Be Am Is Are Was Were Been

The verb be is the most important and useful verb in English. It shows identity, time, place, and condition. This guide explains its forms and how to use them.

Present Forms

Use am, is, and are for actions or states that are happening now or that are generally true. Choose the form that matches the subject.

Examples

English Example	English Translation	Note
☁️ I am here under the cloud.	I am here under the cloud.	First person singular.
🌳 You are by the big tree.	You are by the big tree.	Second person singular.
🐶 He is with the dog.	He is with the dog.	Third person singular.
🐦 They are near the singing birds.	They are near the singing birds.	Third person plural.
🌸 She is looking at the flower.	She is looking at the flower.	Singular with person and flower.
🌾 We are walking through the fields.	We are walking through the fields.	First person plural.

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Past Forms

Use was and were to talk about actions or states that happened in the past. Use was with singular subjects and were with plural subjects and you.

Examples

English Example	English Translation	Note
🌧️ I was caught in the rain.	I was caught in the rain.	First person singular past.
🍂 You were lost in the leaves.	You were lost in the leaves.	Second person singular past.
🐕 He was chasing a squirrel.	He was chasing a squirrel.	Third person singular past.
🐓 They were roosting early.	They were roosting early.	Third person plural past.
🌼 She was watering the plants.	She was watering the plants.	Singular with person.
🌾 We were planting seeds.	We were planting seeds.	First person plural past.

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Been

Been is the past participle of be and is used with have, has, or had in perfect tenses. It often appears in sentences about experiences or completed actions.

Examples

English Example	English Translation	Note
🌧️ The sky had been dark before the storm.	The sky had been dark before the storm.	Past perfect with weather.
🐕 The dog had been barking all afternoon.	The dog had been barking all afternoon.	Past perfect with animal.
🌼 The flowers had been wilting in the heat.	The flowers had been wilting in the heat.	Past perfect plural.
🧑‍🌾 I had been working in the garden all morning.	I had been working in the garden all morning.	First person past perfect.
🌾 She had been harvesting the crops.	She had been harvesting the crops.	Third person singular past perfect.
🌳 We had been clearing the branches.	We had been clearing the branches.	Past perfect plural.

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Short Forms

Short forms (contractions) like I'm, he's, they're, wasn't, and weren't are very common in speaking and informal writing. They make sentences faster and more natural.

Summary

The verb be appears as am, is, are (present), was, were (past), and been (past participle). Use the form that matches the time and the subject, and use contractions for a natural style.

Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025