Look at these examples to see how we use to be in the present simple.
I'm a student.
My mum's a doctor.
They aren't very busy.
Is he a teacher?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
We can use the present simple of the verb to be to talk about situations and states in the present.
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I am | I am not | Am I? |
| You/we/they are | You/we/they are not | Are you/we/they? |
| He/she/it is | He/she/it is not | Is he/she/it? |
Contractions
We can contract the verb, especially when we're speaking.
I am a shop assistant. = I'm a shop assistant.
You are a good friend! = You're a good friend!
He is my wife's brother. = He's my wife's brother.
We are very busy at the moment. = We're very busy at the moment.
They are on holiday in Italy. = They're on holiday in Italy.
Negatives
For negatives, use not after the verb. We can contract the verb or not.
I am not at work. = I'm not at work. Note: I amn't is not possible.
She is not a student. = She's not a student. = She isn't a student.
Money is not important. = Money's not important. = Money isn't important.
We are not hungry. = We're not hungry. = We aren't hungry.
They are not at home. = They're not at home. = They aren't at home.
Questions
For questions, change the order of am, is or are and the person.
Are you tired?
Is she Mexican?
Is this your phone?
Are we late?
Are they your children?
Short answers
| Affirmative | Negative | (Verb contracted) | (not contracted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, I am. | No, I am not. | No, I'm not. | |
| Yes, you are. | No, you are not. | No, you're not. | No, you aren't. |
|
Yes, we are. |
No, we are not. | No, we're not. | No, we aren't. |
| Yes, they are. | No, they are not. | No, they're not. | No, they aren't. |
| Yes, he is. | No, he is not. | No, he's not. | No, he isn't. |
| Yes, she is. | No, she is not. | No, she's not. | No, she isn't. |
| Yes, it is. | No, it is not. | No, it's not. | No, it isn't. |
Note that with short answers, we only use contractions with no answers.
Questions with question words
We can also make questions by using a question word like where, when, who or what. We put the question word at the beginning.
Where are you from? I'm from Brazil.
When is the meeting? It's next Tuesday.
Who's she? She's my sister.
What time is it? It's six o'clock.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hi,
I know we can contract this - "teacher is" to "teacher's"
(But my Grammarly spell checker suggest it is wrong)
My question is can we contract - "teachers are"
If the answer is Yes, how? And if the answer is No, why?
Thanks in advance.
Hi RajithaSL,
Grammarly and similar apps are only ever rough guides. They can be useful but they are fairly blunt instruments, especially when it comes to grammar suggestions, as they do not take much context into account.
Contractions can lead to ambiguity. For example, teacher's could be teacher is or it could be a possessive form. Apps like Grammarly have problems identifying which one you intend and often correct to the unambiguous option, sacrificing variety and style in the process. Whether or not teacher's is a good choice for your text would depend on the broader context, so I can't say whether it would be a good choice in your case.
Generally we contract other forms of 'be' only with pronouns (I, you, he etc). Sometimes 'will' is contracted in informal writing, but it is unusual. Thus, you can contract 'are' with you, we and they, but not with full nouns.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
hello i know this is not the right place to ask this.
I'm just really curios what is the difference between for getting and to get? when is the spesific time we use for/to?
thank you so much for answering my question 🙏
Hello ashiecajlenreese,
This depends upon the particular verbs used and the context. However, there are some tendencies.
First, we generally use for + -ing to talk about the use of an object (what the object is capable of) whereas we use to + verb to talk about the intention or purpose of the agent (what the person doing the action is trying/hoping to do). For example:
1. I need a knife for cutting bread. [i.e. the kind of knife which lets me do this]
2. I need a knife to cut bread. [I have some bread to cut and I need a knife]
The difference is subtle and there are many contexts in which both would be possible, such as when standing in a kitchen and cooking or when in a shop and buying. However, imagine a situation in which I am doing something else and need a knife. For example, I may be cutting some rope or a cable. In this case I would use the first sentence because I am asking for a particular type of knife, not telling you what I am going to do with it.
I hope that helps to clarify it for you a little. It is a very subtle, as I said, and in many contexts both forms are fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
thank you so much for the explanation, sir.
Apologies if I am posting my question in a wrong section.
This is how my son replied during our WhatsApp chat:
'Main work will start after we will get the laptops.'
I know it should be: ...after we get the laptops - and not '... after we will get the laptops.', but I do I explain this to him. What is the reason that 'will' in the second clause is wrong?
Kindly help me explain my son.
Regards
Dipak Gandhi
Hello dipakrgandhi,
You are right that the verb form here should be present, though the meaning is future. The reason is that in time clauses we use present forms and not 'will'. This is true when we use time words such as after, before, when etc.
You can read more about the topic here:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/verbs-time-clauses-if-clauses
By the way, it should also be 'The main work...'
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you sir!
What about this sir - is this not a time clause? :
I will finish my work, and then will go home.
Don't we need 'will' in both the places here? How is this time clause different then?
We can rewrite with 'after' also:
I will finish my work, and after that will go home.
Regards
Dipak Gandhi
Hello Dipak,
The present form is used only after certain adverbs and conjunctions. The most common are these:
if, when, after, before, as soon as, once, until, while, once
We also use it after certain expressions:
the moment (that), the minute (that), by the time, the day (that), the second (that)
Other time linking words like then, next, after that, following that and subsequently do not follow this rule, which is why in your example you use the modal will in each clause.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team