In English it is very common to find sentences with the verb “To be”, and this has to do with what can be translated as “ser” or “estar”, as the case may be. It is one of the most common verbs due to its broad meaning, both in Spanish and English.
In Present, this verb can be conjugated in three different ways:
- “A.M”, When the subject is I
- “Is”, When the subject is It, He or She
- “Are”, When the subject is You, They or We
- See also: English Sentences in Present Simple
In PastOn the contrary, the verb To Be is only conjugated in two ways, which are the following:
- “Were”, When the subject is You, They or We
- “Was”, When the subject is I, He, She or It
- See also: English Sentences in Past Simple
If you want to use it in a negative, always within the present, simply add the word "not" before the verb, beyond the subject in question. For example: We are not sad.
In those messages that are informal, like an e-mail to a friend, or a letter to the family, can be abbreviated. For example: We aren’t sad.
For the interrogationsOn the other hand, after the words What, Who, Where, When, How or Which is followed by the verb “To be” (conjugated) and , after this, the subject.
This estructure is the next one:WH + TO BE + SUBJECT
For example: Where is my pencil? Who is that man? Which go your car?
The verb "To be" has other uses. For example, when the subject wants to say that in the future he will do something in particular. In this case, the verb is followed by "Going To". In Spanish, this could be translated as "Have the intention of ..." or "Go to ...", to give a few examples.
- She is very beautiful. (She is very pretty)
- Peter was running. (Peter was running)
- We are going to be late. (We are going to arrive late)
- She is not going to Denmark next year. (She is not going to Denmark next year)
- Are you going to visit you uncle this weekend? (Are you going to visit your uncle this weekend?)
- This horse is very dangerous. (This horse is very dangerous)
- They are not in the room. (They are not in the room)
- They are than me workshop. (They are taller than me)
- Have they ever been in Paris? (Have you ever been to Paris?)
- She is not fun. (She ain't funny)
- I have is smart. (He is smart)
- They are running in the park. (They are running in the park)
- We are cooking for tonight. (We are cooking for tonight)
- They are going to the cinema tomorrow. (They are going to the movies tomorrow)
- My dog is brown. (My dog is brown)
- His arm is broken. (His arm is broken)
- They are very worried. (They are very worried)
- John is in his house. (John is at my house)
- I A.M Daniela. (I'm Daniela)
- You are not silly. (You are not dumb)
Andrea is a language teacher, and on her Instagram account she offers private lessons by video call so that you can learn to speak English.
