How to Use the Verb To Be (Explanation, Examples & Quiz)

Home/Knowledge Base/Verbs

Back to Knowledge Base

How to Use the Verb To Be (Explanation, Examples & Quiz)

Updated August 6, 2025

Originally published December 23, 2022

5 min read

By Yash, D

To be means to exist. I/you/they use are in the present; he/she/it use third-person present singular form, is. To learn the verb in depth, read our guide.

Verbs

The verb “to be”

Hamlet was right: to be or not to be—that is the question, of this post at least.

What is the verb to be? How does it change to reflect tense? For a comprehensive overview of all English verb tenses, check out this complete guide to English verb tenses. Let's take a look.

What does 'to be ' mean?

First, let's clarify what we mean by the words to be. Google search "define to be" and you'll get a single-word answer: exist.

Despite being the most complex all English verbs, its meaning is literal (try not to overthink it).

In addition to being as in existing, to be can indicate occurence, or that something will occur (She is taking the dog out; The meeting is on Tuesday.) Oftentimes, it expresses traits or attributes, as in, She's always been withdrawn; He was He was contemplative in his later years.

Is to be a regular or irregular verb?

To be is an irregular verb—a highly irregular verb. As a quick refresher, the difference between regular and irregular verbs is that regular verbs conjugate to the past by adding -ed to the end of the base verb.

Irregular verbs do not add -ed to show the past, but use a variety of suffixes: -en, -own, -ought, and more.

To be is especially irregular because its numerous conjugations bear no resemblance to its simple form, to be, and it changes by subject.

Forms of to be

For first-person singular pronoun I, use am. For all third-person plural and second-person subjects, use are. Third-person present singular pronouns he, she, and it use is.

I am at work.
She is driving.
They are still asleep.

How to use was or were

Was and were are both past tenses of the present tense form, to be. Use was for singular subjects in the first-person and third-person past tenses, and were for all other subjects.

I was at work.
She was driving.
They were still asleep when you left.

Sentence examples: Am, is, are

If you're a bird, I'm a bird.
She is driving me up the wall.
They are leaving soon.

Past tense of ‘to be’ (was/were) examples

First person singular

I was out for a walk.

Third person singular

Sarah was a good student.

First person plural

We were good students.

Third person plural

They were good students.

Second person

You were a good student.

Future tenses (I/she/they will)

First person singular

I will be a good student.

Third person singular

Sarah will be a good student.

First person plural

We will be good students.

Third person plural

They will be good students.

Second person

You will be a good student.

Origin of the verb “to be”

Old English; Beon, beom, bion — “be, exist, come to be, become, happen”. Proto-Germanic, *biju- — “I am, I will be”.

Worksheet: The verb ‘to be’

Question 1 of 5

She ___ happy today.

are
is
am

They ___ not at school yesterday.

were
was
are

What is the correct form for “I” in present simple?

is
am
are

___ you ready?

Are
Is
Am

Which sentence is correct?

He was late for work.
He were late for work.
He am late for work.

FAQs

What does the verb 'to be' mean? +

The verb 'to be' describes existing, taking place, or occurring. It signifies a state of being, as in 'I am', 'you are', or 'she is'. It covers anything that exists.

Is 'to be' a regular verb? +

No, 'to be' is highly irregular in English. Its base form is related to "am," but its other tenses like 'was', 'is', 'are', and 'were' look nothing like the base form, unlike most verbs.

What forms does the verb 'to be' have? +

The verb 'to be' changes form based on subject and tense. Common forms are 'am', 'is', 'are' for the present tense and 'was', 'were' for the past tense, among others.

How is 'to be' used in present tense? +

Present tense forms like 'am', 'is', and 'are' are used based on the subject. For example, 'I am going…', 'Sarah is a good student', and 'They are good students'.

What are common mistakes with 'to be'? +

Common mistakes involve mismatching the form with the subject or tense. Examples include 'She are' (incorrect, needs 'is' for singular subject) and 'We was' (incorrect, needs 'were' for plural).