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!

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

When it comes to learning any language and breaking down the language barrier, polyglots always highlight knowledge of verbs. And it’s true: knowing the verbs and being able to use them in various forms, you just need to “string” other words on them and you will already have whole sentences. In this situation, it is not surprising that most of the standard vocabulary of a native speaker of Russian, English, Chinese, and another arbitrarily chosen language is precisely this part of speech. But wait, this does not mean that you should immediately start randomly memorizing any verbs that catch your eye. If this will be of any use, it will be very small. Instead, it is better to analyze in detail those English verbs that are often and actively used in speech. This is exactly what we will do by studying the verb to be in English.

The verb to be, which is equivalent to the Russian “to be”, “to be”, “to be”, is one of the most universal and most used verbs in the English language. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that, unlike other representatives of this part, the verb to be is conjugated, changing in persons and numbers.

In addition, to be can be used as a semantic verb or help with another verb, acting as an auxiliary. But let's talk about everything in order.

The verb to be refers to irregular verbs, therefore it has 3 forms. These forms are formed independently, without being explained by the rules, so they just need to be memorized:

The verb to be in Past Simple or simple past tense in the number of its forms is reduced to two. Their usage again depends on person and number:

So, however, it was not always. Previously, for the first person pronouns (I / we), the future tense form shall be was used. Now you can meet it very rarely, so you just need to know about its existence. In all cases, use the will form.

Please note that the rest of the verbs in English do not conjugate. The fact is that there are no conjugations in this language at all, which greatly facilitates English grammar. The verb to be is an exception to the rule.

Above, the forms of this verb in Simple times were presented. All tense forms of the verb to be can be expressed in the following table:

	Simple (simple)	Continuous (Long)	Perfect (Perfect)
Past (Past)	was / were	was / were being	had been
present (The present)	am / is / are	am / is / are being	have / has been
Future (Future)	will be	will be being	will have been

The verb to be may not be used in all tenses. So, in Perfect Continuous (perfect continuous) the verb to be is not used. It can also be noted that the continuous tenses with the verb to be are not very rare friends. The use of the verb in long forms is possible only in certain situations.

The verb to be in English: sentence forms

affirmative form

The affirmative form of the sentence with the verb to be is built according to the standard scheme: first comes the subject, after it the verb to be in the required form as a predicate. Study the table:

negative form

Negative forms of sentences with this verb are formed by adding a negative particle not after to be. No auxiliary verbs are required to apply the form:

In both affirmative and negative sentences, the verb to be can be abbreviated:

There are no abbreviated forms for the past tense in the statement.

I am not, unlike other verbs, is abbreviated as I'm not. I amn't is only used in Scotland and Ireland.

Interrogative form

The English interrogative form depends on the type of question:

• In a general question or alternative questions, the verb be in the right conjugation is placed before the subject. Tables for clarity :

The answer uses only the verb to be:

The answer uses an affirmative sentence:

If you want to use the future form of the verb, then will must be moved forward, while be remains in the same place:

• In special questions, an interrogative English word is added to the form above:

The answer is used in the affirmative form:

In the answer, it is enough to use the verb to be:

• As part of a nominal predicate, which consists of a linking verb (to be) and a nominal part expressed by nouns or adjectives. In this case, the verb is translated into Russian in the meaning of "is."

Though " eat” can be used, his presence will seem inappropriate, and the proposal will turn out to be somehow ugly. Judge for yourself:

The Russian language does not need this verb, so it is usually not used. The English language will not allow this, because the peculiarity of English sentences is that they are strictly ordered. In simple terms, if you, for example, make up a complete affirmative sentence, then the subject and verb must be used consistently in it, nothing else. In some way, a similar role to be can be associated with the obsolete “is”, which used to perform exactly the same function in Russian.

The verb to be in a nominal predicate can also be used in the meaning of "be" in imperative sentences:

1. As an auxiliary verb in Continuous and Perfect Continuous. In this case, the auxiliary verb to be is used with semantic verbs. The verb to be itself in such sentences is usually not translated. Study the examples in the table:

The verb to be can also be used to use the suffering voice:

1. In addition to the functions mentioned, the verb to be is also used as an integral part in constructions:

• to be going to (gather);

• there is / are / (there is / exists);

1. The use of the verb is also possible as a modal verb in the meaning of “should”, “agreed”, “agreed” when it comes to obligations, orders, schedules and plans, the inevitability of events. In that case, to verb the to particle is added:

1. And also when using the verb to be in English in the following constructions:

to be good at (well understand)	We are good at this English grammar rule.	We have a good command of this rule of English grammar.
to be aware of (be aware)	We're aware of all possible risks.	We are aware of all possible risks.
to be late (be late)	My co-worker was late for work because of the traffic jam.	My colleague was late for work because of a traffic jam.
to be fond of	I'm fond of nature.	I love nature.
to be interested in (to be interested)	They are interested in helping people.	They are interested in helping people.
to be sorry about (to regret something)	I'm sorry about what happened.	I'm sorry about what happened.
to be sorry for (pity someone)	We are so sorry for your son.	We are very sorry for your son.
to be hungry (be hungry)	I am so hungry! I haven't eaten since morning.	I'm so hungry! I haven't eaten since morning.
to be thirsty (to be thirsty)	After the marathon everyone was thirsty.	After the marathon, everyone was thirsty.
be about to (going to)	Boris is about to start learning German and French languages.	Boris is going to start learning German and French.

1. Frequent uses of the verb are also associated with idioms. Here are some of them:

be up to someone (depends on someone)	We can either win or lose. It's up to you!	We either win or we lose. Everything depends on you!
be a man (be a man)	Stop crying. Be a man!	Stop crying. Be a man!
be in love with (be in love with)	I should admit that I'm in love with her! She is gorgeous!	I must admit that I'm in love with her! She is gorgeous!
be as stubborn as a mule (analogue in Russian: stubborn as a donkey)	We can't work together because he doesn't want to listen to me. I say his approach is wrong but he is as stubborn as a mule.	We can't work together because he doesn't want to listen to me. I say that he has the wrong approach, but he is stubborn as a donkey.
be (a bit) on the expensive side (expensive / expensive)	That service is a bit on the expensive side. Maybe we try to fix it ourselves, huh?	This service is expensive. Maybe we can try to fix it ourselves, huh?
be on cloud nine (to be very happy)	I am on cloud nine! She said yes to me! Can you believe it?	I am extremely happy! She told me yes! Can you believe it?

As you can see, the verb to be is very popular and diverse, so you can use it in any situation with almost any tense. Having dealt with the conjugations of this verb and its role in the sentence, you should have no difficulty in using it. Devote some time to English exercises on this topic to reinforce the material, make up your own examples and, most importantly, practice the language with native speakers. Because in no other exercise you will find as much benefit as you can get from people who use this language on a daily basis and can help you with any language barriers.

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“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):

I am - I am

he / she / it is - he / she / it is

you / we / they are - you (you, you) / we / they are

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

I am	I'm
you are	you're
he is	he's
she is	she's
it is	it's
we are	we're
they are	they're

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:

the Infinitive (infinitive)	the Past Simple Tense (past simple tense)	thePast Participle (past participle)
to be	was/were	been

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

	Simple	Continuous*	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
present	the Present Simple Tense am/is/are	the presentcontinuousTense am/is/are being	the Present Perfect Tense have/has been	form is not used
Past	the Past Simple Tense was/were	the PastcontinuousTense was/werebeing	the Past Perfect Tense had been	form is not used
Future	the Future Simple Tense will be	the futurecontinuousTense will bebeing	the Future Perfect Tense will have been	form is not used

* 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):

Sue is always being late for work! It drives me mad!

Sue is always late for work! This drives me crazy!

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

	Simple	Continuous*	Perfect
present	the Present Simple Tense Sam is late for school. - Sam is late for school.	the present continuous Tense Sam is being late for school again! It annoys everyone.Sam is late for school again! It annoys everyone.	the Present Perfect Tense Sam has been late for school. So he has missed some important information. - Sam was late for school. So he missed some important information.
Past	the P as t Simple Tense Sam was late for school yesterday. - Sam was late for school yesterday.	the Past continuous Tense Sam wasbeing late for school again yesterday! It announced everyone.Sam was late for school again yesterday! This irritated everyone.	the Past Perfect Tense Sam had been late for school for man y times before he had to visit the headmaster. - Sam was late for school many times before he had to go to the headmaster.
Future	the Future Simple Tense Sam will be late for school tomorrow. – Sam will be late for school tomorrow.	the future continuous Tense Sam will bebeing late for school again and again! I suppose it will annoy everyone.Sam will be late for school again and again! I suspect this will irritate everyone.	the Future Perfect Tense Sam will have been late for school twice by that time. Sam will be late for school twice by then.

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":

James is an engineer.	James is an engineer.
This game can be very funny.	This game can be very funny.
Be careful!	Be careful!
Mary is very shy.	Mary is very shy.
My parents were at home when we arrived.	My parents were at home when we arrived.

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

We are working at the project now. (Present Continuous)	We are currently working on a project.
I was drawing a picture when the teacher came. (Past Continuous)	I was painting a picture when the teacher came in.
The students will be working in the garden on Monday from 10 to 12 o'clock. (Future Continuous)	The students will work in the garden on Monday from 10 am to 12 pm.
I have been waiting for you since morning. (Present Perfect Continuous)	I've been waiting for you since morning.
They had been living in that house for 20 years by the time the landlord decided to sell it. (Past perfect continuous)	They had lived in the house for 20 years by the time the landlord decided to sell it.
By 2017 Sam will have been working at this factory for 20 years. (Future Perfect Continuous)	In 2017, it will be 20 years since Sam has been working at this factory.

This newspaper is usually sold very quickly. (Present Simple Passive)	This newspaper usually sells out very quickly.
The game was lost despite our hard training. (Past Simple Passive)	The game was lost despite our hard training.
your car will be fixed in two days. (Future Simple Passive)	Your car will be repaired in two days.
. Johnsis being examined by the doctor at the moment. (Present Continuous Passive)	Mr. Jones is currently being examined by a doctor.
my car has been repaired so I can drive home. (Present Perfect Passive)	My car is fixed so I can drive home.

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

There is a new supermarket near the museum.

There is a new supermarket next to the museum.

• 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:

to be about— intend/intend	I am about leaving him with his crazy ideas. -I'm about to leave him with his crazy ideas.
to be ongo (about a TV show, movie or play)	— What is on? — An old film. Would you like to watch it? — What's coming? — Some old movie. Do you want to see it?
tobe back -

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One of the first questions that students ask an English teacher in class is: What is verb to be and why is it needed?

The verb to be is one of the most frequently used verbs, as it can act as semantic, auxiliary, modal and connective. The meaning of the verb to be - "to be, to be". Unlike other English verbs, the verb to be is conjugated (i.e. changes in persons and numbers).

Conjugation of the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense (Present Simple)

Today we will talk about the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense as a semantic or independent verb, which acts as a linking verb in a sentence. Unlike the Russian language, in the English language the linking verb is never omitted, since the English sentence has a strictly fixed word order: subject ( subject) + predicate ( verb) + complement ( object).

Verb to be does not change according to the rules, its forms must be remembered. In the present indefinite tense, the verb tobe changes depending on the number and person in which the subject is, and has three main forms am, is, are.

Affirmative sentences with the verb to be

I am happy I (are) happy You are happy You (are) happy He is happy He (is) happy She is happy She (is) happy It is happy It (is) happy We are happy We (are) happy You are happy

Examples of affirmative sentences with the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense:

I am in the room. I am in the room. The book is on the table. The book is on the table. I am a doctor. I am a doctor. (I am a doctor.)

Negative sentences with the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense:

I am not happy I am not happy You are not happy You are not happy He is happy He is not happy She is not happy She is not happy It is not happy It is not ) happy We are not happy We are not (are) happy You are not happy You are not (are) happy They are not happy They are not (are) happy

Examples of negative sentences with the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense:

I am not a doctor. I am not a doctor. The weather is not bad. The weather is not bad. They are not from Paris. They are not from Paris.

Interrogative sentences with the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense:

To form interrogative sentences with verb to be it is enough to change the subject and predicate in places, that is, the personal form of the verb to be will stand before the subject

Am I happy Are you happy? Are you (are) happy? Is he happy? Is he (is) happy? Is she happy? Is she (is) happy? Is it happy? It (is) happy? Are we happy? Are we (are) happy? Are you happy? Are you (are) happy? Are they happy? Are they (are) happy?

Examples of interrogative sentences with the verb to be in the Present Indefinite tense:

Is the book on the table? The book is on the table? Is the weather bad? The weather is bad? Is the book interesting? The book is interesting?

Set phrases with the verb to be

In a word, the functions of the verb as a linking verb in the Present Indefinite tense (Present Simple) are varied. With it, we can both introduce and characterize a person, talk about the profession and our feelings, inform about the weather and location, etc. In addition, there are a huge variety of common phrases that are used with the verb to be

Example sentences with expressions that are used with the verb to be

I'm sorry. It's my fault. He is late for the meeting Are you ready for the test? Are you ready for the test?

Often the verb to be is used in impersonal sentences, such as:

It is expensive. It's expensive. It is cold. Coldly. It is important to learn a foreign language. Learning a foreign language is important.

The verb to be is the basis of all English grammar. English begins to learn with this verb. Usually, English verbs do not conjugate - the same form of the verb is used in all persons. But the verb to be is an exception to the general rule.

The most important table in English is the table of conjugations of the verb to be. Shows how the verb to be is conjugated in the present and future tenses. Under the table - .

When building some English tenses, the third form is also used (it is also called the past participle) of the verb to be - been.

In English, you need to memorize the spelling and pronunciation separately for each word. The following table contains the pronunciation of all forms of the verb to be.

What form of to be should be placed after the noun?

With nouns, everything is easier than with pronouns.

In present time:

• is
• are

In the past time:

• If the noun is singular, then it is followed by was
• If the noun is plural, then it is followed by were

How to quickly remember all this?

The verb to be is used in almost every second English sentence. Therefore, if you want to communicate in English, then you must definitely remember how the verb to be is conjugated. There is a mnemonic phrase that will help you remember this information easily and quickly:

I am Balu wanted to say - " you ar ku broke. But I was afraid that they With cripple me.

In this phrase, the words from which you can "pull out" the present tense forms of the verb to be are highlighted in bold:

There is a phrase for past tense forms:

I'll i, a you are a thief.

I think you will agree that this way of remembering is much more pleasant than the banal "cramming". There is a special method called mnemonics, which will teach you how to come up with such phrases on your own. With the help of mnemonics, you can quickly memorize any information. But this method is especially useful for those who study foreign languages. Because any foreign language means thousands of new words that need to be learned. And with the help of mnemonics, you will do it much faster than the traditional "cramming". You can read more about mnemonics.

How is the verb to be translated into Russian?

Usually the verb to be and all its forms are translated into Russian as to be, to be, to be. But when translating sentences with the verb to be, you should always remember one of its features. Quite often there are situations when, when translating a sentence into Russian, the verb to be is simply omitted.

For example:

I am a student.

In this case, you can literally translate "I am a student" and it will be clear, but usually they do not say this in Russian.

Abbreviations with the verb to be.

Phrases like "She is", "He is", etc. are used in English speech so often that in the process of language development an abbreviated form appeared for them. Also, the combination of forms of the verb to be with the particle not is often shortened. Here is a list of such abbreviations:

phrase	reduced the form	Pronunciation
I am	I'm	aim
You are	You"re	yor
She is	She's	shiz
He is	He's	hiz
It is	It's	its
We are	We're	RES
They are	They're	tfee
is not	isn't	iznt
are not	aren't	aant
were not	weren"t	vent
was not	wasn't	vasant