Be: Present simple

1. Here are some examples of Be in the Present Simple:

• This is my brother. He's ten years old
• I'm a student. These are my books
• They aren't at home. They're at the theatre.

2. We form the Present Simple of be like this:

Positive


Full Form Short Form

Singular I am I'm
you're you're
he/she/it is he's/She's/it's


Plural we are we're
you are you're
they are they're

Negative

Singular

Full Form Short form

I am not I'm not
you are not you aren't
he/she/it is not he/she/it isn't

PLural

we are not we aren't
you are not you aren't
they are not they aren't

3. In speech, we usually use the short forms:

She's my sister. He's my brother.

4.We use be:

-----> to say who we are:

I'm Steve and this is my friend Bill. We're from Scotland.

-----> to talk about the weather:

It's cold today

-----> to talk about the time:

It's ten o'clock.

-----> To talk about places and people's ages:

Mylan is in the north of Italy.
My sister is six years old.