Be is one of the most common verbs in English. It links a subject to a name, job, origin, relationship, description, state, or place. Use it for identity in I am Maria, for profession in She is a teacher, for origin in We are from Peru, and for relationships in They are my parents. It also connects a subject to an adjective or noun in patterns covered in Be + Adjectives and Descriptions and Describing People and Things. In English, be often carries the full meaning on its own, especially with names, descriptions, and location. For places, it shows where someone or something is, as in The keys are on the table. For age, it appears in expressions like He is 30 years old. For occupations and origins, it is the normal verb in She is an engineer and I am from Spain, which also connects to Talking About Occupations and Origins.

Core meanings of be

Idea
Use be to show identity or what someone or something is.
Use be to show origin or nationality.
Use be to show a relationship or connection.
Use be to describe a quality or condition.
Use be to show location or position.

In the present tense, be changes form according to the subject. Use am with I, is with he, she, and it, and are with you, we, and they. The pattern is subject + am/is/are + complement: I am ready, She is at work, We are friends. In everyday speech, contractions are very common: I'm, she's, we're, they're. The form stays the same whether the complement is a noun, adjective, place, or time expression. For a fuller picture of present and past forms, see To Be - Past and Present Tenses.

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
we	be
she	be
he	be
I	be
they	be
it	be
you	be

Present tense forms of be

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
I	be	am
you	be	are
he	be	is
she	be	is
it	be	is
we	be	are
they	be	are

Scramble

In the past tense, be has two forms: was and were. Use was with I, he, she, and it. Use were with you, we, and they. The pattern is subject + was/were + complement: I was late, They were tired, The room was quiet. These forms describe past identity, state, description, and location. Contractions are common in speech and informal writing, especially wasn't and weren't. For a fuller picture of present and past forms, see To Be - Past and Present Tenses.

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
she	be
it	be
we	be
he	be
I	be
they	be
you	be

Past tense forms of be

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
I	be	was
you	be	were
he	be	was
she	be	was
it	be	was
we	be	were
they	be	were

Scramble

To talk about the future, use will be: subject + will be + complement, as in I will be there at six or The meeting will be short. The base form be appears after modal verbs such as can, must, and should: You can be honest, We must be careful, It should be fine. The base form also follows to in infinitives: to be on time, to be ready, to be a doctor. In these patterns, be does not change form after the modal verb or after to. It stays in its base form.

Verb	Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
base form	after modal verb	be
future	she	be
base form	to	be
future	he	be
future	you	be
future	I	be
future	they	be
future	we	be
future	it	be

Future and base form of be

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
I	be	will be
you	be	will be
he	be	will be
she	be	will be
it	be	will be
we	be	will be
they	be	will be
to	be	be
after modal verb	be	be

Scramble

To make a negative with be, add not after the verb: subject + am/is/are/was/were + not + complement. The common contractions are isn't, aren't, wasn't, and weren't. In questions, move be before the subject: Am I late?, Is she at home?, Were they happy?. This inversion is one of the clearest patterns in English. With be, you do not need do or does for questions and negatives. The verb itself carries the tense and the question form.

Questions and negatives with be

Idea
Put be before the subject to make a question.
Add not after be to make a negative statement.
Use the short form is not or are not in everyday speech.
Use wh words before be when asking for specific information.
Use a question mark when the sentence is a question with be.

Be often links a person or thing to an adjective or noun that describes it. The pattern is subject + be + adjective or noun: The soup is hot, My brother is kind, That car is a hybrid. With adjectives, the verb gives the sentence its grammar while the adjective gives the description, as in Be + Adjectives and Descriptions. With nouns, be can identify what something is or what someone becomes: She is a manager, This is my home. It also appears with age expressions, size, and condition: He is 40, The bag is heavy, The door is open. Use be when the description belongs directly to the subject, not when the subject performs an action.

Describing people and things with be

Usage	Explanation
Identity	Use be with a noun to say what a person or thing is.
Quality	Use be with an adjective to describe a person or thing.
Age	Use be to say how old someone or something is.
Condition	Use be to describe a temporary state or condition.
Mood	Use be to describe how someone feels.

Use be to say where people and things are: subject + be + place. The shop is near the station, We are at the hotel, My phone is in my bag. This is the normal verb for location and pairs naturally with expressions of place in Talking About Location and Time. Be also gives time and date: It is three o'clock, Today is Monday, The concert is on July 12. For schedules and availability, English uses the same verb: The office is open at 9 a.m., I am free tomorrow, She is busy this evening. In these sentences, be links the subject to a time, date, or state of availability.

Location and time expressions with be

Usage	Explanation
Physical location	Use be to say where a person or thing is.
Destination	Use be to show where someone will be.
Time of day	Use be to tell the time or part of the day.
Dates	Use be to give a date for an event.
Availability	Use be to say whether someone is free or present.

Use there is and there are to introduce the existence of something. The form agrees with the noun that follows it: there is with singular nouns or uncountable nouns, there are with plural nouns. Say There is a problem, There is milk in the fridge, There are two chairs in the room. The noun after the verb tells you which form to choose. In questions, the verb comes before there: Is there a problem?, Are there any chairs?. In negatives, add not: There is not enough time, There are not many people here. These patterns are especially useful for describing what is present in a place.

Existence with there is and there are

Idea
Use there is with a singular noun or an uncountable noun.
Use there are with a plural noun.
Match the verb to the noun that comes after it, not to there.
Use there is not or there are not to make negatives.
Use is there or are there to ask about existence.

In continuous tenses, be works as an auxiliary verb before being: am/is/are being in the present continuous passive or temporary behavior, was/were being in the past, and will be being in the future. The form is auxiliary be + being + complement or past participle, depending on the structure. In temporary descriptions, being often suggests behavior that is happening for a period of time: He is being difficult means his behavior is difficult now. In passive continuous forms, being appears before the past participle: The road is being repaired. The base word after the auxiliary is always being, never be. In longer passive systems, the same idea continues across tenses with the help of To Be - Past and Present Tenses.

Verb	Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
past continuous	I	be
present continuous	you	be
present continuous	I	be
past continuous	they	be
present continuous	he	be
future continuous	we	be

Auxiliary forms of be in continuous tenses

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
I	be	am being
you	be	are being
he	be	is being
I	be	was being
they	be	were being
we	be	will be being

Scramble

Passive voice uses a form of be + past participle. The pattern changes with tense: The letter is written, The letter was written, The letter will be written. The subject receives the action, so the focus is on the result or the thing affected, not on who does the action. If you want to mention the doer, add by: The song was written by a famous singer. The verb be carries the tense, while the past participle shows the passive meaning. This pattern appears in many everyday sentences when the action matters more than the actor.

Verb	Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
past passive	The keys	be
past passive	The report	be
present passive	The letter	be
present passive	The windows	be
future passive	The room	be

Be plus past participle in passive voice

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
The letter	be	is sent
The windows	be	are cleaned
The report	be	was finished
The keys	be	were found
The room	be	will be painted

Scramble

Perfect forms of be combine have with been: have been, has been, had been, and will have been. Use have been and has been for states that began in the past and continue to the present, or for life experience up to now: I have been busy, She has been a nurse for ten years. Use had been for a state or location before another past time: We had been at the airport for an hour when the flight changed. Use will have been for a state or duration completed before a future time: By Friday, they will have been here for a week. In these forms, been is the past participle of be and does not change. The full pattern helps connect past and present in the way explained in To Be - Past and Present Tenses.

Verb	Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
present perfect	I	be
present perfect	they	be
present perfect	she	be
past perfect	I	be
past perfect	we	be
future perfect	he	be

Perfect forms of be

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
I	be	have been
she	be	has been
they	be	have been
I	be	had been
we	be	had been
he	be	will have been

Scramble

Several high-frequency expressions use be in fixed patterns. Be going to shows a future plan or a clear present sign: We are going to leave soon. Be able to means can in a more general or formal way: She is able to solve the problem. Short answers often use be alone: Yes, I am, No, they aren't, Yes, it was. The imperative form is simply be + adjective or noun phrase: Be careful, Be quiet, Be yourself. Question tags with be repeat the verb in a short ending: You are coming, aren't you?, It was expensive, wasn't it?. These patterns are common in everyday English and appear often in speech and writing.