When is is put in English. Cases of using was - were

You can't envy a person who is learning a foreign language for the first time. The student thinks in his native language, unconsciously tries to transfer the categories, norms and rules of his language to a foreign one. Therefore, meeting with a concept or phenomenon that is absent in native speech, even elementary things seem difficult to perceive.

Often the verbs am, is, are of the English language become a stumbling block. It is necessary to allocate time and understand this issue.

Three-Headed Dragon To be

The verb to be has no analogue in Russian. The fact is that the verb is rather an indicator of person and number, rather than an independent meaning. To be retained separate singular and plural forms for the first and third person in the present tense.

Other verbs retained only the ending -s, which is a sign of the 3rd person singular, for example, She speak s. The same verb in conjunction with the pronoun of the 1st and 2nd person will differ from the initial form to speak only by the absence of the particle to: "I speak" and "You speak". The verbs am, is, are are forms to be. You can draw the student's attention to this by depicting the verb to be in the form of a dragon, and name its heads Am, Is and Are.

Translation problems

The translation sounds like "is" or "be". The most common mistake young learners make is trying to translate phrases like "I am Kristian" as "I am a Christian." This is a delicate moment for beginners to learn the language. It is worth immediately correcting such reservations.

The interaction of native and foreign languages ​​is very important for the learning process, so the translation must always sound competently and in accordance with the norms of the language. In general, everyone should memorize the verbs am, is, are.

When do they say am and is, and when do they say are?

Verbs are used in the present tense. For the past there are forms was and were, in sentences with the future tense they use the form will be and very rarely - shall be. You can remember the rules for using the forms of the verb to be by studying the table below.

As can be seen from the table, the forms am, is, was are used to denote the singular, while are and were are used to denote the plural. In modern English shall and will are considered insufficient verbs. Both verbs are used only in the present tense - shall/will, and the past - should/would.

Shall in current English is used only in the British version. In shall retained its modal meaning and is used only in cases where they want to say about the inevitability of an event. In British English, shall is used with the pronouns I and we, and will is used with the pronouns she, he, it. Carefully study the following table, which shows the uses of the verb shall.

Common abbreviations in spoken and written speech

When used in negative sentences, the particle not is added to all forms of the verb to be. The full spelling is rarely used, the abbreviated form of negation is more common:

• I am = I "m, I am not = I" m not;
• he is = he "s, he is not = he" s not or he isn "t;
• she is = she "s, she is not = she" s not or she isn "t;
• it is = it "s, it is not = it" s not or it isn't;
• we are = we"re, we are not = we"re not or we aren't;
• you are = you"re, you are not = you"re not or you aren't;
• they are = they"re, they are not = they"re not or they aren't;
• I (he, she, it) was not = I (he, she, it) wasn't;
• we (you, they) were not = we (you, they) weren "t.

In common parlance and for recording, the following abbreviations of the forms will and shall are used:

• will/shall = "ll;
• will not = won't;
• shall not = shant "t;
• would/should = "d;
• would not = wouldn't;
• should not = shouldn't.

As you can see, the abbreviated form for shall in the present and past tenses coincides with will, and in speech the difference between the use of forms has practically disappeared.

"To be or not to be" - that is the question

What does Shakespeare's famous line have to do with it?

To consolidate the rules for using the verbs am, is, are and others in practice, it is worth practicing in making affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

The most effective in terms of developing speech skills are interrogative sentences. It is necessary to train the use of the verb to be not only in the present, but also in the past and future tenses.

Another way to practice the knowledge of the language is to memorize small rhymes and poems. Studying poems in a foreign language will not only expand knowledge of grammar, but also increase vocabulary.

Variants of the use of the verb to be and its forms in speech

In speech, the verb to be can be used as the main semantic predicate, and as a connecting or auxiliary part of the compound predicate.

Here are examples of the most common ways to use the verb in speech:

1. The verb to be acts as the main predicate in order to emphasize belonging to a particular group. For example, Sara is a florist (Sarah is a florist) or Alan is my brother (Alan is my brother). In other words, the verb to be does not express an action, but states the state of the object and its ownership.
2. To be plays the role of the main word in the compound predicate along with adjectives. For example, Jilian is a beautiful young lady (Jilian is a beautiful young girl) or The TV-show is interesting (This TV show is interesting).
3. The verb is the main predicate in statements indicating a place or geographical location. For example, She is at dinner (She is at dinner) or His flat is in the center (His apartment is located in the center).
4. To be acts as a predicate in comparative constructions. For example, The light is faster than the sound (The speed of light is greater than the speed of sound).
5. The verb to be can play an auxiliary role in "long" tenses (continuous tenses). For example, Present Continuous: They are sitting on the ground (They are now sitting on the site); Past Continuous: We were watching the TV-show when she telephoned (When she called, we were watching a TV show); Future Continuous: Jilly will be singing tonight (Jili will sing all evening).
6. The verb is used to express the tenses of the passive voice. In such sentences, to be is conjugated in the required tense. The semantic verb is always used in the form of the past participle - Past Participle. The form of all passive sentences is the same: Passive Subject + To Be + Past Participle. For example, Past Perfect: The breakfast had been eaten before she arrived (Breakfast was eaten before she arrived) or Past Simple: His car was bought in 1995 (His car was bought in 1995).

The verb to be plays a huge role in the English language. Proper use of verb forms is necessary for beautiful and correct speech.

Knowing English opens many doors. That is why it is actively studied in almost all countries of the world. Currently, around the planet, about 2 million people use this language on an ongoing basis. This number includes those for whom English is native, as well as those who use it as a foreign language: for contacts with business partners, communication with foreign friends, various kinds of entertainment and, in fact, study. In general, the study of any of the foreign languages ​​increases mental activity, logical and abstract thinking, as well as the ability to navigate in unexpected situations.

How to master English grammar

For many learners of English, its grammatical structure presents a certain difficulty. In fact, there is nothing complicated there (especially when compared, for example, with the Russian language!), It is enough to understand the important patterns once and memorize the basic forms well. However, memorization comes with practice: doing exercises, reading, writing letters or essays, oral communication. The best way to master English grammar is to do it naturally.

It often happens that a person knows the rule, but cannot apply it in his speech. Such difficulties are eliminated by practice - and the more and more varied it is (writing, reading, speaking, listening), the faster and better the result.

Remember that each person has his own, purely individual, pace of mastering new knowledge and the ability to apply them in the practice of his own speech. For example, if you are studying in a group where some students learn grammar rules faster and more correctly than you do, you don’t need to lose heart. No doubt you, too, will one day start speaking English confidently and without mistakes. The main thing is to keep practicing.

Verb forms "is" / "are": use in speech

If you have recently started learning English, then you are familiar with the following situation: you want to say something, but the fear of making a mistake gets in the way, causes timidity. To avoid this, try to understand the rule and, most importantly, practice more in the exercises.

One of the frequent grammatical difficulties occurs when the verb connectives "is" / "are" are confused. The use of these forms of the verb to be (to be) depends solely on the person of the pronoun in each case. It is a pronoun that performs the function of the subject. For example:

I am a student. - I am a student.

If the subject is a noun or a proper name, then you need to mentally replace it with the corresponding pronoun. Then the conjugation scheme will surely pop up in your memory, including the linking verbs “is” / “are”, the use of which often causes difficulties.

Kate (?) a student -> She is a student.

To be sure which of the forms of the verb to put, you must firmly remember the principle of conjugation.

Conjugation of the verb to be (present tense)

Statement

Negation

Question

Cases such as the use of "is" in English are usually descriptive situations. When we want to characterize something that is in the singular (can be replaced by the pronoun it), or someone acting as "he" or "she" - then, without a doubt, the "is" form should be used. Examples:

It is great. - (It is perfectly.

He is old. - He is old.

She is a doctor. - She is a doctor.

The main thing that needs to be firmly grasped: "am", "is", "are", the use of which sometimes causes difficulties, are not three different verbs, but one and the same - the verb to be (to be).

Conjugation of the verb to be (past tense)

Now let's move on to the next issue that has been troubling some English learners, namely the rules for using "was"/"were". This is also the same verb, and not at all not two different ones. Moreover, these two verb forms are directly related to "am", "is", "are". Guess why? That's right, it's all the same verb to be.

And now more about these correspondences. The past tense form "was" is used only in the singular and corresponds to the pronouns: I, it, he, she. The form "were" is used with the pronouns you, we, they and is most often used in the plural. For example:

I was at home. - I was home.

It was hot. - It was hot.

They were happy. - They were happy.

There are only two situations when the verb-predicate "were" in a sentence can refer to the subject in the singular. The first case: when the pronoun "you" implies the translation of "you" or "you" (that is, one person). The second case: the so-called Conditional sentences, in which the form “if I were” is possible.

Have you been to...

In communication between people, situations often arise when you need to ask a person about his past experience: where he was, what he did, whether he finished the work he started. In such cases, a special construction is used from the forms of two verbs: to have (to have) + semantic verb.

Often the semantic verb is already well known to us to be (to be). Depending on the subject used (and what pronoun it can be replaced with), two varieties are distinguished: “have been” and “has been”. The first is used with the pronouns you, we, they, the second - with I, it, he, she. For example:

Have you been to Europe? - Have you been to Europe?

She has been on the excursion. - She was on a tour.

As a rule, the use of has been associated with such situations when they mean:

• some experience;
• completion or result of some business;
• the importance of the fact that the action took place (while the time of its commission is not of particular importance);
• the need to emphasize how long this action has already taken place.

Let's take a closer look at the latter situation.

How long (How long)…?

In such cases, Present Perfect Continuous is used. It is formed according to the scheme: have (has) + been + Ving, where V is a semantic verb. For example:

I have been studying English for 3 months. - I have been studying English for 3 months now (that is, I started studying in the past and continue to this day for a certain period of time).

He hasn't been riding a bike for a long time. - He has not ridden a bicycle for a long time (that is, he stopped riding sometime in the past, did not ride for a long time and still did not ride a bicycle).

I am going to do...

In English, in addition to the usual future tense, the construction “to be going to” is actively used. The use of this grammatical construction refers to situations where you plan or know exactly what you will do. Often this construction is also used to predict what (in your opinion) should happen soon: it will rain, there will be a traffic jam on the road, someone will like or dislike a gift presented to them. “To intend”, “to gather” - this is how the phrase “to be going to” is most often translated. Its use in a sentence is associated with a change to be to "am", "is", "are".

For example:

I am going to learn English next month. - I intend to learn English from next month.

We are going to visit granny at the weekend. We are going to visit grandma this weekend.

It's going to rain. - It's going to rain.

I am used to...

In conclusion, let's look at the use of "be used to". This stable construction is quite often used in colloquial speech. Its meaning is "to get used to something". For example:

He is used to Russian winter. - He is accustomed (used) to the Russian winter.

He is used to living in winter cold. - He is accustomed (used) to live in the winter cold.

However, you need to watch and listen carefully so as not to confuse "be used to" with the very similar construction "use to" (and the corresponding past tense form - "used to").

What is the difference between these two expressions? Firstly, in the meaning: “be used to” - “get used to”, “use to” - “do something in the past, but now it’s gone” (analogous to Past Simple). This is best understood with examples.

Be used to

I'm used to my work hours. - I'm used to my working day.

He is used to TV noise. He is used to the noise of the TV.

I used to live here before. - I used to live here (but I don't live anymore).

I didn't use to have a mobile phone 10 years ago. - I didn't have a mobile phone 10 years ago (but now I do).

From the examples, the second difference between these two, at first glance very similar, structures is also obvious. The one that translates to "get used to" is equipped with the verb to be (am, is, are). And the other, respectively, no. Simple attentiveness, a little practice - and you can easily learn to distinguish between these two "insidious" formulations.

The same applies to any grammatical rules of the English language. Understand the essence and practice more often: in exercises, reading, writing or oral communication. As the British say: "Practice makes perfect." This can be translated into Russian as: "The work of the master is afraid." So let the most difficult and intricate grammatical rules be afraid of your determination. Good work for you!

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.

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.

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. The scheme of the affirmative sentence in general 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 a declarative and in a negative and affirmative sentence. 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. 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.

When it comes to learning any language and breaking down the language barrier, polyglots always highlight knowledge of verbs. And it’s true: knowing the verbs and being able to use them in various forms, you just need to “string” other words on them and you will already have whole sentences. In this situation, it is not surprising that most of the standard vocabulary of a native speaker of Russian, English, Chinese, and another arbitrarily chosen language is precisely this part of speech. But wait, this does not mean that you should immediately start randomly memorizing any verbs that catch your eye. If this will be of any use, it will be very small. Instead, it is better to analyze in detail those English verbs that are often and actively used in speech. This is exactly what we will do by studying the verb to be in English.

The verb to be, which is equivalent to the Russian “to be”, “to be”, “to be”, is one of the most universal and most used verbs in the English language. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that, unlike other representatives of this part, the verb to be is conjugated, changing in persons and numbers.

In addition, to be can be used as a semantic verb or help with another verb, acting as an auxiliary. But let's talk about everything in order.

The verb to be refers to irregular verbs, therefore it has 3 forms. These forms are formed independently, without being explained by the rules, so they just need to be memorized:

• there is / are / (there is / exists);

1. The use of the verb is also possible as a modal verb in the meaning of “should”, “agreed”, “agreed” when it comes to obligations, orders, schedules and plans, the inevitability of events. In this case, the particle to is added to the verb:

1. And also when using the verb to be in English in the following constructions:

1. Frequent uses of the verb are also associated with idioms. Here are some of them:

As you can see, the verb to be is very popular and diverse, so you can use it in any situation with almost any tense. Having dealt with the conjugations of this verb and its role in the sentence, you should have no difficulty in using it. Devote some time to English exercises on this topic to consolidate the material, make up your own examples and, most importantly, practice the language with native speakers. Because in no other exercise you will find as much benefit as you can get from people who use this language on a daily basis and can help you with any language barriers.

Even if you have just started learning English, you probably met a sentence that would begin with a turnover there is or there are. We know from experience that even intermediate students have difficulty using there + be. Not because this construction is difficult to understand, but because there is no direct equivalent to the phrase in Russian. That is why students often forget to use it. In this article, we'll talk about possible use cases. there + be, we will give examples and a small test at the end of the article.

What does there + be mean

So what does turnover mean? there is / there are in English and when should we use them? you know what the word is there translates as "there", and the verb to be- to be. If you combine two words, you get "there is." Hence the function of this construction follows: when we want to report that something is somewhere, is, then we use there + be.

There is a new shopping center in that village. There is a new shopping center in that village.

There are many books in room 145. - There are many books in room 145.

Note that the turnovers themselves there is / there are are not translated into Russian. Conventionally, they can be translated into Russian with the words “there is”, “there is”, “exists”, “is located”. That's why we want to start translating literally from Russian it exists , it there. But you can't do that. Also, sentences that start with there+be, we start translating from the end, that is, first we report the place where this something is located.

How to use the there is / there are construction in English

Statement

We can use there + be in all times: present, past and future. Accordingly, for this we need to change the form of the verb be.

There is eat bottle of milk. (now there is, therefore the present tense and the form of the verb to be “is”)

There was a bottle of milk in the fridge. - In a refrigerator was bottle of milk. (used to be, so the past tense and the form of the verb to be “was”)

There will be a bottle of milk in the fridge. - In a refrigerator will bottle of milk. (will be in the future, so the future tense and the form of the verb to be “will be”)

And also to be is unique in that it can be both singular and plural. If after there + be there is a noun in the singular, then take is or was. And if it goes in the plural - are or were. BUT will be- universal, and it can be used with both singular and plural.

And now let's give a plate in which everything is clearly shown:

Negation

A negative sentence can be formed in two ways: either using a negative pronoun no, or with the help of a negative particle not and pronouns any. And thus you will say that something is missing somewhere.

There is no table in the room. = There is not(isn't) any table in the room. - There is no table in the room.

There are no souvenirs on the shelf. = There are not(aren't) any souvenirs on the shelf. There are no souvenirs on the shelf.

Question

The question is built easily: take the right form be and put it at the beginning of the sentence.

Is there a table in the room? – Is there a table in the room?

Were there many people at the party? – Were there many people at the party?

Features of using there + be

1. If we list objects and the first word is in the singular, then we should take to be in the singular ( is/was):

There is a lamp and four tables in the room. – There is a lamp and 4 tables in the room.

2. If we list items and start with the plural, then the plural should be taken ( there are):

There are four tables and a lamp in the room. There are four tables and a lamp in the room.

3. It is important to pay special attention to countable and uncountable nouns.

There is a lot of sugar in coffee. - There is a lot of sugar in coffee. (sugar is an uncountable noun, it does not have a plural form, so we use the verb is, despite the word “a lot” - a lot)

There are a lot of oranges in the box. - There are a lot of oranges in the box. (we can count oranges, the word is plural so we use are)

As you can see, from a grammatical point of view, this construction is not difficult to use. It is important not to forget to do this. In conclusion, as always, we invite you to take the test and download our plate. So you will always have access to this information.