The English verb "to be" is the most common in the English language. It has three conjugations in the present tense. The conjugation for I is "am." The conjugation for you, we, and they is "are." The conjugation for the third person singular (he, she, or it) is "is."

 
Usage

The verb "to be" can be followed by an adjective, noun, preposition, or verb.

To be + adjective

• State of being: I am tired, He is sick, We are hungry, Are you ready?
   
• Description: She is pretty, They are kind, We are Russian
   

To be + noun

• I am a lawyer, He is a student, We are friends
   

To be + preposition

• Location: I am at work, It is on the table, Are you in England?
   
• Origin: He's from Spain, I am from San Diego, This coffee is from Africa
   

To be + verb

To be can used with other verbs to create new verb forms.

1. To be followed by the present participle (a verb ending in -ing) is the present progressive, which indicates an action that is occurring right now.

• I am working, He is running, Are you sleeping?
  

2. To be followed by the past participle (a verb usually ending in -ed or -en) creates the passive voice.

• TV is watched too much, Cake is eaten with a fork, Books are written on every subject

3. To be followed by the infinitive (to + verb) indicates something that is supposed to happen. (This is somewhat rare and formal in English - the more common verb to use here is to have.)

• You are to help us, I am to leave tomorrow, We are to call if we need help
   

Additional uses for to be

• Time: What time is it?, It is 10am, It is late
   
• Weather: It is sunny, It is hot, Is it windy?

Present Tense     Subject Pronouns (I, you...)

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