In this lesson you will learn:
- Present tense of the verb ‘to be’
- Contractions with the verb ‘to be’
- Asking simple questions with the verb ‘to be’
Optional: study the Brainscape deck
Optional: Download the worksheet for this lesson (answers at the end of the lesson)
Listening Input: Introducing People
Listen carefully to the short dialogue and notice the patterns.
Listening Task
Listen or read again. Look for patterns and answer:
- What word comes after I?
- What word comes after You?
- What word comes after He / She / It?
- What word comes after They?
- How do we ask about a person?
- What short forms (contractions) do you hear?
Check your answers with the dialogue script:
Anna: Hi! I am Anna.
Ben: Hello, Anna. I’m Ben.
Anna: Who is he?
Ben: He is Tom.
Anna: Who is she?
Ben: She’s Mia.
Anna: Who are they?
Ben: They are Leo and Sara.
The verb ‘to be’
1. Present tense of the verb “to be”
The verb “to be” has 3 full forms in the present tense: am, is, are.
Singular and Plural Forms
| subject (singular) | ‘to be’ | subject (plural) | ‘to be’ |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am | we | we are |
| you | you are | you (all) | you are |
| she / he / it | she is | they | they are |
Examples from the Dialogue:
- I am Anna.
- He is Tom.
- They are Leo and Sara.
2. Contractions with the verb ‘to be’
In spoken English, we use contractions.
Full Form and Contractions
| Singular | Full Form | Contraction | Plural | Full Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am | I’m | We | We are | We’re |
| You | You are | You’re | You | You are | You’re |
| He / She / It | He is | He’s | They | They are | They’re |
Examples from the Dialogue:
- I’m Ben.
- She’s Mia.
3. Asking simple questions with the verb ‘to be’
To ask about a person use the question word ‘who’:
- Who is he?
- Who is she?
- Who are they?
Use:
- is with one person (he, she) or it
- are with more than one person (they)
Examples from the Dialogue:
- Who is she? → She’s Mia.
- Who are they? → They are Leo and Sara.