostly in the Present Continuous and Past Continuous, in the construction BE + adjective. In such cases, the verb BE is close in meaning to the verb «behave» and indicates temporary character of the activity. Compare:

He is silly. (permanent state now) – He is being silly. (temporary behavior now)

He is polite. – He is being polite.

I couldn’t understand why he was so rude. – I couldn’t understand why he was being so rude.

Not many adjectives can be used in constructions with the continuous tenses of the verb BE. Adjectives commonly used in such constructions include «bad, careful, foolish, good, impolite, polite, rude, silly, unfair», and some others.

BE as a phrasal verb

The verb BE is used in various phrasal combinations with postpositions (adverbs) and with nouns with prepositions. For example:

He is out. He’s not in.

He’ll be back in an hour.

Hot water is off.

What are you up to?

She was beside herself with anger.

Her father was against her plan.

I was about to call you.

His conduct in that situation was above reproach.

The verb BE in some phrases with postpositions can be replaced by the verb GET to show the beginning, change, or result of the action.

He is back. He got back yesterday.

(More examples with the phrasal verb BE are given in Phrasal Verbs from A to C in the section Idioms.)

BE in the phrase «be to»

The verb BE expresses modality in the construction be + to + infinitive, with the following meaning: strong expectation of some action according to a rule, instruction, agreement, or order. The forms of «be to» in the present and future: am to, is to, are to; the forms in the past: was to, were to.

The phrase «be to» is close in meaning to the modal verb MUST, while the phrase «be not to» is close in meaning to MUST NOT expressing prohibition.

You are not to feed the animals. (A sign in the zoo.)

You are not to talk to the other students during the examination.

The committee is to start work next week.

I was to meet them at the station, but my car broke down.

The phrases «be to, be not to» are not very common in everyday speech. The modal verbs MUST, SHOULD and the phrases «have to, be supposed to» are often used instead of them. (These and other substitute phrases for MUST NOT are described in Prohibition in the section Grammar.)

You are to be here at six o’clock.

You have to be here at six o’clock.

You are not to smoke here.

You shouldn’t smoke here.

The lecture is to begin at five.

The lecture is supposed to begin at five.

The verb BE in questions

The verb BE forms questions in the Simple Present and Simple Past on its own. (Other main verbs use the auxiliary verb DO for this purpose. For example: Does he go there? Did he go there?) Look at these examples:

Anna is a new teacher from Chicago.

Is Anna a new teacher? – Yes, she is. – No, she isn’t.

Who is Anna? – Anna is a new teacher from Chicago.

Where is Anna from? – Anna is from Chicago. / From Chicago.

Anna is a new teacher from Chicago, isn’t she? – Yes, she is. – No, she isn’t.

Anna isn’t from Chicago, is she? – Yes, she is. Anna is from Chicago. – No, she isn’t. Anna is not from Chicago.

He was in Rome last year.

Was he in Rome last year? – Yes, he was. Yes, he was in Rome last year. – No, he was not. No, he wasn’t in Rome last year.

Where was he last year? – He was in Rome. / In Rome.

When was he in Rome? – He was in Rome last year. / Last year.

He was in Rome last year, wasn’t he? – Yes, he was. Yes, he was in Rome last year. – No, he wasn’t. No, he wasn’t in Rome last year.

Contracted forms of the verb BE

Contractions of auxiliary verbs are widely used in speech and writing. Full forms are considered preferable in formal style of writing.

The verb BE in the affirmative

Present tense

Singular: I am – I’m; he is – he’s; she is – she’s; it is – it’s.

Plural: we are – we’re; you are – you’re; they are – they’re.

Past tense

I / he / she / it was – not contracted;

we / you / they were – not contracted.

The verb BE in the negative

Present tense

Singular: I am not – I’m not; he is not – he’s not / he isn’t; she is not – she’s not / she isn’t; it is not – it’s not / it isn’t.

Plural: we are not – we’re not / we aren’t; you are not – you’re not / you aren’t; they are not – they’re not / they aren’t.

Past tense

Singular: I was not – I wasn’t; he was not – he wasn’t; she was not – she wasn’t; it was not – it wasn’t.

Plural: we were not – we weren’t; you were not – you weren’t; they were not – they weren’t.

Глагол BE

Глагол BE – самый большой глагол английского языка. Он может работать как основной глагол, глагол-связка, вспомогательный глагол, фразовый глагол и может выражать модальность во фразе «be to».

Глагол BE – единственный глагол, который имеет несколько глагольных форм для показа лица и числа: Настоящее время – I am, he/she/it is, we/you/they are; Прошедшее время – I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were. Причастие настоящего времени – being; причастие прошедшего времени – been.

(Термины «main verb, linking verb, auxiliary verb» и некоторые другие термины, связанные с глаголами, объяснены в материале Verbs Glossary of Terms в разделе Grammar.)

BE как основной глагол

Как основной глагол, глагол BE имеет следующие значения: быть, находиться где-то, существовать, происходить. Примеры:

Мадрид находится в Испании.

Телевизор в гостиной.

Антон будет здесь завтра.

Эта книга в двух версиях.

Макс побывал в Лондоне несколько раз.

Элла была в Париже год назад.

Они были на конференции на прошлой неделе.

Собрание было вчера в шесть.

Фразы «there is; there are»

Фразы «there is; there are» (there was, there were, there will be и т.д.) – это особый тип сказуемого, которое ставится в начале предложения; подлежащее ставится после сказуемого.

Фразы «there is; there are» употребляются, когда вы хотите сказать, ЧТО находится в каком-то месте. Сравните: The book is on the table. (Книга на столе. Это предложение сообщает вам ГДЕ находится книга.) – There is a book on the table. (На столе книга. Это предложение сообщает вам ЧТО находится на столе.)

В комнате пожилой мужчина.

На столе две чашки.

На улице Трентон вчера произошла автомобильная авария.

Завтра будет собрание.

В этой комнате очень много света.

На улицах было очень много людей.

В доме нет еды.

В саду нет цветов.

В холодильнике есть мясо? – Да, есть. – Нет, нет.

Для меня есть письма? – Да, есть. – Нет, нет.

BE как глагол-связка

Глагол BE как глагол-связка соединяет подлежащее с именной частью сказуемого, которая описывает подлежащее (т.е., что собой представляет подлежащее или какие у него качества).

За глаголом-связкой BE может следовать существительное, прилагательное, числительное, местоимение, инфинитив, герундий. Глагол BE в этой функции даёт вам очень много способов строить предложения.

Он врач. Они учителя.

Это карандаш. Он красный.

Она голодная. Он молодой.

Спасибо. Вы очень добры.

Он интересуется историей.

Я устал от его жалоб.

Ей два года.

Книга была сорок страниц длиной.

Это я, дорогой.

Это он пригласил их.

Ваше задание – написать доклад.

Его хобби – собирать монеты.

Другие глаголы-связки

Некоторые другие глаголы, которые также могут употребляться как глаголы-связки: become, feel, look, seem, appear, get, grow.

Он стал врачом. Стало теплее.

Он чувствует себя усталым. Она выглядела больной.

Это казалось возможным. Стемнело.

В некоторых фразах с прилагательными глагол BE можно заменить глаголом GET, чтобы показать начало, изменение или результат действия. Сравните эти предложения:

Холодно. Становится холодно.

Она была сердита на Ричарда. Она рассердилась на Ричарда.

Мое пальто мокрое. Мое пальто намокло.

(Употребление глагола BE с прилагательными описывается в разделе Idioms. См. материал BE with Adjectives Short List.)

BE как вспомогательный глагол

Как вспомогательный глагол, глагол BE помогает образовывать времена групп Continuous и Perfect Continuous в активном залоге и все времена в страдательном залоге.

Активный залог

Он спит сейчас.

Он спал в три часа вчера.

Он будет спать завтра в три.

Он спит уже два часа.

Он проспал примерно два часа к тому времени, как вы вернулись.

Пассивный залог

Эта работа обычно делается Томом.

Та картина была привезена из Италии.

Эта работа будет сделана завтра.

Доклад готовят сейчас.

Это письмо написано Джоном.

(Прочитайте об образовании и употреблении английских времён в подразделе English Tenses в разделе Grammar.)

BE как глагол состояния

Глагол BE является глаголом состояния; обычно, он не употребляется в продолженных временах (т.е. во временах групп Continuous и Perfect Continuous). (Глаголы состояния и глаголы действия описаны в статье Key to Present Tenses в разделе Grammar.) Сравните BE с другими глаголами:

Он здесь. – Он ждёт в холле.

Он занят сейчас. – Он работает сейчас.

Он болеет с пятницы. – Он кашляет с пятницы.

Он учитель истории уже много лет. – Он преподает историю уже много лет.

Глагол BE иногда употребляется в продолженных временах, в основном, во временах Present Continuous и Past Continuous, в конструкции BE + прилагательное. В таких случаях, глагол BE близок по значению к глаголу «behave» (вести себя) и указывает на временный характер действия. Сравните:

Он глупый. (постоянное состояние сейчас) – Он ведёт себя глупо. (временное поведение сейчас)

Он вежливый. – Он ведёт себя вежливо.

Я не мог понять, почему он был так груб. – Я не мог понять, почему он вёл себя так грубо.

Не многие прилагательные могут употребляться в конструкциях с продолженными временами глагола BE. Прилагательные, обычно употребляемые в таких конструкциях, включают в себя «bad, careful, foolish, good, impolite, polite, rude, silly, unfair» и некоторые другие.

BE как фразовый глагол

Фразовый глагол BE употребляется в различных фразовых сочетаниях с послелогами (наречиями) и с существительными с предлогами. Например:

Его нет.

Он вернётся через час.

Горячая вода отключена.

Что вы задумали?

Она была вне себя от гнева.

Её отец был против её плана.

Я как раз собирался позвонить вам.

Его поведение в той ситуации было безупречным.

Глагол BE в некоторых фразах с послелогами можно заменить глаголом GET для показа начала, изменения или результата действия.

Он вернулся. Он вернулся вчера.

(Ещё примеры с фразовым глаголом BE даны в материале Phrasal Verbs from A to C в разделе Idioms.)

BE во фразе «be to»

Глагол BE выражает модальность в конструкции be + to + infinitive, со следующим значением: сильное ожидание выполнения какого-то действия согласно правилу, инструкции, предписанию, договорённости или приказу. Формы «be to» в настоящем и будущем: am to, is to, are to; формы в прошедшем: was to, were to.

Фраза «be to» близка по значению к модальному глаголу MUST, в то время как фраза «be not to» близка по значению к глаголу MUST NOT, выражающему запрет.

Запрещается кормить животных. (Знак в зоопарке.)

Вы не должны разговаривать с другими студентами во время экзамена.

Комитет должен начать работу на следующей неделе.

Я должен был встретить их на вокзале, но моя машина сломалась.

Фразы «be to, be not to» не очень часто употребляются в разговорной речи. Модальные глаголы MUST, SHOULD и фразы «have to, be supposed to» часто используются вместо них. (Эти и другие фразы-заменители для MUST NOT описываются в статье Prohibition в разделе Grammar.)

Вы должны быть здесь в шесть часов.

Вы должны быть здесь в шесть часов.

Нельзя здесь курить.

Не следует здесь курить.

Лекция должна начаться в пять.

Предполагается, что лекция начнется в пять.

Глагол BE в вопросах

Глагол BE образует вопросы в простом настоящем и простом прошедшем самостоятельно. (Другие основные глаголы используют вспомогательный глагол DO для этой цели. Например: Он ходит туда? Он ходил туда?) Посмотрите на эти примеры:

Анна (есть) новый преподаватель из Чикаго.

Анна новый преподаватель? – Да. – Нет.

Кто Анна? – Анна новый преподаватель из Чикаго.

Откуда Анна? – Анна из Чикаго. / Из Чикаго.

Анна новый преподаватель из Чикаго, не так ли? – Да. – Нет.

Анна не из Чикаго, не так ли? – (несогласие) Нет, она из Чикаго. Анна из Чикаго. – (согласие) Нет, она не из Чикаго. Анна не из Чикаго.

Он был в Риме в прошлом году.

Он был в Риме в прошлом году? – Да, был. Да, он был в Риме в прошлом году. – Нет, не был. Нет, он не был в Риме в прошлом году.

Где он был в прошлом году? – Он был в Риме. / В Риме.

Когда он был в Риме? – Он был в Риме в прошлом году. / В прошлом году.

Он был в Риме в прошлом году, не так ли? – Да, был. Да, он был в Риме в прошлом году. – Нет, не был. Нет, он не был в Риме в прошлом году.

Сокращенные формы глагола BE

Сокращения вспомогательных глаголов широко употребляются в речи и на письме. Полные формы считаются предпочтительными в официальном стиле письма.

Глагол BE в утвердительной форме

Настоящее время

Единственное число: I am – I’m; he is – he’s; she is – she’s; it is – it’s.

Множественное число: we are – we’re; you are – you’re; they are – they’re.

Прошедшее время

I / he / she / it was – не сокращается;

we / you / they were – не сокращается.

Глагол BE в отрицательной форме

Настоящее время

Единственное число: I am not – I’m not; he is not – he’s not / he isn’t; she is not – she’s not / she isn’t; it is not – it’s not / it isn’t.

Множественное число: we are not – we’re not / we aren’t; you are not – you’re not / you aren’t; they are not – they’re not / they aren’t.

Прошедшее время

Единственное число: I was not – I wasn’t; he was not – he wasn’t; she was not – she wasn’t; it was not – it wasn’t.

Множественное число: we were not – we weren’t; you were not – you weren’t; they were not – they weren’t.