When is is or are used? The rule for using the turnover there is (there are). Examples of affirmative sentences of the verb To Be

To be or not to be? That is not the question... The sea deity Proteus among the ancient Greeks could (like the sea) take any form. Why are we?

Moreover, the verb “to be” is known in the world not only as the most vital and always relevant, but also as the most changeable (protean) in the English language, constantly changing and taking on different forms, sometimes not so noticeable to us.

Considering that it's used so often in English speech, it's rather unfortunate that "to be" has to be the most volatile and slippery verb in the language. Let's get to know him better. C "mon!

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What is the verb to be and why is it needed

The verb To Be (am, is, are) is the basis of English grammar. If you misunderstood or under-learned this material, then your entire study of English is likely to be of little success. Therefore, if you feel that somewhere there is a gap in this material, then it is better to stay longer on this article.

It is this verb that underlies the construction of approximately 30 percent of all English grammatical structures, and it is with it that you should start studying English grammar.

For example, to say “I am a student”, we must insert the correct form of the linking verb “to be” and the sentence will take on the meaning “I am a student." - "I (am) a student."

We must carefully choose the correct form of the verb for the object, depending on whether it is singular or plural. This is usually easy. After all, we wouldn’t write: “The troops were moving to the border” - “The troops were moving to the border.” Well, where does it fit?

However, some proposals require closer attention. How would you write, for example:

The majority of Facebook users are (or is?) upset about the increase in spam.
Most Facebook users are frustrated by the increase in spam.

In fact, in this sentence, everything depends on your accent - if it is focused on users- put " are", if on group of people— « is».

Plural or singular depends on your choice. If you are at a loss on what exactly to focus on, then choose what sounds best to you. It is unlikely that your chosen form of "to be" will upset someone.

By the way, "majority" is only used with countable nouns: "he ate the majority of cookies", but not "he ate the majority of the pie". instead say: "he ate most of the pie."

Translation into Russian of the verb To Be

“To be” is translated as “to be”, “to be”, “to exist”, “to be” or not translated at all, and can be in Present (am, is, are), Past (was, were) and Future (will ( be)/shall (be)) times. The form of the verb depends on who is performing the action.

Unlike the Russian language, in English the linking verb is never omitted, due to the strictly fixed word order:

Rule To Be: subject ( subject) + predicate ( verb) + complement ( object).

• As independent verb(to be, to be, to exist or not translated):

I am at home.
I'm at home.
She was at the Institute yesterday.
She was at the institute yesterday.
Not is in New York.
He (is) in New York.

• IN interrogative form of the verb "to be" is put front subject and does not require an auxiliary verb to form an interrogative or negative form. The same thing happens in the continuative (durative) form of the verb (Continuous).

Is he in New York?
Is he (is) in New York?
was she at the Institute yesterday?
Was she at the institute yesterday?

• negative form is formed by negating " not", which is set after the verb "to be".

She was not (wasn't) at the Institute yesterday.
She was not at the institute yesterday.
Not is not (isn't) in New York.
He is not (located) in New York.

In colloquial speech, "not" usually merges with "to be", forming abbreviations:

is not = isn't
are not = aren't

The verb "to be" is also shortened from personal pronoun:

I am = I "m
We are = we're
He is = he's

• As auxiliary verb.

Used to form verb forms of continuous tenses ( Continuous) and continuous perfect tenses ( Perfect Continuous).

They are reading a book.
They are reading a book.
He is sleeping now.
He is sleeping now.
We have been working here for 10 years.
We've been here for (already) 10 years.

Auxiliary Verbs, By the way , can also be combined with the basic "to be" form to form simple answers:

Is Jack in class this morning?
Well, he might be.
Is anyone helping Jack with his homework?
I "m not sure. Jane could be.

Also "to be" is used to form the passive voice ( passive Voice):

Active: Didn't buy a new magazine.
He bought a new magazine.
passive: A new magazine was bought.
Bought a new magazine.

• As verb-bundles(to be, to be).

I am a doctor.
I am a doctor.
Not is a doctor.
He is a doctor.
Her new hat is red. Her new hat is red.

• In the design " there is/there are"(to be, to be).

There is a table in the room.
There is a table in the room.

In this proposal " there' is the formal subject. The real subject is the noun that follows the verb "be" (is), i.e. "table".

If this subject is in the plural, then the verb "to be" must also be in the plural.

There are tables in the room.
There are tables in the room.

At time change the form of the verb changes to be»:

There was a table in the room.
There was a table in the room.
There were tables in the room.
There were tables in the room.

The translation of sentences with the construction "there is / there are" begins with the translation circumstances places.

negative the form:

There is no table in the room. (There isn't a table...).
In the room there is no (no) table.
There is no water in the bottle. (There isn't any water in the bottle.)
In the bottle no water.

Interrogative form:

Is there a man in the house?
In the House have a man?
Are there(any) apples in the greengrocers?
In vegetable store have apples?

• "To be" often works in conjunction with others verbs:

He is playing the piano
She will be arriving this afternoon.

• And sometimes "to be" will stand myself on yourself. Especially in simple answers to equally simple questions:

Who's going to the movies with me tonight?
I am.
Who's responsible for this mess?
She is.

present:
I am to (not to) / We are to (not to) / You are to (not to);
He/she/it is to (not to) / They are to (not to).

Past:
I was to (not to) / We were to (not to) / You were to (not to) You were to (not to);
He/she/it was to (not to) / They were to (not to).

• to be ( present) is used only from Indefinite Infinitive(indefinite infinitive).

They are to be here.
They must be here.

• "to be" ( Past) is used with Indefinite Infinitive(indefinite infinitive) and with Perfect Infinitive(perfect infinitive), which means that the action is not performed:

She was(suggested) to be in the cinema.
She should have been in the movies.

• The modal verb "to be" can be used to express duties, which is based on previous agreements (plan, schedule etc.)

We are to go to the cinema.
We must go to the cinema.

• We also use this modal verb to express orders or instructions:

You are to go to school.
You need to go to school.

• We use "to be" if something categorically forbidden in negative form.

Children are not allowed drink alcohol.
Children are not allowed to drink alcohol.

• "To be" is used for the imperative advice or wishes:

You are to drive straight.
Drive straight ahead.

• "To be", in the passive voice (built with the infinitive "to be") and Past Participle— 3 irregular verb form or adding the ending "- ed» to the correct one), describes possibility:

She was not to be heard.
It was impossible to hear her.

You were to be heard very good at the concert.
You were very well heard at the concert.

Conclusion

We have considered all the main important nuances of this tricky verb. For the last time, we draw your attention to the fact that when you say a phrase and doubt whether it is necessary to put the verb be there, you can always check yourself by asking questions to the sentence: am who / what, is where, is what?

If in translation the words “is, is, is” give the sentence a logical meaning, then in English such a sentence will be correct.

We hope this article helped you deal with the verb to be, which is simple at first glance. Cheers!

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

“To be or not to be” is a question that is relevant not only for Shakespeare's characters, but also for those who are working to improve their level of English proficiency. to be has a very wide scope in the English language, it is both a semantic verb, and part of numerous set expressions, and an auxiliary, and even a modal verb. But first things first!

Meaning of the verb to be

The original and basic meaning of this verb is "to be, to be, to be." Quite often, a predicate is added to it - the nominal part of the compound predicate - in the form of an adjective, noun or some kind of phrase with a preposition, for example:

As can be seen from the example of the sentences in the table, the verb to be in the present tense, it is often simply not translated into Russian. Hence its colloquial name, adopted among English language learners - “connective verb” - that is, a verb that is more necessary to connect the semantic parts of a sentence.

In addition, there are a large number of set expressions with the verb to be, giving it special importance. .

Forms of the verb to be

Whatever role the verb to be plays in a sentence, it is extremely important to know its form formation, because its forms (as well as the forms of its Russian counterpart “to be”) are often completely different from the original form (infinitive) - to be. So, for example, the basis of the basics for English learners is knowledge of the forms of the verb to be (the Present Simple Tense):

Here are possible cuts, in which the verb is connected to the pronoun, and an apostrophe appears in place of the "runaway" letter:

It is also important to firmly understand simple past forms(the Past Simple Tense) of this verb:

It is also obligatory to memorize three main forms verb to be, since it belongs to the group of irregular verbs:

All tense forms of the verb to be can be represented in the following table:

* The verb to be is rarely used in group tenses Continuous , since its lexical meaning - "to be" - usually implies some kind of constant characteristic, for example, to be lazy - to be lazy, which means that it is more typical for it to be used in group times Simple . However, in cases where the unusual situation or behavior of a person is implied, such use is the norm, for example:

Use in Continuous it is also acceptable if we are talking about a repetitive and fairly boring process. In this case, this temporary form is mainly responsible for the expressiveness and expressiveness of the sentence (in other cases, regularly repeated actions that do not cause irritation are the scope of Simple use):

Consider examples of sentences with the verb to be in various tense forms:

Scopes of the verb to be

This verb finds its use in English in the following cases:

• as semantic verb with the meaning "to be":

• as auxiliary verb for the following grammatical constructions:
• group times Continuous and Perfect Continuous:

• as component part There is/ are(is / is):

• as component part common design to begoing to(to intend/intend):

• as modal verb with the particle to and with the meaning of obligation due to some plan or agreement:

• as base element phrasal verbs:

You have probably met the verb to be in the form more than once being. To be honest, at first I was terribly strained by this word “being”. There are too many incomprehensible things in the English language, and now this too. Although, if you think about it, every verb has four forms: present tense, past tense, past participle and continuous form. Therefore, everything is logical.

Be is the present tense form. Past tense - were, were. Past participle - been(for the formation of perfect tenses). And the long form being. Now it only remains to figure out when exactly we use being .

Let's take the easiest to understand examples - the description of people.

Use being And be: feel the difference

The boy is naughty. This boy is naughty. (This is a feature of his character, he always behaves like this).
The boy is being naughty. (In this particular situation, this boy is behaving badly).

You are rude. You're rude. (This is a trait of your character, you always treat people rudely).
You are being rude. (In this situation, you behaved rudely, impolitely. Although, perhaps you are a well-mannered person).

I was careful when I drove. (I am an attentive person, I try to be attentive when I drive a car).
I was being careful when I drove. (I'm usually not that attentive on the road, but maybe I saw a traffic police inspector on the road and it changed my behavior).

Jack is stupid. Jack is stupid.
Jack is being stupid. (Jack is smart enough, but he did one stupid thing)

Stacy is lazy. Stacy is lazy.
Stacy is being lazy. (Stacey may be a workaholic and loves to work, but on this day (moment) she was tired and decided not to do anything).

Thus, being + adjective characterizes someone's behavior or actions. A few more examples:

Read also: How to talk about the future in English

Why are you being so silly? Why are you acting so stupid?

You are being cruel when you hurt others with your words or actions.

Of course, being can be used not only in the present tense with am, are or is, but also in the past tense with was, were.

When I said that dress doesn't look good on you, I was just being honest. When I said the dress didn't suit you, I was just being honest (with you).

Note that when adjectives describe feelings and emotional states, the continuous form is not used:

I was upset when I heard that I had failed the test. (Not"I was being upset")

I am delighted to hear that you won the first prize. (Not"I am being delighted").

Use being to form the passive voice

Being is also used with the past participle when forming the passive form:

My sister is cooking dinner. (Assets)
Dinner is being cooked by my sister. (Passive)

I'm quite sure that somebody is following me. (Assets)
I'm quite sure that I am being followed. (Passive)

My car is being repaired. My car is being repaired.

Other uses being

Besides, being used with verbs followed by a gerund (verb + ing):

I love being with my family. I love spending time (being) with my family.

I hate being alone.

Stop being lazy and help me wash the dishes.

Also, we put being after prepositions, like here:

I was in the hospital for a month after being in a car accident. I was in the hospital for a month after a car accident.

That's the problem with being late all the time – people stop trusting you. This is the problem of constant lateness - people stop believing in you.

Those who study English constantly encounter the verbs am, is, are in the text. What are these constructions, their meaning, translation into Russian and the construction of sentences - you will learn all this in the material of the article.

I am...

We used to say simply "My name is Ivan", "I am a truck driver", "I am 34 years old". English does not have the plasticity of Russian. It cannot transfer parts of speech from one part of a sentence to another or skip words. Auxiliary verbs are used to connect the subject and the predicate. The verb to be, the meaning of which is "to be, to be, to be", has its own form for each of the tenses of the English language. The verbs am, is, are are auxiliary for the Present Continuous Present Progressive. This tense denotes an action that is happening at the present moment. The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) is also used to introduce yourself, name your city, age and profession using a linking verb in Present Simple - simple present tense. Let's build sentences with the verb am: I am from Russia. I'm from Russia. I am 26 years old. I am 26.

Use in speech

How to choose the right shape? The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) depends on the number and person of the subject.

Important: the pronoun it denotes inanimate objects, as well as animals and plants. This is my rose. It's wonderful. This is my rose. She is beautiful.

The table above refers to the case when the verbs am, is are used as a link between the subject and the predicate. The scheme of the affirmative sentence in general looks like this:

1. Subject.
2. Linking verb.
3. Predicate.
4. Addition or circumstance, if any.

At the same time, the verbs am, is, are are not translated into Russian. The particle to, which occurs in the text, is also not translated. It simply refers to the verb.

Building an interrogative sentence

In Russian, the same word order can be both in a declarative and in a negative and affirmative sentence. For example: "You love me." "Do you love me?", "You love me!". All that distinguishes them is the intonation during pronunciation.

In English, the interrogative sentence is constructed differently. Let's take an example of a declarative sentence and change it into an interrogative one:

I am from Moscow. I am from Moscow. To make the interrogative sentence sound more logical, change the pronoun I to you. Are you from Moscow? Now the sentence sounds like this: Are you from Moscow? The auxiliary verb goes first, followed by the subject and predicate, unchanged. Let's build some more interrogative sentences:

1. Am I wrong? - I made a mistake?
2. Are you busy? Are you busy?
3. Where is my cup? Where is my cup?
4. How old is she? How old is she?
5. Is it raining today? Today the rain?

Construction of a negative sentence

A negative sentence is constructed in the same way as a declarative one, but after the verbs am, is, are, the negation of not is put.

Forms of negation

1. He is not in school. He's not at school.
2. You are not French. You are not French.
3. I am not doctor. I'm not a doctor.

present progressive tense

Present progressive is used in English to denote an action that is happening at a given moment in time. In Russian, prefixes, suffixes, modified roots and word endings are used for the same purpose.

Present progressive is used in the following cases:

1. To express an action that is happening right now.
2. To refer to a period of time in a broad sense: last week, today, this month. The action has already begun, but events are still taking place in this period of time. It's raining all day. It's raining all day.
3. The action will take place in the near future and is already known for sure. Certificates or tickets are included. I "m going to London next week. Next week I'm going to London.
4. In those cases when you have to express boring constancy. You are always losing money. You always lose money.

How is this time formed? The already known form of the verb to be (am, is, are) is used here with the addition of the ending ing to the verb. The desired form of the auxiliary verb is chosen similarly to the declarative sentence in Present Simple.

Declarative sentences

1. I am cooking now. I'm cooking.
2. You are drawing beautiful picture. You are painting a beautiful picture.
3. She is reading a magazine now. She is reading a magazine.
4. They are studying at school now. They are at school now.
5. We are going to his work. We go to work with him.
6. I am cooking very special supper with my boyfriend. My boyfriend and I are cooking a very special dinner.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences in Present Progressive are built as follows:

The auxiliary verb to be in the selected form is put in the first place. If there is a question word in the sentence, it comes first, followed by to be. Then comes the subject, expressed by a pronoun or noun, followed by a verb with the ending ing.

1. What am I doing here? What am I doing here?
2. Are you working now? Do you work?
3. Is she going home? Is she going home?
4. Are they reading newspaper while children are playing with toys in the garden. Do they read the newspaper while the children play with toys in the garden?

Negative sentences

Negative sentences in Present Progressive are built according to the following scheme:

The negative particle not is added to the existing form of the verb to be. For brevity and euphony, the form of the verb to be is abbreviated with an apostrophe:

• I "m not at home now. I'm not at home now.
• We aren't in the room. We are coming to Ann. We are not in the room. We are going to Anna.
• He isn't listening to my favorite musical team. He doesn't listen to my favorite musical group.

Exercises with the verbs am, is, are will help to consolidate the material.

Verb be (to be) currently has three forms: am, is, are:
am used only with a pronounI (I).
is - with nounsin the singular.
are - with nounsin plural . Pronoun you in English it is always plural, although it can be translated into Russian as "you" or "you".

Verb declension table to be in present simple tense:

I "m not hungry, but I "m thirsty.
I'm not hungry, but I'm thirsty. (thirsty - adjective)

Christy(she) is my niece.
Christy is my niece.

The weather is n "t very nice today.
The weather today is not very pleasant.

kittens(they) are very funny.
Kittens are very funny.

My sister and I(we) are big fans of Lady Gaga.
My sister and I are big fans of Lady Gaga.

"Game of Thrones"(it) is the most expensive TV show.
Game of Thrones is the most expensive series ever.

In the interrogative sentence am, is, are are placed before subject. (In a declarative sentence, the verbs am, is, are come after the subject).

Are are you busy? - No, I "m not. I "m free now.
You're busy? - Not. I am free now.

Am I right? - No, you are n "t. You are wrong.
I'm right? - Not. You're wrong. (wrong - adjective)

Where is my rucksack? Your rucksack (it) is under the desk.
Where is my backpack? - Your backpack is under the table.

how old are your children (they)? - My son (he) is 8 and my daughter (she) is 6.
How old are your children? Son is 8 and daughter is 6.

The pie is so delicious. Is the recipe difficult?
This pie is so delicious. Is his recipe complicated?

The use of the verbs am, is, are:
For the Russian language, the use of the verb "to be" in the present tense is uncharacteristic, and is omitted in the translation. And in English, the verb to be is very important, because it is linking verb- connects different parts of speech (2 nouns, a noun and an adjective, a pronoun and a noun). Otherwise, the sentence is not complete in meaning: Our daughter is a biologist. - With a literal translation, everything is in order - Our daughter is a biologist. But in English without the verb is, this sentence is grammatically incorrect, since it is not clear how the daughter and the biologist are connected. In order for the daughter to "become" a biologist, these two nouns must be combined with the verb is - Our daughter is a biologist. - Our daughter (is/is) a biologist.

Remember! Sentence in English cannot exist without a verb, therefore, if there is no semantic verb in the Russian sentence, then in this sentence in English it is necessary to use the linking verb "to be", i.e. am, is or are:

Klaus comes from Germany.
Klaus is from Germany. (come - semantic verb - the verb is is not needed)
Klaus is from Germany.
Klaus from Germany. (without is, the sentence will remain without a verb)

You look beautiful!
You look great! (there is a look verb)
You are beautiful.
You are wonderful! (no semantic verb)

This dog seems very clever.
This dog seems to be very smart. (there is a verb seem)
This dog is very clever.
This dog is very smart. (no semantic verb)

Note! Some Russian verbs are translated into English by adjectives with the verb to be: late (late), tired (tired), ill (sick), angry (angry), afraid (afraid), thirsty (thirsty).

I "m too tired to cook.
I'm too tired to cook.

why are you always late?
Why are you always late?

I don't understand why she is angry with me.
I don't understand why she's mad at me.

My son and husband (they) are ill.
My son and husband got sick.

little kids are often afraid of the dark.
Young children are often afraid of the dark.