Hence I shall; you will; he will; we shall etc. Cojugate the verb to be in the past simples, Mate - the first person (sing and plural) future of "to be" is "I shall" not "I will". Get our free English language course and take your career to the next level! Unlike other verbs in English, to be is conjugated (in other words, it changes) according to grammatical person and number. Instead of using the infinitive form for the present tense and one word for each of the standard four forms (infinitive, past tense, past participle, present participle), the verb to be uses three words to express present tense and two words to express past tense.Thus, the verb to be uses eight words to express the standard forms:To Be, Eight Words Showing Its Various FormsYou need eight words when conjugating the verb to be: Irregular Verbs, Five Words Showing Various FormsIn contrast, only five words are needed to show the forms of the irregular verb see: It’s vital, of course, that you learn to conjugate the verb to be throughout all tenses, for you’ll need all these forms when you create the progressive tenses and the passive voice. But first, consider its uniqueness.To Be, Unique Among All VerbsIn the entire English language, one verb stands out: the verb to be. The verb “be” is the most important verb to learn in English. I am = I'm) OR a contraction of the verb and not(e.g. It’s also the most complicated. I totally love this website, because my ESL student really need help with conjugating verbs, and learning parts of speech. Previous: Conjugating Irregular Verbs Next: Conjugating in the Progressive Aspect. Did anyone else, Seem and become can be considered "pseudo-copulatives". I need some examples of the -s -es forms of the be verb. Native speakers conjugate on-the-fly automatically if they were exposed to "proper" English as a child but are probably, In high school in the 40’s, my English teacher added “seem” and “become” when conjugating the verb “to be”, thus: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, seem and become. If you’re unsure about these basics, try improving your English skills with, Using the Verb "To Be" in Present Simple Tense, ultimate guide to learning English grammar, Case study: I Improved My English to Work for a Startup, “I learned my partner’s language for love — and you can too”, Case Study: How I Learned to Speak English in 6 Months, Case study: How Preply’s English classes helped me relocate to New York, Guide to Symbols in English: List + How to Use Them, Present Tense in English: What It Is, How to Use It & Examples, 8 Rules for Using the Article The in English, Between vs. They include: After the subject, the verb “ be ” changes to am, is, or are. There are four forms of the present tense. To form the present perfect tense, we need to use the simple present tense of the auxiliary verb ‘have’ or ‘has’ based on whether the noun being referred to is plural or singular. As an auxiliary, it serves the vital roles of forming the passive voice (The ball was hit by John) and the progressive tense (John was hitting the ball over the fence).Miss Hamrick could never make up a chant about the irregular forms of the verb to be because it doesn’t have just one past-tense form like the other irregular verbs do. You can see that there is a short form (contraction) used when writing the verb to be, and an apostrophe is used to form it: I am = I’m, She is = She’s, etc. You can write your sentences in the comments. Instead of using the infinitive form for the present tense and one word for each of the standard four forms (infinitive, past tense, past participle, present participle), the verb to be uses three words to express present tense and two words to express past tense. If you need to form a question, simply move the verb to be to the beginning of the sentence: If you need to form a negative sentence, use the adverb not after the connecting verb: In negative sentences, we can also use a shortened form of the verb to be and the adverb not. So, a simple present sentence follows the pattern Among: How to Use Each in English (+Examples), English Verbs of Motion: Take, Ride, Drive, Walk, Get, English Exam Study Guide: Advice From Experienced Tutors on How to Ace Your Exams, 10 Great Online English Courses for Beginners, Medical Words in English that You Need to Know, Interjections Guide: List of Most Common Interjections & Examples, 300 Most Common English Words (and How to Learn Them Fast), Learn English by Reading These 15 Classic Stories. There are many different tense forms of the word that are commonly used; we’ve covered the past tense in other articles, and in this one we’ll go over simple present tense. Present Continuous Tense The Present Continuous Tense is made from the present form of the verb ‘be’ and the -ing form of a verb. Present Tense Forms. The Simple Present Tense is used: To express habits, universal truths, repeated actions or fixed events. The form of the sentence reflects the name of the tense—it is simple! Here are the personal pronouns in English: To form a simple sentence to say that you are a student, we need the connecting verb to be: “I am a student.”. , write sentences using the following expressions. You can see that there is a short form (contraction) used when writing the verb to be, and an apostrophe is used to form it: I am = I’m, She is = She’s, etc. Let us see some examples, We have known each other for a very long time. The present tense of verbs expresses events or actions that are occurring now, relative to the speaker—or to actions that are habitually performed and may not necessarily be happening right now. It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. There are two ways of forming contractions of To Be in negative sentences. This is one of the most important words in English, and also one of the most difficult. The simple present tense uses the base form of the verb and the third person singular takes an –s as the suffix. is conjugated (in other words, it changes) according to grammatical person and number. I wouldn't teach it as part of "to be," though. Thanks for your vote! ‘’TO BE’’ is used to describe objects, features, locations, etc. There are many different tense forms of the word that are commonly used; we’ve covered the past tense in other articles, and in this one we’ll go over simple present tense. Unlike the present tense where definite and indefinite forms are distinguished by the use of ‘ydy’ and ‘oes’ respectively, no different form is required in the imperfect tense: Just as the present tense has four forms, the past tense also has four forms. In the present tense it has three forms: am, is, are. Importance of Reading: Why Reading is Such an Important English Language Skill, Guide to Business English Negotiation: Preparation, Vocabulary & Phrases, English for the Call Center: How to Improve Your Language Skills, English for Business Communication: Best Courses & How to Improve, Business English Films: 3 Movies That will Help You Learn Business English, What to say when you miss an online interview.