Use of the verb are. When to put "are" and when "is"? When we do not put the particle to in front of indefinite verbs

Hello, friends. Many people make the mistake of not using auxiliary verbs AM, IS, ARE in present tense when they are needed. In our lesson, we will dwell on am, is, are in detail, we will analyze situations when these three words must be inserted into a sentence.

At the end of the lesson, you can take a test and test yourself. As I said, AM, IS, ARE are needed in the present tense.

These three words are forms of the verb TO BE, which translates as "to be." AM, IS, ARE can be translated as "is", but almost always in Russian these verbs are generally omitted in speech. Hence the difficulties arise.

A bit of theory

As you probably know, in English language we must use both the subject and the predicate in the sentence. In other words, in any sentence there is always the author of the action (who?) - this is the subject.

And there is an action produced by him (what does he do?) - this is a predicate. This is very important for understanding the system. English grammar generally.

But now we will focus on the present tense. In Russian, when no action is indicated, we understand that the situation takes place in the present tense.

For example: Cold. Rain. I'm under an umbrella.

In each of these sentences there is no verb, no explicit action. But, reading them, we understand that all this is happening in the present.

Now consider how an English-speaking person sees this situation:

[This state is] cold. [This state is] rainy. I [eat] under an umbrella.

"This state" - "it" is the subject. By the way, it is also called “formal subject”. Because it is necessary exclusively for grammatical construction, and doesn't make any sense.

Note! In the third sentence from our example, the subject is the word "I", the author of the action. As you might guess, the action that is present in each of the examples is the verb "is" - a variant of the verb "to be", "to be in a state."

Let's remember the rule: Where there is no visible action in Russian, there is action in English.

Usually, it refers to the present time. In Russian, we call action for the past and future tenses.

Example in the past: Was Cold. Was rain. I was under an umbrella. Example in the future tense: Will Cold. Will rain. I will under an umbrella.

Here the action is expressed by the verb "was / was / was" in the past and "will be / will be" in the future. You just need to add a formal subject to translate such a sentence into English.

Verb "to be" (to be) in the present tense has 3 forms in English tense: am / is / are. Please note that to be itself is not translated in any tense, but depending on whether we are talking about the present, past or future, to be begins to change.

As well as Russian word"to be" changes into "was", "is" or "will be" depending on the time.

The role of the subject is such pronouns as:

  • I - I
  • You, you - you
  • He, she, it - He, she, it
  • We are We
  • They - They

Note! And the words that can be replaced by these pronouns. For example, children - they - they

The form of the predicate depends on the subject:

  • You are
  • He, she, it is
  • We are
  • They are

Thus am can only be used with I, not otherwise. Are is set if the subject is you, we, they and words that can be replaced by these pronouns (people, eggs, "you and I", etc.) Is appears only after he, she, it and the words they replace (Kate, a boy, an apple, a cow, etc.)

Carefully study the table and examples:

Note! Am, is, are very often are shrinking in speech and writing. The first letter is replaced with an apostrophe.

Negative particle not

If we want to make a negation, then we need to put the negative particle “not” immediately after am, is, are. Not can also be abbreviated for ease of speech.

At the same time, 3 variants of negation are used:

  • You are not - You aren't - You're not

But for I am there are only 2 options:

  • I am not - I'm not. The abbreviation I amn't does not exist.

Those who study English constantly encounter the verbs am, is, are in the text. What are these constructions, their meaning, translation into Russian and the construction of sentences - you will learn all this in the material of the article.

I am...

We used to say simply "My name is Ivan", "I am a truck driver", "I am 34 years old". English does not have the plasticity of Russian. It cannot transfer parts of speech from one part of a sentence to another or skip words. Auxiliary verbs are used to connect the subject and the predicate. The verb to be, the meaning of which is "to be, to be, to be", has its own form for each of the tenses of the English language. The verbs am, is, are are auxiliary for the Present Continuous Present Progressive. This tense denotes an action that is happening at the present moment. The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) is also used to introduce yourself, name your city, age and profession using a linking verb in Present Simple - simple present tense. Let's build sentences with the verb am: I am from Russia. I'm from Russia. I am 26 years old. I am 26 years old.

Use in speech

How to choose the right shape? The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) depends on the number and person of the subject.

pronoun

form to be

He she it

Important: the pronoun it denotes inanimate objects, as well as animals and plants. This is my rose. It's wonderful. This is my rose. She is beautiful.

The table above refers to the case when the verbs am, is are used as a link between the subject and the predicate. In general, the affirmative sentence scheme looks like this:

  1. Subject.
  2. Linking verb.
  3. Predicate.
  4. Addition or circumstance, if any.

At the same time, the verbs am, is, are are not translated into Russian. The particle to, which occurs in the text, is also not translated. It simply refers to the verb.

Building an interrogative sentence

In Russian, the same word order can be both in the narrative, and in the negative and affirmative proposal. For example: "You love me." "Do you love me?", "You love me!". All that distinguishes them is the intonation during pronunciation.

In English, the interrogative sentence is constructed differently. Let's take an example of a declarative sentence and change it into an interrogative one:

I am from Moscow. I am from Moscow. To make the interrogative sentence sound more logical, change the pronoun I to you. Are you from Moscow? Now the sentence sounds like this: Are you from Moscow? The auxiliary verb goes first, followed by the subject and predicate, unchanged. Let's build some more interrogative sentences:

  1. Am I wrong? - I made a mistake?
  2. Are you busy? Are you busy?
  3. Where is my cup? Where is my cup?
  4. How old is she? How old is she?
  5. Is it raining today? Today the rain?

Construction of a negative sentence

A negative sentence is constructed in the same way as a declarative one, but after the verbs am, is, are, the negation of not is put.

Forms of negation

  1. He is not in school. He's not at school.
  2. You are not French. You are not French.
  3. I am not doctor. I'm not a doctor.

present progressive tense

Present progressive is used in English to denote an action that is happening at a given moment in time. In Russian, prefixes, suffixes, modified roots and word endings are used for the same purpose.

Present progressive is used in the following cases:

  1. To express an action that is happening right now.
  2. To refer to a period of time in a broad sense: last week, today, this month. The action has already begun, but events are still taking place in this period of time. It's raining all day. It's raining all day.
  3. The action will take place in the near future and is already known for sure. Certificates or tickets are included. I "m going to London next week. On next week I'm going to London.
  4. In those cases when you have to express boring constancy. You are always losing money. You always lose money.

How is this time formed? The already known form of the verb to be (am, is, are) is used here with the addition of the ending ing to the verb. The desired form of the auxiliary verb is chosen similarly to the declarative sentence in Present Simple.

Declarative sentences

  1. I am cooking now. I'm cooking.
  2. You are drawing beautiful picture. You are painting a beautiful picture.
  3. She is reading a magazine now. She is reading a magazine.
  4. They are studying at school now. They are at school now.
  5. We are going to his work. We go to work with him.
  6. I am cooking very special supper with my boyfriend. My boyfriend and I are cooking a very special dinner.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences in Present Progressive are built as follows:

The auxiliary verb to be in the selected form is put in the first place. If there is a question word in the sentence, it comes first, followed by to be. Then comes the subject, expressed by a pronoun or noun, followed by a verb with the ending ing.

  1. What am I doing here? What am I doing here?
  2. Are you working now? Do you work?
  3. Is she going home? Is she going home?
  4. Are they reading newspaper while children are playing with toys in the garden. Do they read the newspaper while the children play with toys in the garden?

Negative sentences

Negative sentences in Present Progressive are built according to the following scheme:

The negative particle not is added to the existing form of the verb to be. For brevity and euphony, the form of the verb to be is abbreviated with an apostrophe:

  • I "m not at home now. I'm not at home now.
  • We aren't in the room. We are coming to Ann. We are not in the room. We are going to Anna.
  • He isn't listening to my favorite musical team. He doesn't listen to my favorite musical group.

Exercises with the verbs am, is, are will help to consolidate the material.

To be - the basis of English grammar. If you misunderstood or under-learned this material, then your entire study of English is likely to be of little success. Therefore, if you feel that there is a gap somewhere in this material, then it is better to stay longer on this page.

Drawing. Conjugation of the verb to be (am, is, are) in the present tense

This verb is translated as "to be, to exist, to be available, to be." In short, everything that in Russian is translated as “eat” (not in the sense of “eat”) is translated into English by this verb.

the whole problem and the difficulty is that in Russian this verb is omitted:

  • This is an apple = This is an apple
  • She is a doctor = She is a doctor

Agree, we do not use the second options. But the translation of such sentences should correspond to the second option.

Difficulty #2 is that to be changes its form depending on which pronoun it comes after. In view of the foregoing, the forms of this verb look like this.

Table.

Easy to remember: plural to be always takes shape are . We already know about the pronoun you that in both translations - “you” and “you” - it is still put in the plural. It remains only to remember I am And He/ She/ It is .

Naturally, the same rules apply to nouns that can be replaced by these pronouns.

  • He is in the office.
  • Lara (=She) is beautiful.
  • These apples (=they) are not fresh.

Negative and interrogative forms to be

To get a negation, put after the form to be particle not .
  • His friend is not (=isn't) young.
  • We are not (=aren't students).

As for the questions, the form to be placed at the very beginning of the question - before the subject. That is,

to make a question out of a statement, you just need to swap the subject and predicate.
  • They are in the cinema.
  • They aren't in the cinema.
  • Are they in the cinema?
  • Where are they?

Verb be (be) currently has three forms: am, is, are:
am used only with a pronounI (I).
is - with nounsin the singular.
are - with nounsin plural . Pronoun you in English it is always plural, although it can be translated into Russian as "you" or "you".

Verb declension table to be in present simple tense:

I am am
(not)
(Not) 		fine.
He he/She she/It it is
We/You/You/They/They are
I "m
abbreviations: He's
You"re
I am a student. - He is a student. - You are a student. - They are students.
I (am) a student. He (is) a student. Are you student. They are students.

I "m not hungry, but I "m thirsty.
I'm not hungry, but I'm thirsty. (thirsty - adjective)

Christy(she) is my niece.
Christy is my niece.

The weather is n "t very nice today.
The weather today is not very pleasant.

kittens(they) are very funny.
Kittens are very funny.

My sister and I(we) are big fans of Lady Gaga.
My sister and I are big fans of Lady Gaga.

"Game of Thrones"(it) is the most expensive TV show.
Game of Thrones is the most expensive series ever.

IN interrogative sentence am, is, are are placed before subject. (In a declarative sentence, the verbs am, is, are come after the subject).

Am I fine? yes, I am ./No, I "m not.
Is he/she/it yes, he is ./No, he is n "t.
Are we/you/they yes, we are ./No, we are n "t.

Are are you busy? - No, I "m not. I "m free now.
You're busy? - No. I am free now.

Am I right? - No, you are n "t. You are wrong.
I'm right? - No. You're wrong. (wrong - adjective)

Where is my rucksack? Your rucksack (it) is under the desk.
Where is my backpack? - Your backpack is under the table.

how old are your children (they)? - My son (he) is 8 and my daughter (she) is 6.
How old are your children? Son is 8 and daughter is 6.

The pie is so delicious. Is the recipe difficult?
This pie is so delicious. Is his recipe complicated?

The use of the verbs am, is, are:
For the Russian language, the use of the verb "to be" in the present tense is uncharacteristic, and is omitted in the translation. And in English, the verb to be is very important, because it is linking verb- connects different parts of speech (2 nouns, a noun and an adjective, a pronoun and a noun). Otherwise, the sentence is not complete in meaning: Our daughter is a biologist. - With a literal translation, everything is in order - Our daughter is a biologist. But in English without the verb is, this sentence is grammatically incorrect, since it is not clear how the daughter and the biologist are related. In order for the daughter to "become" a biologist, these two nouns must be combined with the verb is - Our daughter is a biologist. - Our daughter (is/is) a biologist.

Remember! Sentence in English cannot exist without a verb, therefore, if there is no semantic verb in the Russian sentence, then in this sentence in English it is necessary to use the linking verb "to be", i.e. am, is or are:

Klaus comes from Germany.
Klaus is from Germany. (come - semantic verb - the verb is is not needed)
Klaus is from Germany.
Klaus from Germany. (without is, the sentence will remain without a verb)

You look beautiful!
You look great! (there is a look verb)
You are beautiful.
You are wonderful! (no semantic verb)

This dog seems very clever.
This dog seems to be very smart. (there is a verb seem)
This dog is very clever.
This dog is very smart. (no semantic verb)

Note! Some Russian verbs are translated into English by adjectives with the verb to be: late (late), tired (tired), ill (sick), angry (angry), afraid (afraid), thirsty (thirsty).

I "m too tired to cook.
I'm too tired to cook.

why are you always late?
Why are you always late?

I don't understand why she is angry with me.
I don't understand why she's mad at me.

My son and husband (they) are ill.
My son and husband got sick.

little kids are often afraid of the dark.
Young children are often afraid of the dark.

One of the first topics with which the study of English begins is articles. Unfamiliar and, at first glance, having no analogues in Russian, they make novice students convulsively abandon textbooks, and with them English learning. But are articles really that complicated? Let's focus on one of them and figure out when the article the is put in English.

The main purpose of the articles is to provide additional information about the noun. This or that article can show whether the object or person in question is indefinite or definite. In simple terms, the article indicates whether the subject or person is abstract (any) or concrete. The article the is responsible for the specifics.

The is the definite article in English, which is used for both the singular and plural; both countable and uncountable nouns. Some rules for the use of the article the have a logical explanation, others must be remembered and taken as an axiom. Let's consider each case separately.

When the article the is used in English:

  1. The article the is used if in translation into Russian it can be replaced by a demonstrative pronoun. For example:
  • When it comes to an object or person, which has already been mentioned earlier. Compare:
  • When all interlocutors know what subject or person is being discussed.
  1. The article the in English is also used if the noun has a definition that distinguishes it from others.
  • When the definition is expressed by an adjective in the superlative degree. Not to be confused with the comparative degree.
  • When the definition is expressed by an ordinal number.
  • When the definition is expressed by a proper name.
The European quality of life is high enough. The quality of life in Europe is quite high.
  • When definitions are used that in themselves indicate a particular object or person. These include:
central- central / main The central idea was hidden in the title of the book.

(The main idea of ​​the book was hidden in its title.)
main- main / main The main rule you must follow is to keep silence.

(The main rule you must follow is to keep quiet.)
upcoming- forthcoming What is the location of the upcoming show?

(Where will the upcoming show take place?)
the same- the same / the same She told me about same thing over and over again.

(She told me the same thing over and over again.)
previous- previous The previous story was much more interesting.

(The previous story was much more interesting.)
last- last This is it was supposed to be the last tour of Michael Jackson.

("This Is It" was supposed to be Michael Jackson's last tour.)
  1. The use of the definite article is also necessary if one-of-a-kind objects are mentioned.
  1. In addition, the article the is used in the classification of people and animals. It is worth noting that in the case of classifying people, the adjective turns into a role.
  1. The is used when talking about a specific amount of an uncountable item:
  1. Particular attention should be paid to the use of the definite article in English with. Articles at their mention are not always put, therefore, in order to determine the need for their use, you need to know a number of rules.
  • The article is put if the name of the country (organization) contains the words:
  • The definite article is also used in the title:
  • Articles are used in titles groups islands and mountains chains. Comparison table:
  • The is also used with parts of the world:
The North North
The South South
The East West
The West East
  • As with any rule, there are exceptions that you just have to try to remember. Here are some of them: the Netherlands (Netherlands), the Crimea (Crimea), the Caucasus (Caucasus), the Congo (Congo).
  1. The use of the article the is necessary when referring to a whole people or using a surname when referring to one particular family:
  1. The article the is used in the names of newspapers, magazines, hotels, cinemas and theaters. Often the article is used in the name of musical groups.
  1. Do not forget about stable phrases with the article the:
in the morning/afternoon/evening

(morning / afternoon / evening)

 We came home at 7 o'clock in the evening.

(We came home at 7 pm.)
play the guitar / violin / piano

(play guitar / violin / piano)

 She plays the piano every day.

(She plays the piano every day.)
to the theater/cinema

(to theater / cinema)

 Let's go to the theatre.

(Let's go to the theatre.)
on the one / other hand On the one hand, this offer is tempting, but on the other (hand), the risk is too great.

(On the one hand, the offer is tempting, but on the other hand, the risk is too great.)
to tell the truth - to tell the truth, to be honest To tell the truth, I didn't make the presentation.

(To be honest, I didn't do the presentation.)

You may initially have some difficulty deciding when to use the and when it is not necessary in English. Despite the fact that in practice in most cases you will be understood without the use of the definite article, its use will not cut the ear of a native speaker and will make your speech natural. You can also practice and complete the exercises on the articles offered on our website.