TO BE - Present Simple | Positive, Negative and question forms of verb TO BE

 Present Simple ( TO BE)

Verb " To Be" can be very confusing to non-native English learners when it comes to make sentences. The common mistake they make is that they combine the verb with verb to be, for example, in stead of saying I go to school they say I am go to school which is grammatically wrong. Basically, after verb to be ( am, is, are), an adjective, a noun or a preposition is used. So we cannot say I am go to school but I am at school. Let's have a look closely the forms of verb To Be in present tense. 

* Use : Habits, facts, general truths.

* Be : am / is / are

Subjects

• I - am
• You, we, they - are
• He, she, it - is

Forms

Positive : [ Sub + be + complement.] 

Note : Complement can be a noun, an adjective or a prepositional phrase.

* Noun (នាម): Names of everything

• teacher
• school
• car
• phone
• Pizza 

*Adjective​(គុណនាម) : used to describe the quality of a person, animal or a thing. 

• good
• bad
• hot
• handsome
• interesting

* Prepositional Phrase : a phrase that begins with a preposition.

• on the table
• under the chair
• in the box
• at school

Example

• She is very beautiful. (adjective)
• They are friendly. (adjective)
• He is very hardworking. (adjective)
• He is a teacher. (noun)
• Theary is a student. (noun)
• Titanic is a large ship. (noun)
• They are Americans. (noun)
• The pictures are on the walls. ( prepositional phrase) 
• Students are in the class.  ( prepositional phrase) 

Negative : [ Sub + be + not + complement.] 

Note 

• is not  - isn't
• are not - aren't
• I am not - I'm not

Example

1.  She is not very hardworking.
2. They are not Cambodians.
3. He is not a teacher.
4. It is not hot today.
5. Some snakes are not dangerous. 

Yes/No : [ Be + sub + not + complement?] 

Short answers

• Yes, sub + be.
• No, sub + be + not.

Example

1. Is she a hardworking student in the class? ( Yes, she is. No, she isn't.) 
2. Are they friendly? ( Yes, they are. No, they aren't.) 
3. Is he a teacher? ( Yes, he is. No, he isn't.) 
4. Is Theary a good student? ( Yes, she is. No, she isn't.) 
5. Is Titanic a large ship? ( Yes, it is. No, it isn't.) 

Wh-Question : [ Wh-word + be + sub + (not) + adjective/noun...?] 

* Wh-words

• what អ្វី
• when ពេលណា
• why ហេតុអ្វី
• which មួយណា
• who នរណា
• whose របស់នរណា
• where ទីណា
• how របៀបណា

Example

1. What is your favorite food?
2. When is his birthday? 
3. Why is she so sad today?
4. Which pen is yours?
5. Who is your English teacher?
6. Whose ruler is this?
7. Where is your house?
8. How is your new class?

Practice 1

Complete the following sentences using the correct forms of verb TO BE.

1. I ________ a student.
2. She ________ my best friend.
3. They ________ teachers.
4. He ________ very happy today.
5. It ________ a sunny day.
6. We ________ ready for the trip.
7. You ________ kind and helpful.
8. My brother ________ an engineer.
9. The dogs ________ in the living room.
10. My sister ________ at the park.
11. I ________ not tired.
12. The cake ________ delicious.
13. My parents ________ at home now.
14. The books ________ on the table.
15. He ________ always punctual.
16. She ________ a doctor.
17. The children ________ outside.
18. We ________ from Canada.
19. You ________ very talented.
20. The movie ________ interesting.

Practice 2

Make to following sentences negative.

1. I ________ tired today.
2. She ________ at home now.
3. They ________ students.
4. He ________ interested in sports.
5. It ________ cold outside.
6. We ________ Lisa's friends.
7. You ________ correct.
8. My brother ________ in the city.
9. The cats ________ hungry.
10. My friends ________ here today.

Practice 3

Choose one correct verb to be (am/is/are) for each sentence below then click on submit button to see your result. Good luck!