Overview of Be
The verb be is one of the most important and irregular verbs in English. It expresses existence, identity, qualities, and states of being. In Spanish, it translates mostly to ser or estar depending on context. The verb be changes form depending on the subject and tense.
Present Forms
In the present tense, be takes the forms am, is, and are. Use am with I, is with third-person singular subjects, and are with you, we, and they. Each form corresponds to a different Spanish conjugation of ser or estar depending on meaning.
Past Forms
In the past tense, be changes to was (first and third singular) or were (second singular and all plurals). These forms describe past states or conditions. The Spanish equivalents are the past forms of ser or estar: era, estaba, fui, estuve, etc.
Past Participle and Usage
The past participle of be is been. It is used in perfect tenses together with the auxiliary verb have, such as has been, have been, or had been. In Spanish, these correspond to compound tenses with haber plus the past participle of ser or estar.
Conjugation Table of Be
| English Pronoun | English Conjugation | Spanish Conjugation | English Example | Spanish Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | soy / estoy | I am happy. | Yo estoy feliz. |
| You (singular) | are | eres / estás | You are tall. | Tú eres alto. |
| He/She/It | is | es / está | He is a teacher. | Él es profesor. |
| We | are | somos / estamos | We are friends. | Nosotros somos amigos. |
| You (plural) | are | sois / estáis | You are ready. | Vosotros estáis listos. |
| They | are | son / están | They are in the park. | Ellos están en el parque. |
| I | was | fui / era / estuve | I was tired yesterday. | Yo estaba cansado ayer. |
| You (singular) | were | fuiste / eras | You were late. | Tú llegaste tarde. |
| He/She/It | was | fue / era / estuvo | She was happy. | Ella estaba feliz. |
| We | were | fuimos / éramos | We were at home. | Nosotros estábamos en casa. |
| You (plural) | were | fuisteis / erais | You were loud. | Vosotros fuisteis ruidosos. |
| They | were | fueron / eran | They were busy. | Ellos estaban ocupados. |
| All subjects | been | sido / estado | He has been sick. | Él ha estado enfermo. |
Use this table to recognize the forms of be in context and their translations into Spanish. Mastering be is essential to forming sentences about identity, conditions, and time.
