Present simple - verb 'to be'

Do you want to practise using the present simple of the verb to be in English?

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Present simple – verb 'to be'

We can use the present simple of the verb to be to talk about situations and states in the present.

I am ten years old.
They are Egyptian.
My mum is a doctor.

How to use it

Use am for I. Use is for he, she and it. Use are for you, we and they. We can contract the verb, especially when we're speaking.

I am tall. = I'm tall.
You are my friend. = You're my friend.
My mum is a doctor. = My mum's a doctor.
We are doctors. = We're doctors.
They are Egyptian. = They're Egyptian.

For negatives, use not.

I am not nine years old! = I'm not nine years old!
She is not a teacher. = She's not a teacher. = She isn't a teacher.
They are not English. = They're not English. = They aren't English.

For questions, change the order of am, is or are and the person.

Are you Brazilian? Yes, I am.
Are they students? No, they're not.
Where is your brother?

Average: 3.5 (75 votes)

Submitted by MasterCarChef on Mon, 29/01/2024 - 20:36

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100% 7 out of 7

Submitted by OrangeSapphirePop on Wed, 18/10/2023 - 16:00

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I love this

Submitted by OrangeSapphirePop on Sun, 17/09/2023 - 13:44

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hahaahhaahhaahhahh

Submitted by LovelyDungeon9999 on Mon, 05/06/2023 - 11:32

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My name is Alice and I'm 8 years old. I'll gives some examples about verbs to be.
I'm a girl. or I am a girl.
She's good at drawing. or She is good at drawing.
They're my friends. or They are my friends.
She's not young. or She is not young. or She isn't young.

Submitted by SkatingSeaFlower on Wed, 19/05/2021 - 16:04

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Great exercises! Especially ready answers!

Submitted by MissDragonHawk on Sun, 24/01/2021 - 16:36

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it's very simple

Submitted by ForeverSwingWeb on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 20:31

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I studied math I am Salim

Submitted by SailingBeach9999 on Tue, 17/03/2020 - 16:00

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I love this game

Submitted by BraveOpal9999 on Sun, 15/03/2020 - 09:46

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I'm a good pupil

Submitted by HappySharkPlayer on Fri, 01/06/2018 - 12:53

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It has a lot of fun! cheers!

Submitted by FavouriteDrink… on Sat, 19/05/2018 - 15:11

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I am the BEST of The BEST!

Hi MasterJavelin9!

 

First, log in to your account. Then:

  • Click on 'My Account' in the top left of the page.
  • Click on 'Edit' and scroll down to 'Picture'.
  • Use the character creator to create your character.
  • Very important: You must click 'Create character' in the character creator AND scroll down and click 'Save' at the bottom of the page.

 

Sometimes there is a problem with the character creator. If it doesn't work, please try again after a week. If it still doesn't work, please ask an adult to email us so we can try to help.

 

LadyCrystalKitten
LearnEnglish Kids team

Submitted by FavouriteDrink… on Sun, 13/05/2018 - 18:32

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I am the best!!!!!

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