{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T21:03:25+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-04-04T20:55:02+00:00","timestamp":"2023-04-04T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33662"},"slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Language & Language Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33687"},"slug":"language-language-arts","categoryId":33687},{"name":"Grammar & Vocabulary","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33688"},"slug":"grammar-vocabulary","categoryId":33688}],"title":"How to Conjugate the Verb To Be","strippedTitle":"how to conjugate the verb to be","slug":"how-to-conjugate-the-verb-to-be","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"The verb to be is possibly the weirdest verb in the English language, but you have to know it because you will use it all the time. Not only do you want to tell","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<p>The verb <i>to be</i> is possibly the weirdest verb in the English language, but you have to know it because you will use it all the time. Not only do you want to tell other people all about you, you need to be able to conjugate the verb <i>to be </i>to create prefect and progressive tenses of regular English verbs. Here it is, tense by tense.</p>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Present tense </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I am</td>\r\n<td>we are</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you are</td>\r\n<td>you are</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it is</td>\r\n<td>they are</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Note that the singular forms are in the first column and plural forms are in the second column. Singulars are for one person or thing and plurals for more than one. “You” is listed twice because it may refer to one person or to a group. (Just one more bit of illogic in the language.)</p>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Past tense </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I was</td>\r\n<td>we were</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you were</td>\r\n<td>you were</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it was</td>\r\n<td>they were</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Future tense </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I will be</td>\r\n<td>we will be</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you will be</td>\r\n<td>you will be</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it will be</td>\r\n<td>they will be</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Present perfect </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I have been</td>\r\n<td>we have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you have been</td>\r\n<td>you have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it has been</td>\r\n<td>they have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Past perfect </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I had been</td>\r\n<td>we had been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you had been</td>\r\n<td>you had been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it had been</td>\r\n<td>they had been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Future perfect</h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I will have been</td>\r\n<td>we will have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you will have been</td>\r\n<td>you will have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it will have been</td>\r\n<td>they will have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>","description":"<p>The verb <i>to be</i> is possibly the weirdest verb in the English language, but you have to know it because you will use it all the time. Not only do you want to tell other people all about you, you need to be able to conjugate the verb <i>to be </i>to create prefect and progressive tenses of regular English verbs. Here it is, tense by tense.</p>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Present tense </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I am</td>\r\n<td>we are</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you are</td>\r\n<td>you are</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it is</td>\r\n<td>they are</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Note that the singular forms are in the first column and plural forms are in the second column. Singulars are for one person or thing and plurals for more than one. “You” is listed twice because it may refer to one person or to a group. (Just one more bit of illogic in the language.)</p>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Past tense </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I was</td>\r\n<td>we were</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you were</td>\r\n<td>you were</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it was</td>\r\n<td>they were</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Future tense </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I will be</td>\r\n<td>we will be</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you will be</td>\r\n<td>you will be</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it will be</td>\r\n<td>they will be</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Present perfect </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I have been</td>\r\n<td>we have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you have been</td>\r\n<td>you have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it has been</td>\r\n<td>they have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Past perfect </h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I had been</td>\r\n<td>we had been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you had been</td>\r\n<td>you had been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it had been</td>\r\n<td>they had been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Future perfect</h2>\r\n<table>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Singular</th>\r\n<th>Plural</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I will have been</td>\r\n<td>we will have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>you will have been</td>\r\n<td>you will have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>he, she, it will have been</td>\r\n<td>they will have been</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</table>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8977,"name":"Geraldine Woods","slug":"geraldine-woods","description":" <p><b>Geraldine Woods</b> is a grammarian and writer with more than 35 years’ experience teaching and writing about English. She is the author of <i>English Grammar For Dummies, SAT For Dummies</i>, and <i>Research Papers For Dummies</i>. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8977"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33688,"title":"Grammar & Vocabulary","slug":"grammar-vocabulary","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33688"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":[{"articleId":175788,"title":"Trig Identities for Pre-Calculus","slug":"trig-identities-for-pre-calculus","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","pre-calculus"],"_links":{"self":"/articles/175788"}},{"articleId":147241,"title":"How to Use the Z-Table","slug":"how-to-use-the-z-table","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"/articles/147241"}},{"articleId":192609,"title":"How to Pray the Rosary: A Comprehensive Guide","slug":"how-to-pray-the-rosary","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","religion-spirituality","christianity","catholicism"],"_links":{"self":"/articles/192609"}},{"articleId":232914,"title":"The Flop, Turn, and River Cards in Texas Hold'em","slug":"flop-turn-river-cards-texas-holdem","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","games","card-games","poker"],"_links":{"self":"/articles/232914"}},{"articleId":193770,"title":"How to Play Rummy: All You Need to Know","slug":"rummy-understanding-the-rules-and-starting-a-game","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","games","card-games","general-card-games"],"_links":{"self":"/articles/193770"}}],"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Present tense ","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Past tense ","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Future tense ","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Present perfect ","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Past perfect ","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Future perfect","target":"#tab6"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297744,"title":"English Grammar All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"english-grammar-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297744"}},{"articleId":252134,"title":"How to Climb the Ladder of Language Formality","slug":"climb-ladder-language-formality","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252134"}},{"articleId":252131,"title":"How to Match Your Message to the Situation","slug":"match-message-situation","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252131"}},{"articleId":252128,"title":"How to Choose the Correct Verb for Negative Expressions","slug":"choose-correct-verb-negative-expressions","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252128"}},{"articleId":252125,"title":"How to Question with Verbs","slug":"how-to-question-with-verbs","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252125"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":true,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282174,"slug":"english-grammar-for-dummies-3rd-edition","isbn":"9781119376590","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119376599/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119376599/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119376599-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119376599/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119376599/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/covers/9781119376590.jpg","width":250,"height":350},"title":"English Grammar For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"8977\">Geraldine Woods</b></b> is a grammarian and writer with more than 35 years’ experience teaching and writing about English. She is the author of <i>English Grammar For Dummies, SAT For Dummies</i>, and <i>Research Papers For Dummies</i>.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8977,"name":"Geraldine Woods","slug":"geraldine-woods","description":" <p><b>Geraldine Woods</b> is a grammarian and writer with more than 35 years’ experience teaching and writing about English. She is the author of <i>English Grammar For Dummies, SAT For Dummies</i>, and <i>Research Papers For Dummies</i>. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8977"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/282174"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"]},{"key":"isbn","values":[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-642c900eb41b4\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["academics-the-arts","language-language-arts","grammar-vocabulary"]},{"key":"isbn","values":[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-642c900eb490f\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-04-04T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":190725},"articleLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{},"objectTitle":"","status":"initial","pageType":null,"objectId":null,"page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"initial","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2024-10-21T10:50:01+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n<script src=\"https://cdn.optimizely.com/js/10563184655.js\"></script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n<script>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: \"2\", c2: \"15097263\" });(function() {var s = document.createElement(\"script\"), el = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == \"https:\" ? \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();</script><noscript><img src=\"https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=15097263&cv=2.0&cj=1\" /></noscript>\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n<script type='text/javascript'>\r\n(function(){var g=function(e,h,f,g){\r\nthis.get=function(a){for(var a=a+\"=\",c=document.cookie.split(\";\"),b=0,e=c.length;b<e;b++){for(var d=c[b];\" \"==d.charAt(0);)d=d.substring(1,d.length);if(0==d.indexOf(a))return d.substring(a.length,d.length)}return null};\r\nthis.set=function(a,c){var b=\"\",b=new Date;b.setTime(b.getTime()+6048E5);b=\"; expires=\"+b.toGMTString();document.cookie=a+\"=\"+c+b+\"; path=/; \"};\r\nthis.check=function(){var a=this.get(f);if(a)a=a.split(\":\");else if(100!=e)\"v\"==h&&(e=Math.random()>=e/100?0:100),a=[h,e,0],this.set(f,a.join(\":\"));else return!0;var c=a[1];if(100==c)return!0;switch(a[0]){case \"v\":return!1;case \"r\":return c=a[2]%Math.floor(100/c),a[2]++,this.set(f,a.join(\":\")),!c}return!0};\r\nthis.go=function(){if(this.check()){var a=document.createElement(\"script\");a.type=\"text/javascript\";a.src=g;document.body&&document.body.appendChild(a)}};\r\nthis.start=function(){var t=this;\"complete\"!==document.readyState?window.addEventListener?window.addEventListener(\"load\",function(){t.go()},!1):window.attachEvent&&window.attachEvent(\"onload\",function(){t.go()}):t.go()};};\r\ntry{(new g(100,\"r\",\"QSI_S_ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\",\"https://zn5o5yqpvmvjgdoun-wiley.siteintercept.qualtrics.com/SIE/?Q_ZID=ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\")).start()}catch(i){}})();\r\n</script><div id='ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN'></div>\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n<script>\r\n (function(h,o,t,j,a,r){\r\n h.hj=h.hj||function(){(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)};\r\n h._hjSettings={hjid:257151,hjsv:6};\r\n a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];\r\n r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1;\r\n r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv;\r\n a.appendChild(r);\r\n })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv=');\r\n</script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":" <script src=\"//get.s-onetag.com/bffe21a1-6bb8-4928-9449-7beadb468dae/tag.min.js\" async defer></script>","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"<meta name=\"facebook-domain-verification\" content=\"irk8y0irxf718trg3uwwuexg6xpva0\" />","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n<noscript>\r\n<img height=\"1\" width=\"1\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=256338321977984&ev=PageView&noscript=1\"/>\r\n</noscript>\r\n","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad Dad","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/be-the-best-dad-293237"},{"collectionId":295890,"title":"Career Shifting","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/career-shifting-295890"},{"collectionId":294090,"title":"Contemplating the Cosmos","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/theres-something-about-space-294090"},{"collectionId":287563,"title":"For Those Seeking Peace of Mind","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-those-seeking-peace-of-mind-287563"},{"collectionId":287570,"title":"For the Aspiring Aficionado","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-bougielicious-287570"},{"collectionId":291903,"title":"For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-budding-cannabis-enthusiast-291903"},{"collectionId":299891,"title":"For the College Bound","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-college-bound-299891"},{"collectionId":291934,"title":"For the Exam-Season Crammer","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-exam-season-crammer-291934"},{"collectionId":301547,"title":"For the Game Day Prepper","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/big-game-day-prep-made-easy-301547"}],"navigationCollectionsLoadedStatus":"success","navigationCategories":{"books":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/books/level-0-category-0"}},"articles":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/articles/level-0-category-0"}}},"navigationCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"searchState":{"searchList":[],"searchStatus":"initial","relatedArticlesList":[],"relatedArticlesStatus":"initial"},"routeState":{"name":"Article3","path":"/article/academics-the-arts/language-language-arts/grammar-vocabulary/how-to-conjugate-the-verb-to-be-190725/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category1":"academics-the-arts","category2":"language-language-arts","category3":"grammar-vocabulary","article":"how-to-conjugate-the-verb-to-be-190725"},"fullPath":"/article/academics-the-arts/language-language-arts/grammar-vocabulary/how-to-conjugate-the-verb-to-be-190725/","meta":{"routeType":"article","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"dropsState":{"submitEmailResponse":false,"status":"initial"},"profileState":{"auth":{},"userOptions":{},"status":"success"}}

How to Conjugate the Verb To Be

By: Geraldine Woods and

Updated: 04-04-2023

English Grammar For Dummies

Book image

Explore Book Buy On Amazon

The verb to be is possibly the weirdest verb in the English language, but you have to know it because you will use it all the time. Not only do you want to tell other people all about you, you need to be able to conjugate the verb to be to create prefect and progressive tenses of regular English verbs. Here it is, tense by tense.

Present tense

Singular	Plural
I am	we are
you are	you are
he, she, it is	they are

Note that the singular forms are in the first column and plural forms are in the second column. Singulars are for one person or thing and plurals for more than one. “You” is listed twice because it may refer to one person or to a group. (Just one more bit of illogic in the language.)

Past tense

Singular	Plural
I was	we were
you were	you were
he, she, it was	they were

Future tense

Singular	Plural
I will be	we will be
you will be	you will be
he, she, it will be	they will be

Present perfect

Singular	Plural
I have been	we have been
you have been	you have been
he, she, it has been	they have been

Past perfect

Singular	Plural
I had been	we had been
you had been	you had been
he, she, it had been	they had been

Future perfect

Singular	Plural
I will have been	we will have been
you will have been	you will have been
he, she, it will have been	they will have been

About This Article

This article can be found in the category:

Grammar & Vocabulary ,