Verbs and Tenses: am, is and are
am, is and are The words am, is and are are the simple present forms of the verb be. n Use am with the pronoun I. n Use is with singular nouns like ‘my dad’ and ‘the teacher’, and with the pronouns he, she and it. n Use are with plural nouns like ‘my parents’ and ‘Jenny and Mary’, and with the pronouns we, you and they.
I am twelve.
The children are asleep.
I am in the garden.
Computers are very expensive.
My mom is very tired today.
My brother and I are upstairs.
The teacher is tall.
We are in our bedrooms.
She is also pretty.
You are my best friend.
Our dog is black.
You and David are my best friends.
Here is a table to help you remember how to use is, am and are.
singular
plural
first person
I am
we are
second person
you are
you are
third person
he is she is it is
they are they are they are
N o t e s There are short ways of saying and writing am, is and are with pronouns. These short forms are called contractions.
You can use these contractions to replace am, is and are when they are used with not:
full form
short form
full form
short form
I am you are he is she is it is we are they are
I’m you’re he’s she’s it’s we’re they’re
I am not he is not she is not it is not we are not you are not they are not
I’m not he isn’t she isn’t it isn’t we aren’t you aren’t they aren’t 59
