The verb "to be" (am / is / are)

The verb to be is one of the very first things you learn in English — and one of the most useful. You use it to say who you are, where you are, and what things are like: I am a student, She is happy, They are from Spain.

In the present tense, to be has three forms: am, is, and are. In most basic sentences, which one you use depends on the subject — the person or thing you're talking about.

The three forms: am, is, are

So there's really just one thing to remember: I → am, he/she/it → is, and you/we/they → are.

• He is my brother.
• It is a nice day.
• You are very kind.
• We are at home.
• They are friends.

Using names and other nouns as the subject

A singular name or noun (one person or thing) works like he/she/it, so it takes is. A plural noun (more than one) works like they, so it takes are.

• Maria is from Brazil. (one person → is)
• My parents are from Brazil. (more than one → are)
• The book is on the table.
• The books are on the table.

Short forms (contractions)

In everyday speech and writing, am, is and are are usually joined to the subject with an apostrophe:

• I'm hungry.
• She's at work.
• We're late.

Both forms are correct — I am tired and I'm tired mean exactly the same thing — and the short form is far more common in speaking and informal writing. There's one place you shouldn't use it, though: in a positive short answer, always use the full form — ✅ "Are you ready?" "Yes, I am.", not ❌ "Yes, I'm."

Making negatives

To make a negative, add not right after am, is or are.

• I am not ready. → short form: I'm not ready.
• He is not here. → short forms: He isn't here. / He's not here.
• They are not busy. → short forms: They aren't busy. / They're not busy.

Notice that is not and are not each have two possible short forms (isn't / he's not, aren't / they're not) — both are correct, so use whichever sounds more natural to you. For am not, learners should stick to I'm not — you may occasionally hear amn't in some regional varieties of English, but it isn't part of standard written English.

Asking questions

For a normal yes/no question, put am, is or are before the subject:

• ✅ Are you a doctor?
• ✅ Is she at home?
• Am I late?
• Are they ready?

(In casual speech you may hear You are a doctor? with rising intonation, used to check or show surprise — but Are you a doctor? is the standard question form, and the one to use.)

In careful or polite short answers, we usually repeat am, is or are:

• "Are you tired?" — "Yes, I am." / "No, I'm not."
• "Is it cold outside?" — "Yes, it is." / "No, it isn't."

In casual conversation a bare "Yes" or "No" is also fine — the full short answer is just clearer and more polite.

You can also ask for more information with a question word first:

• Where are you from?
• What is your name?
• How is your mother?

Common mistakes

• ❌ I is happy. → ✅ I am happy. (I always takes am, never is or are)
• ❌ She are my friend. → ✅ She is my friend. (she takes is)
• ❌ They is students. → ✅ They are students. (they takes are)
• ❌ He hungry. → ✅ He is hungry. (don't drop is before an adjective — English can't leave out the verb to be the way some languages do)
• ❌ You is late. → ✅ You are late.

Quick check

Choose am, is, or are:

1. I ____ from Poland.
2. My sister ____ a nurse.
3. ____ you hungry?
4. We ____ good friends.

Key takeaways

• To be in the present has three forms: am (with I), is (with he/she/it and singular nouns), are (with you/we/they and plural nouns).
• Short forms (I'm, she's, they're) are very common in everyday English.
• Negatives: add not — isn't, aren't, or I'm not.
• Questions: put am/is/are before the subject.