Verb To Be (Am/Is/Are) Exercises
Do more with this exercise
The verb to be: am, is, are
Use am, is, or are to say who someone is, where someone is, or how someone feels.
- Affirmative forms:
- Use am with I, is with he/she/it, and are with you/we/they.
- Contractions:
- You can say I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, or they're. These are short forms of am, is, and are.
- Negative forms:
- Put not after am, is, or are: I am not tired. She isn't here. We aren't late.
- Questions:
- For a question, put am, is, or are first: Am I late? Is she home? Are they here?
- Short answers:
- Give a short answer: Yes, I am. Yes, she is. No, he isn't.
- No do or does:
- Do not use do or does with am, is, or are. Say Is she happy?, not Does she be happy?
Examples
I am happy.
Use am with I.
He is my brother.
Use is with he.
They aren't at home.
Aren't means are not.
Is she at school?
Put is first to ask a question.
We are friends.
Use are with we.
Are you ready? Yes, I am.
Use are with you. Answer with I am.
Practice exercises
Choose the Correct Form
Choose the correct form of the verb to be.
1.My brother ___ a doctor.
2.___ you ready?
3.We ___ not from Mexico.
4.I ___ at home now.
5.The children ___ at school.
6.___ she your teacher?
Fill in the Blank
Type the correct form of the verb to be.
Put the Words in Order
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
13. Build the sentence:
14. Build the sentence:
15. Build the sentence:
16. Build the sentence:
True or False
Decide if each statement is true or false.
17.The short answer to 'Are you tired?' is 'Yes, I are.'
18.'He isn't' means 'he is not'.
19.'I amn't' is correct English.
20.In a question, the subject comes first: 'She is at home?'
21.'They're' is the short form of 'they are'.
The Verb To Be: A Verb With Its Own Rules
Most English verbs need do or does in negatives and questions: 'She works.' 'She doesn't work.' 'Does she work?' The verb to be is different. It makes its own negatives and its own questions, with no help from do or does.
To be also changes with the subject: I am, you are, he is, she is, it is, we are, they are. That is three different forms. Other verbs have only one or two: work, works. Find the subject, and you find the form: I takes am; he, she, it and one person or thing take is; you, we, they and two or more take are.
Negatives are easy: put not after the verb. She is not ready. They aren't at home. He isn't here. Am is special: there is no short form of am not, so we say I'm not.
For questions, change the order: the verb goes first. Is she ready? Are they at home? Am I late? Short answers use the subject and the verb. In a yes answer, do not use the short form: Yes, I am. Not 'Yes, I'm.'
Verbs like work, live and study follow other rules, so they have their own page: the simple present exercises. This page is only about to be. The exercises above practice all three forms, affirmative, negative and questions, in short, real sentences.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between am, is and are?
They are all forms of the verb to be. Use am with I. Use is with he, she, it and one person or thing. Use are with you, we, they and two or more people or things.
How do I make questions with the verb to be?
Put the verb before the subject: Is he ready? Are they at home? Am I late? You do not need do or does.
Is there a contraction for 'am not'?
Not in correct written English. Say I'm not. You can hear 'ain't' in very informal speech, but do not use it in writing or at work.
Do I need do or does with the verb to be?
No. The verb to be makes its own negatives and questions: She is not here. Is she here? Other verbs, like work or live, need do or does. This is a big difference between them.
How is this different from the simple present exercises page?
The simple present page is about verbs like work, live and study. They need do and does in negatives and questions. This page is only about the verb to be, which has its own rules.
Answer key
1. My brother ___ a doctor.
Answer: is
My brother is one person (he), so we use is.
2. ___ you ready?
Answer: Are
With you we use are. In a question, are comes first.
3. We ___ not from Mexico.
Answer: are
We takes are. Not comes after are.
4. I ___ at home now.
Answer: am
I always takes am, never is or are.
5. The children ___ at school.
Answer: are
The children means they, so we use are.
6. ___ she your teacher?
Answer: Is
She takes is. In a question, is comes first.
7. My parents ___ in Spain this week.
Answer: are
My parents means they, so we use are.
8. I ___ not hungry. I am tired.
Answer: am
I takes am. The negative is I am not, or I'm not.
9. He ___ at work today. He is at home.
Answer: isn't
He is at home, so he is not at work. With he, the negative is isn't or is not.
10. ___ this your bag?
Answer: Is
This bag is one thing, so we use is. In a question, is comes first.
11. You ___ late again!
Answer: are
You always takes are, for one person or for many people.
12. We ___ not at school today.
Answer: are
We takes are. Not comes after are.
13. happy / not / . / she / is
Answer: She is not happy.
In a negative sentence, the order is she + is + not.
14. free / you / today / ? / are
Answer: Are you free today?
In a question, are comes before you.
15. ready / are / . / we / not
Answer: We are not ready.
In a negative sentence, the order is we + are + not.
16. at / he / home / ? / is
Answer: Is he at home?
In a question, is comes before he.
17. The short answer to 'Are you tired?' is 'Yes, I are.'
Answer: False
With I we use am: 'Yes, I am.'
18. 'He isn't' means 'he is not'.
Answer: True
Isn't is the short form of is not.
19. 'I amn't' is correct English.
Answer: False
Amn't is not correct. We say I'm not.
20. In a question, the subject comes first: 'She is at home?'
Answer: False
In a question, the verb comes first: 'Is she at home?'
21. 'They're' is the short form of 'they are'.
Answer: True
They're means they are.