Category: Verb Forms & Tenses

Verb To Be

Master the most important verb in English - "to be" (am, is, are, was, were) with all its forms and uses.

All Topics Play Quiz

The Verb "To Be"

The verb "to be" is the most important and most used verb in English. It shows existence, identity, or a state. In Hindi/Gujarati, it's like "होना/હોવું".

Present Tense Forms

SubjectVerbExampleHindi
IamI am a student.मैं एक छात्र हूं।
YouareYou are my friend.तुम मेरे दोस्त हो।
He/She/ItisShe is happy.वह खुश है।
WeareWe are teachers.हम शिक्षक हैं।
TheyareThey are here.वे यहाँ हैं।

Past Tense Forms

SubjectVerbExampleHindi
IwasI was tired.मैं थका हुआ था।
YouwereYou were late.तुम देर से आए थे।
He/She/ItwasHe was a doctor.वह एक डॉक्टर था।
WewereWe were happy.हम खुश थे।
TheywereThey were busy.वे व्यस्त थे।

Contractions (Short Forms)

Full FormContractionExample
I amI'mI'm happy.
You areYou'reYou're smart.
He isHe'sHe's my brother.
She isShe'sShe's a teacher.
It isIt'sIt's cold today.
We areWe'reWe're ready.
They areThey'reThey're coming.

Negative Forms

Add not after the verb:

  • I am not (I'm not) tired.
  • She is not (isn't) here.
  • They are not (aren't) ready.
  • He was not (wasn't) at home.
  • We were not (weren't) late.

Question Forms

Put the verb before the subject:

  • Am I late? (क्या मुझे देर हो गई?)
  • Is she a doctor? (क्या वह डॉक्टर है?)
  • Are you ready? (क्या तुम तैयार हो?)
  • Was he happy? (क्या वह खुश था?)
  • Were they at home? (क्या वे घर पर थे?)

Uses of "To Be"

  1. Identity: I am John. She is my sister.
  2. Profession: He is a teacher. They are doctors.
  3. Feelings: I am happy. She is sad.
  4. Location: The book is on the table.
  5. Age: I am 25 years old.
  6. Description: The sky is blue. He is tall.