Grammar point: Verb Be in simple present

Grammar point: A quick guide to use the verb be properly in simple present

How many times have we studied verb be in our school/ university/ English course? Even if we have seen this topic many times in our lives, we continue (unconsciously) making the same errors over and over again. 😑 It is typical to hear most PreA1, A1 and even A2 students combining verb be with other verbs in simple present and it is mostly because we tend to fossilize incorrect structures. "I send the message, people understand me, I am fine!👍" Yes, when you start learning without having any previous knowledge it is acceptable to convey messages with some errors; however, if you have been already taught the lesson, it is not.

In this lesson, we will go over the main tips to use verb be properly in simple present.

1. Use of verb be in simple present

We use verb be to describe people, animals, places and things.

We use it to:

• Describe occupations
• Describe the age
• Describe personality (Adjectives)
• Describe feelings (Adjectives)
• Describe where a person is from (Country)
• Describe someone's nationality.
• Describe locations
• Describe where someone is physically (Place)
• Describe marital status
• Describe physical characteristics (Adjectives)

 

Atsuko is from Japan. She is 26 years old.

2. Conjugation of verb be in simple present

Learn them by heart and do not swap any forms with pronouns.

3. Structures

Learning tips:

• The subject can be either a noun (Ana/ My mother / The book) or a personal pronoun (I / You / He /She / It / We/ You (plural) / They). 
• If you are texting or writing, it is mandatory to write a period (.) at the end of the sentence.
• You need to enrich your vocabulary to make/say sentences fluently.

Affirmative sentences

You can also use contractions in affirmative sentences for a less formal speech ( I'm /You're / She's / and so on.):

Am = 'm

Is = 's

Are = 're

Negative sentences

You can use full forms for a more formal speech (I am not / You are not / She is not/ and so on.):

Am not = 'm not

Is not =  's not / isn't

Are not =  're not / aren't

Yes/No questions (Closed questions)

Learning tip:

• For affirmative short answers we NEVER use contractions:

Are you from Japan? Yes, I am. (Incorrect: Yes, I'm.)

Is San José the capital of Costa Rica? Yes, it is. (Incorrect: Yes, it's.)

If you want to practice at home, try describing everything /everyone around you. 💬

e.g.

There is a blue vase next to my desk. It is medium and it's light blue. The flowers in it are small and yellow. There are some medium orange flowers, too.

I hope I have helped you refresh your previous knowledge😊. That's all for this post!

Peace out!✌