Using the Past Simple with the verb “to be.” Exercise on the verb “to be” (past tense) Exercises on the topic was were

The verb To Be is the most common verb in the English language.
Today we'll look at:

• how is it translated,
• forms of the verb To Be,
• how and where to use the verb To Be,
• rules and examples,
• verb To Be in all tenses.

If you are a complete beginner and just starting to learn English, first you need to understand what the verb to be is and in what cases it should be used. For a better understanding, I will give clear examples.

When to use the verb To Be - examples

When we need to indicate:

- profession, age, relationship,
- your location, citizenship,
- indicate the existence of something
- qualities of character,
- color and properties of objects,
- state of feeling or health,
- compare something/someone with something,
- indicate the actual process of action.

Examples:

I am a taxi driver, cook, director, translator, guy, citizen, etc..

She is my mother / sister / mother-in-law / friend / neighbor / good person / in love / busy, etc.

He is good/bad/smart/funny/mean/cool/happy/sexy, etc.

It / This is real / rainy / healthy / red / easy, etc..

We are from Russia / in the park / at school / on the street / at work, etc..

They are better than.. / richer than.. / higher than.. faster than, etc..

More examples of what you can say using the verb To Be

What is this? Who is this? Where are you?
This is my home. It's Russia. Here's my friend.
The water is icy. The roads are good. Today is Friday.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
A wonderful day! It's complicated.
Are you ready? Is it dangerous?

Be careful.
Behave yourself.
Be happy.
Be a man!

She was right.
I'll be a lawyer.
We were great!

I'm reading /right now/
I'm driving / right now /

How to say all of the above in English, see the end of the article with translation.

Verb To Be NEVER not used with main verbs.

You can't say:
I am seeing. She is watching. He's going. They are working. We know.
I am seeing. She is watching. He's going. They are working. We know.

Verb To Be translation into Russian

The general meaning of the word To Be is - to be, is, be, appear, exist.
But when directly translated into Russian in the present tense, these words are usually omitted.

Examples of translation in the present tense:

1. I’m home = I’m at home. / I am at home/
2. She is a doctor = She is a doctor. /She is a doctor/
3. It’s in Russia = This is in Russia / This is or exists in Russia /

In the future tense, the verb has the form: will be and is translated as: I will, I will, I will.

In the past tense, the verb has the form: was/were and is translated as: was, were, was.

I was happy = I was happy.
They were right = They were right.
It was rainy last night = It was rainy last night.

To Be verb forms and abbreviations

The verb To Be is often shortened both in writing and in spoken language.
Remember these contractions and practice them.

I am = I'm
You are = You're
He is = He's
She is = She's

It is = It's
We are = We're
They are = They're

Examples of affirmative sentences of the verb To Be

I am a girl. I am a girl.
You are a boy. You are a boy.

He is clever. He is smart.
She is my sister. She is my sister.

It is a cat. It's a cat.
It's me. It's me.

We are friends. We are friends.
They are students. They are students.

Verb To Be - Negative Sentences

To say:

- I am NOT a taxi driver,
- I'm not at home,
- she is not from Russia,
- he is NOT evil,
- this is NOT true - i.e. in a negative form, then after the verb To Be we put a particle - Not -

See examples and abbreviations

I am not = I’m not
You are not = You're not
He is not = He’s not
She is not = She’s not
It is not = It’s not
We are not = We're not
They are not = They're not.

Verb To Be examples of negative sentences

I am not tired. I am not tired.
You are not a robot. You are not a robot.

He is not a driver. He's not a driver.
She is not rich. She's not rich.

It is not a dog. This is not a dog.
We are not ready. We're not ready.
They are not married. They are not married.

Verb To Be Interrogative sentences

To say:

- I am beautifull?
- He is good?
- They are from Russia?
- You are ready? — first we put the verb to be, then the pronoun.

Look at the examples:

Am I..? Are you..?

Is he..? Is she..? Is it..?

Are they..? Are we..?

Am I nice? I'm good?
Are you tall? You are tall?

Is he your dad? Is he your dad?
Is she pretty? She's beautiful?
Is it a cat? It's a cat?

Are we kids? Are we children?
Are they students? They are students?

The verb To Be is an Irregular verb.
This means that the verb changes its form not only depending on the gender of the noun, but also on what tense it is in.

Check out the examples below.

Verb To Be in all tenses

Below are the conjugation tables for the verb To Be in three main tenses: this is the Simple group - present, past and future. This is quite enough for the initial stage and up to the intermediate level.

Conjugation of the verb To Be in the present tense Present Simple

Statement	Negation	Question
I am a doctor	I'm not a doctor	Am I a doctor?
You are a doctor	You are not a doctor	Are you a doctor?
He is a doctor	He is not a doctor	Is he a doctor?
She is a doctor	She is not a doctor	Is she a doctor?
It is a doctor	It is not a doctor	Is it a doctor?
We are doctors	We are not doctors	Are we doctors?
They are doctors	They are not doctors	Are they doctors?

Conjugation of the verb To Be in the Past Simple

Statement	Negation	Question
I was right	I wasn't right	Was I right?
You were right	You were not right	Are you right?
He was right	He wasn't right	Was he right?
She was right	She was not right	Was she right?
It was right	It was not right	Was it right?
We were right	We weren't right	Were we right?
They were right	They were not right	Were they right?

Conjugation of the verb To Be in the future tense Future Simple

Statement	Negation	Question
I will be in Moscow	I will not be in Moscow	Will I be in Moscow?
You will be in Moscow	You will not be in Moscow	Will you be in Moscow?
He will be in Moscow	He will not be in Moscow	Will he be in Moscow?
She will be in Moscow	She will not be in Moscow	Will she be in Moscow?
It will be in Moscow	It will not be in Moscow	Will it be in Moscow?
We will be in Moscow	We will not be in Moscow	Will we be in Moscow?
They will be in Moscow	They will not be in Moscow	Will they be in Moscow?

Verb To Be to form action right now

In fact, the verb To Be participates in the formation of tenses of the Continuous group.

Examples:

I'm reading.
I'm reading (right now).
She is sleeping.

She's sleeping now.
We are going to the movies. We are going / now / to the cinema.

I was watching a video.

I watched the video.

They were walking down the street.

They were walking down the street.
And lastly,
Question words with the verb To Be

If a sentence uses question words, the question word comes first, then the verb to be.
When will you be home?
When will you be at home?

What is it?
2. She is my mother, sister, mother-in-law, friend, neighbor, good person, in love, busy.
3. He is good, bad, smart, funny, stingy, funny, happy, sober, sexy.
4. It/It is real, rainy, healthy, red, easy.
5. We are from Russia, in the park, at school, on the street, at work.
6. They are better than.. / richer than.. / taller than.. faster than...

1. I’m a taxi driver. I'm a cook. I'm a boss. I'm a translator. I'm a guy. I'm a citizen.

2. She is my mother. She is my sister. She is mother-in-law. She is my girlfriend. She is my neighbor. She is a nice person. She's in love. She is busy.

3. He is kind person. He is a bad person. He is smart. He's funny. He is stingy. He is cool. He is happy. He is sober. He is sexy.

4. It is real. It's rainy. It's healthy. It's red. It's easy.

5. We are from Russia. We are in the park. We are at school. We are outside. We are at work.

6. They are better than..
They are richer than..
They are higher than..
They are faster than...

More examples using the verb To Be with translation into English

1. What is this? Who is this? Where are you?
2. This is my home. It's Russia. Here's my friend.
3. The water is icy. The roads are good. Today is Friday.
4. Tomorrow is my birthday.
5. Wonderful day! It's complicated.
6. Are you ready? Is it dangerous?

7. Be careful.
8. Behave yourself.
9. Be happy.
10. Be a man!

11. She was right.
12. I will be a lawyer.
13. We were great!

14. I'm reading / right now /
15. I'm driving /right now/

SEE HOW TO SAY THIS IN ENGLISH

1. What is it? Who is it? Where are you?

2. This is my house. It's Russia. Here is my friend.

3. The water is icy. The roads are good. Today is Friday.

4. Tomorrow is my birthday.

5. It’s a wonderful day! It's difficult.

6.Are you ready? Is it dangerous?

7. Be careful.
8. Be good.
9. Be happy.
10. Be a man!

11. She was right.
12. I’ll be a lawyer.
13. We were super!

14. I'm reading.
15. I'm driving.

I am ready. - I'm ready.
Forbidden fruit is sweet. - The Forbidden fruit is sweet.
We will be I Spain next week. - We
We'll be in Spain next week.

To use it in speech, you need to know its conjugation, and we can conjugate it in three tenses: in the present / PRESENT, in the past / PAST and in the future / FUTURE.

Because the verb “to be”
changes its forms when conjugated, you need to REMEMBER them! And don’t put it off for too long!

Conjugation to be in Present Simple (simple present tense)

			Translation to Russian language
I	am	a good student	I'm a good student
He	is	a manager	He is a manager
She		a doctor	She is a doctor
It		a big company	This is a big company
We	are	independent	We are independent
You		very knowledgeable	You are very knowledgeable
They		our friends	They are our friends

Conjugation to be V Past Simple(simple past tense)

Sentences with to be in different persons			Translation to Russian language
I	was	full of energy	I was full of energy
He		my best friend	He was my best friend
She		my girlfriend	She was mine girl
It		my fault	That was my fault
We	were	very ambitious	We were very ambitious
You		unemployed	You were unemployed
They		really happy	They were really happy

Conjugation to be V Future Simple
(simple future tense)

Sentences with to be in different persons			Translation to Russian language
I	will be	very educated	I will be very educated
He		a musician	He will be a musician
She		an economist	She will be economist
It		our initiative	This will be ours initiative
We		happy	We will be happy
You		our assistant	You will be ours assistant
They		famous soon	They will famous soon

But the verb “to be” can also be used in NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE sentences.

Verb conjugation in NEGATIVES.

Present tense	Past tense	Future
		I will not be
	You were not	Y ou will not be
	He was not
	S he was not
	I was not	I t will not be
	W e were not	W e will not be
	Y ou were not
	T hey were not	T hey will not be

WHAT IS “NOT”? To construct a negation with the verb “to be”, the negative particle NOT is required (in Russian it is NOT).

For ease of use in speech and spelling of negatives with “to be”, you need to know the abbreviated forms of negatives.

Abbreviated forms with the particle “not”:

ARE NOT = AREN'T
IS NOT = ISN'T
WAS NOT = WASN'T
WILL NOT BE = WON'T BE

Interrogative sentences

The most basic rule of construction questions in English it is based on changing the order of words in a sentence. The verb to be is a little easier to construct questions than the others because it doesn't require the help of the auxiliary verbs do or does. To form an interrogative sentence with the verb to be, you just need to put it to the beginning of the sentence, i.e. swap places with a noun. For example:

(+) He is a brave soldier. - He is a brave soldier.

(?) Is he a brave soldier? - Is he a brave soldier?

(+) They are at their friend’s house. — They are at their friends' house.
(?) Are they at their friend’s house? —Are they at their friends' house?

(+) It is hot outside. - It is hot outside.
(?) Is it hot outside? - It is hot outside?

(+) It’s eight o’clock now. — It’s eight o’clock now.

(?) Is it eight o’clock now? — Is it eight o’clock now?

(+) Lindsay is the tallest girl in the class. — Lindsay is the tallest girl in the class.
(?) Is Lindsay the tallest girl in the class? — Lindsay is the tallest girl in the class?

In addition to general questions, there is another category in English - special question. These are those questions that begin with special question words what (what?), who (who?), when (when?), where (where? Where?), why (why?), whom (whom?), which ( which), whose (whose?), how many/ how much (how much), and require a more specific answer.

Word order in a special question the same as in general, except for the question word at the beginning of the sentence:

Who will go the cinema today?
Who's going to the cinema today?

Here are a few more examples:

(?) What is your job? -I'm a nurse. — What kind of work do you have?/What do you do? -I am a nurse.
(?) Who is on duty today? -Alex is. - Who's on duty today? -Alex.
(?) Where is Pascal from? -She is from Canada. —Where is Pascal from? -She's from Canada.
(?) Which is your favorite color? -It's light blue. -What is your favorite color? -Light blue.
(?) Why is she here? -Because, she is the part of the family. - Why is she here? -Because she's part of the family.
(?) When is Jane’s birthday? -It's in May. — When is Jane's birthday? -In May.
(?) How much are these jeans? -They’re 99 pounds. -How much do these jeans cost? -They're 99 pounds.

Summary table of the conjugation of the verb “to be”. Past, present, future tense. Interrogative, declarative, negative sentences.

to be (be)	?		+		–		was were
Will, Will not (Won't)	They	be?	They	will be	They	won't be	Future time
Am		… ?		am		am+not	The present time
Is				is		is+not
Are	They		They	are	They	are+not
Was		… ?		was		wasn't	Past e time
Were	They		They	wereThe presented table can be downloaded in word format. There are also other English grammar tables presented there. Verb conjugation in simple tense, English pronouns, English question words, prepositions, numerals, etc.

We will devote our article to the analysis of one unusual verb in the English language - the word to be, which is translated as “to be”, “is”, “to appear” or “to be”. This one can safely be classified as a separate, full-fledged topic, because its use and formation have a special meaning that differs from other verbs. Schoolchildren, possibly students, as well as all those who study and are interested in the English language will find this information useful.

Verb to be, or what is it

To be- this is with the particle to, infinitive. It is freely used in the language where necessary. For example, I want to be a singer- “I want to be a singer (singer).” But besides this initial form of the verb to be There are other independent forms: am, is or are.

It's the same verb with the same translation. However, the use of one of its specified varieties ( am, is or are) depends directly on the person and number in which the subject appears. Everything is very simple. Let's figure it out and make it clear.

Am

Verb to be as am used exclusively with a subject in the first person singular form (the pronoun “I” - I):

• I am a student.

If you literally translate every word, it will be like this: “ I am a student" or " I am a student" Of course, in Russian we rarely construct a sentence in this way; often we simply omit this verb in our speech. It’s easier for us to say: “ I am a student" Let's look at another example:

• I am 10 (years old).

Literally: " I'm ten years old" In Russian we will say: “ I am ten years old)».

Is

Verb to be as is used with subjects in the third person singular form (pronouns: he, she, it/it) Here are some examples:

• He is a pupil (he is a student).
• She is her mother (she is her mother).
• It (fox) is red (she (fox) is red).
• It is a table (this is a table).

Are

Verb to be as are used:

• with subjects in the first person plural form (the pronoun “we” - we);
• in the form of the second person in singular and plural (pronouns “you”, “you” - you);
• in the third person plural form (the pronoun “they” - they).

Here are some examples:

• We are friends (we are friends).
• You are my teacher (you are my teacher).
• They are brothers (they are brothers).

Often verb to be represented in the form of a dragon with three heads. Sometimes this visual representation helps language learners better understand the use of the verb.

Negative sentences with the verb to be

Choosing a specific verb form to be (am, is, or are) when constructing negative sentences, it also depends on the principle stated above. Just after using this form you need to put a negative not:

• I am not a child(abbreviated version I’m not a child - “I am not a child").
• He is not Peter(abbreviated version he's not Peter or he isn’t Peter - “he is not Peter").
• She is not a doctor(abbreviated version she's not a doctor or she isn’t a doctor - “she is not a doctor”).
• It is not a cat(abbreviated version it's not a cat or it isn’t a cat - “this is not (is) a cat”).
• We are not classmates(abbreviated version we're not classmates or we aren’t classmates - “we are not classmates”).
• You are not our friends(abbreviated version you're not our friends or you aren't our friends - "they are not friends").
• They are not sisters(abbreviated version they're not sisters or they aren’t sisters - “they are not sisters”).

Interrogative sentences with the verb to be

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that questions are also constructed differently from other sentences in the present tense in the Present Simple. The word order here is unusual - it differs from the usual affirmative sentence.

Forms am, is or are, depending on the form of the subject, are placed at the very beginning of the sentence. It is followed by the subject and the rest of the sentence:

• Am I happy (am I happy)?
• Is he a teacher (is he a teacher)?
• Is she your daughter (she is your daughter)?
• Is it our cat (this is our cat)?
• Are we good children (we are good children)?
• Are you good parents (you are good parents)?
• Are they my old friends (they are my old friends)?

It should be kept in mind that question words " what", "which" - what; "where" - where; "when" - when; "why", "why" - why; "what time" - at what time etc. in an interrogative sentence, if any, are placed in the very first place in the question. In other words, the question word is put first, then the verb form to be, then the subject and the rest of the sentence. Let's look at examples:

• Where is he (where is he)?
• What time is it now (which is the hour now)?
• What is it (what is this)?

It is necessary to pay attention to the relationships of the verb to be with a question word who (who). It tends to confuse English language learners. So, does a question word require who are or is after myself? In this particular case, it can be compared with in the singular or plural. So, with who can be used and is, And are:

• Who is glad (who is joyful)?
• Who are you (who are you)?

Verb to be in past tense

In the past tense, this verb has only two forms ( was - "was" or were - "were"), which again depend on the person and number of the subject. With pronouns I, he, she, it used was. And on the contrary, were used with we, you, they. Negative sentences in the past tense are constructed like negative ones in the present tense, only here not added to was or were. In the abbreviated version there will be wasn't And weren't.

With questions in the past tense, the situation (we are talking about word order) is exactly the same as with questions in the present tense.

Verb to be in the future tense

Future tense with verb to be easiest to build. In affirmative sentences with any subjects there is only one form - will be(will/will appear). In negative sentences - will not be. Interrogative sentences are also constructed in a similar word order as in the present tense.

The most important thing is training and consolidation. You should do as many exercises as possible to choose the desired form of the verb. to be. There are tasks of varying difficulty and in different wording to practice your English: is or are, am or are, was, were or will be must be placed in place of gaps in sentences. They help hone your skill in quickly identifying verbs. to be at all times. However, you shouldn’t dwell on tasks like “insert are or is” (and similar ones) for a long time. We need to move on and slowly complicate things.

Do not ignore tasks in which you need to translate, for example, into Russian, but more often - from Russian into English. At first glance it may seem that this is very difficult, but over time the conquered peaks will seem like a plain to you, and even greater heights will rise ahead. The main thing is not to stop there! Go for it, and you will succeed!

We hope you find this information useful and clear.

Today we continue to study the tenses of the English language. I hope you have carefully studied the article and are already confidently composing sentences with the verb to be in the present tense. Now we will learn to talk about the past tense, using the forms of the verb to be - was and were.

The verb to be in the past tense, as a rule, does not cause difficulties for students, because it has a direct translation “was”, “were”. In the grammar tables below you will become familiar with the formation of the affirmative, interrogative and negative forms of the verb to be in the past tense. And to consolidate, as always, a little independent work.

Compare the affirmative and interrogative forms. In Russian they differ only in intonation. But in English, the verb to be in the past tense requires a change in word order when forming a question. Violation of this rule will

THE PAST INDEFINITE TENSE
(THE PAST SIMPLE)
TO BE

Affirmative form
Past Simple (verb to be)
+

Interrogative form
Past Simple (verb to be)
(yes/no questions – general questions) ?

Interrogative form
Past Simple (verb to be)
(WH - ? - special questions) ?

Negative form
Past Simple (verb to be)
—

So, today we looked at another table - verb to be in past tense. Such grammar tables really useful and easy to use. And you will return to them more than once to refresh your knowledge. If you have any questions on the topic or need additional explanations, write in the comments. I will answer all questions. Expect new articles in the section.

Exercises for Past Simple (verb to be):

Tenses in English.

It is with this verb that you need to start learning English grammar. Verbs in English do not change for persons, but the verb to be is an exception. Using this verb, we will learn to compose simple sentences that do not contain a verb in Russian, for example, “I am a student,” “he is at home,” “this is interesting,” etc. In English it is unacceptable to form without a verb that performs the action, and to be serves as a linking verb. For example, to say “I am a student,” we must insert the desired form of the linking verb to be and, as a result, the sentence will take on the meaning “I am a student” - “I (am) a student.”

Forms of the verb to be in the present tense

In the present tense, the verb to be has three forms: AM, IS, ARE:

• Remember: to be and AM, IS, ARE are not 4 different ones, but forms the same verb:

(We hope our dragon will help you remember this)

Let's look at how the verb to be changes in the present tense

Affirmative form

• We are friends - we are friends
• They are busy - they are busy
• The book is thick - the book is thick
• It is a cat
• She is clever - she is smart

Negative form

To form a negative conjugation form of a given verb, you need to put a negative particle “not” after one of the required forms of the verb (am, is or are). Here are some examples of negative sentences:

• I am not hungry – I am not hungry
• He is not busy
• The room is not big – the room is not big

Interrogative form

To form an interrogative form, you need to put the appropriate form of the verb (am, is or are) at the beginning of the sentence:

• Are you Peter? -Are you Pete?
• This room? – Is this a room?
• Are you hungry? -Are you hungry?
• He is busy? – Is he busy?

• To understand how verbs live in the English language, let’s first remember at least one Russian verb in its initial form, for example, the verb “to live”. As you know, Russian verbs in their initial form end in “-т”, and later, when conjugated, the ending changes. As for the English language, the verb in its initial form is used together with the particle to, for example, we say to be – would t, find t Xia, i.e. if the particle to precedes the verb, this means that the verb is in the initial form, and when further using the verb with persons, this particle is omitted. Let's give an example: “To be or not to be” - there are two verbs in the sentence - and both are in the initial form, and they must be used together with the particle to, and, accordingly, we will translate into English as “to be or not to be”. If we have before us the sentence “I (am) a student,” i.e. we have changed the verb to suit the person of the subject, then the particle to is omitted and the proper form of the verb is used, in this case am.
• Unlike the verb to be, other verbs in English are not conjugated, for example, the verbs “live, sit, love” in the initial form are translated into English “to live, to sit, to love”, i.e. with a particle to, and when conjugated - without to, for example, “I live, sit, love” will be translated into English as “I live, sit, love,” i.e. initial form of a verb in English without a particletonot used, but when conjugatedtofalls. The initial form in English is called the Infinitive - Infinitive.

More about the particle to watch our video tutorial:

Verb conjugations tobe in present time

Now let's learn how the verb to be changes (conjugates) in the present tense. As mentioned above, in Russian, sentences like “I am a student, she is a doctor, we are workers” are formed without a predicate verb. But to translate these sentences into English, you need to put the appropriate form to be after the subject - “I am a pupil, she is a doctor, we are workers.”

Please note the translation of the following sentences in affirmative, negative and interrogative forms into English:

Verb conjugations tobe in past and future tense

In the past tense, the verb to be has two forms - was and were (was, was, were)

In the future tense, the verb to be is conjugated as follows

Note: In modern English the form shall is rarely used to form the future tense of verbs (although its use is not a grammatical error), the form is used for all persons will. Therefore, sometimes there are discrepancies in different textbooks.

To summarize, consider the following table:

Here are some commonly used verb expressions: to be which you should learn and conjugate yourself using the conjugation table:

• To be happy/unhappy – to be happy/unhappy
• To be glad - to be joyful
• To be hungry/to be full up– to be hungry/full
• To be fond of - to love, be carried away by something
• To be busy - to be busy
• To be late (for) - to be late (for)
• To be in time for – to be on time
• To be present at – to be present at (for example, in a lesson)
• To be absent (from) – to be absent
• To be married – to be married
• To be single - to be single / not married
• To be lucky - to be lucky
• To be ready (for) - to be ready (for, for example, a lesson)
• To be afraid (of) – to be afraid
• To be interested (in) - to be interested in something
• To be ill / well - to be sick / to feel good
• To be angry (with) - to be angry, angry (at someone)

Let's conjugate together the expression to be married in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences. What did you get?