Purpose

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly conjugate the verb “to be” in the present tense for all seven personal pronouns from Lesson 5.

Lesson Explanation

The verb “to be” is the most commonly used verb in English, and it is genuinely irregular — it does not follow a normal pattern and must be memorized directly, matched to each pronoun from Lesson 5:

I am       (often shortened to I'm)
you are    (often shortened to you're)
he is      (often shortened to he's)
she is     (often shortened to she's)
it is      (often shortened to it's)
we are     (often shortened to we're)
they are   (often shortened to they're)

Notice the pattern: I uses am; he, she, and it use is; and you, we, and they use are. There are only three actual forms — am, is, are — matched to specific pronouns.

“To be” is used to describe identity, a state, or a quality: I am a student., She is happy., They are tired.

Practice Questions