Present Simple Forms of "To Be" – Am / Is / Are

The verb "to be" is one of the first verbs you learn in English. It helps you talk about yourself, other people, and things around you. In the present simple tense, "to be" changes into three forms: am, is, and are.

To Be in Present Simple - Exercises and Quiz

These exercises focus on different forms of To Be in Present Simple

Positive Sentences: Am / Is / Are

In a positive sentence, we simply use am, is, or are after the subject.

Subject Pronoun	Verb "To Be"	Example Sentence
I	am	I am a student.
He / She / It	is	She is my sister.
You / We / They	are	We are friends.

Negative Sentences: Am / Is / Are + Not

To make a negative sentence, add not after am, is, or are.

Subject	Positive Sentence	Negative Sentence
I	I am happy.	I am not happy.
He	He is 10 years old.	He is not 10 years old.
She	She is a teacher.	She is not a teacher.
It	It is a small dog.	It is not a small dog.
You	You are funny.	You are not funny.
We	We are at home.	We are not at home.
They	They are my friends.	They are not my friends.

Short Forms of Negatives

In everyday English, we use short forms. These are contractions:

Am not stays the same (I am not tired).
Is not = isn’t (He isn’t tired).
Are not = aren’t (They aren’t tired).

Examples:

I am not a teacher.
She isn’t here.
They aren’t in class.

Questions: Am / Is / Are

To make a question, we switch the order of the subject and the verb am, is, or are. Put am, is, or are at the beginning of the sentence.

Subject	Positive Sentence	Question
I	I am in class.	Am I in class?
He	He is your brother.	Is he your brother?
She	She is a doctor.	Is she a doctor?
It	It is sunny today.	Is it sunny today?
You	You are at home.	Are you at home?
We	We are friends.	Are we friends?
They	They are students.	Are they students?

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Forgetting "not" in negatives:

Incorrect: She is not tired. (Missing "not")
Correct: She is not tired.

Wrong word order in questions:

Incorrect: He is your friend?
Correct: Is he your friend?

Using the wrong form of "to be":

Incorrect: You is my friend.
Correct: You are my friend.

Practice: Positive, Negative, and Questions

Positive:

I am in the park.
He is my brother.
They are happy.

Negative:

I am not in the park.
He is not my brother.
They are not happy.

Question:

Am I in the park?
Is he my brother?
Are they happy?

Everyday Use of Am / Is / Are (With Negatives and Questions)

I am hungry. → I am not hungry. → Am I hungry?
He is in the room. → He is not in the room. → Is he in the room?
They are friends. → They are not friends. → Are they friends?

Positive Sentences: Am / Is / Are + Contractions

In positive sentences, am, is, and are can be shortened. These contractions are very common in everyday English, especially when speaking.

Full Form	Contraction	Example Sentence
I am	I’m	I’m happy.
He is	He’s	He’s my brother.
She is	She’s	She’s a teacher.
It is	It’s	It’s a sunny day.
You are	You’re	You’re my friend.
We are	We’re	We’re in class.
They are	They’re	They’re playing outside.

Examples of Contractions in Sentences

I’m a student. (Full: I am a student.)
She’s 10 years old. (Full: She is 10 years old.)
They’re my parents. (Full: They are my parents.)

Negative Sentences: Am / Is / Are + Not + Contractions

To make a negative sentence, we add not after am, is, or are. We often shorten these to make negative contractions.

Full Form	Contraction	Example Sentence
I am not	I’m not	I’m not tired.
He is not	He isn’t	He isn’t my brother.
She is not	She isn’t	She isn’t at school.
It is not	It isn’t	It isn’t cold today.
You are not	You aren’t	You aren’t funny.
We are not	We aren’t	We aren’t ready.
They are not	They aren’t	They aren’t here.

Short Forms in Negative Sentences

I’m not hungry. (Full: I am not hungry.)
She isn’t a doctor. (Full: She is not a doctor.)
They aren’t my classmates. (Full: They are not my classmates.)

FAQ

When do I use "am"?

Use "am" only with "I". For example, "I am 7 years old."

Can I use "is" with "you"?

No, "you" always uses "are". Example: "You are my friend."

What is the rule for "he", "she", and "it"?

For "he", "she", and "it", use "is". Example: "She is my teacher."

What’s the most common mistake?

A common mistake is saying "you is" instead of "you are".

How can I remember these forms?

Practice speaking! Try saying, "I am," "You are," and "He/She is" when talking about people. The more you use them, the easier it will be!

How do I make a question with "to be"?

To make a question, put am, is, or are before the subject. For example, "You are my friend" becomes "Are you my friend?"

How do I make a negative sentence?

Add not after am, is, or are. For example, "She is my sister" becomes "She is not my sister."

What is the short form for negatives?

Is not becomes isn’t, and are not becomes aren’t. For example, "He isn’t here" or "They aren’t my friends."

Can I use "am not" as a short form?

No, am not does not have a short form. You say "I am not", not "I’m not".

How can I practice questions and negatives?

Practice turning positive sentences into negatives and questions. For example, "She is here" → "She isn’t here" → "Is she here?"