¿Qué es?
El verbo to be se usa para describir personas, cosas, lugares, sentimientos, edades, trabajos y situaciones.
Las formas del presente son:
- am
- is
- are
Usa am con I.
- I am tired.
Usa is con he, she y it.
- He is at home.
- She is a teacher.
- It is cold.
Usa are con you, we y they.
- You are ready.
- We are friends.
- They are busy.
Cuándo usar
Usa to be para hablar de:
- identidad: I am Daniel.
- trabajos: She is a nurse.
- edad: He is twenty years old.
- sentimientos: We are happy.
- descripciones: The room is small.
- ubicaciones: They are at work.
- nacionalidad: She is Canadian.
- clima y hora: It is cold. It is six o’clock.
Usa las formas negativas para decir que algo no es verdad.
- I am not tired.
- He is not at home.
- They are not ready.
Usa preguntas para preguntar sobre identidad, condición, ubicación, edad o descripción.
- Are you tired?
- Is she at work?
- Are they students?
Estructura
Oraciones afirmativas
Usa:
sujeto + am/is/are + complemento
| Sujeto | Forma | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | I am ready. |
| he / she / it | is | She is busy. |
| you / we / they | are | They are outside. |
Las contracciones comunes son:
| Forma completa | Forma corta |
|---|---|
| I am | I’m |
| he is | he’s |
| she is | she’s |
| it is | it’s |
| you are | you’re |
| we are | we’re |
| they are | they’re |
Oraciones negativas
Usa:
sujeto + am/is/are + not + complemento
| Sujeto | Forma completa | Forma corta |
|---|---|---|
| I | am not | I’m not |
| he / she / it | is not | isn’t |
| you / we / they | are not | aren’t |
Ejemplos:
- I’m not hungry.
- She isn’t at home.
- We aren’t late.
Las formas he’s not, she’s not, you’re not y they’re not también son correctas.
Preguntas
Coloca am, is o are antes del sujeto.
am/is/are + sujeto + complemento?
| Afirmación | Pregunta |
|---|---|
| You are tired. | Are you tired? |
| She is at work. | Is she at work? |
| They are ready. | Are they ready? |
| I am late. | Am I late? |
Respuestas cortas
Usa am, is o are en respuestas cortas.
- Are you ready? — Yes, I am.
- Is he at home? — No, he isn’t.
- Are they busy? — Yes, they are.
- Is she a doctor? — No, she isn’t.
Normalmente no uses contracciones afirmativas en respuestas cortas.
- Correcto: Yes, I am.
- Incorrecto: Yes, I’m.
Ejemplos
- I am a software developer.
- She is very tired today.
- They are at the bus stop.
- I’m not hungry.
- He isn’t at work.
- We aren’t ready yet.
- Are you from Canada?
- Is your brother at home?
- Are the children tired?
- Why is the door open?
Excepciones
Usa am I not? en preguntas formales.
- Am I not invited?
En inglés cotidiano, aren’t I? es común en preguntas negativas y en coletillas interrogativas.
- Aren’t I invited?
- I’m late, aren’t I?
No uses do, does ni did con to be.
- Correcto: Is she tired?
- Incorrecto: Does she be tired?
El verbo to be no usa un verbo principal separado en descripciones simples.
- She is happy.
- They are at home.
Errores comunes
-
Incorrecto: I is tired. Correcto: I am tired. Explicación: Usa am con I.
-
Incorrecto: They is at home. Correcto: They are at home. Explicación: Usa are con they.
-
Incorrecto: She not is ready. Correcto: She is not ready. Explicación: Coloca not después de is.
-
Incorrecto: I don’t am hungry. Correcto: I am not hungry. Explicación: No uses do con to be.
-
Incorrecto: Does he be at work? Correcto: Is he at work? Explicación: Coloca is antes del sujeto para formar una pregunta.
-
Incorrecto: Are she tired? Correcto: Is she tired? Explicación: Usa is con she.
-
Incorrecto: Is they ready? Correcto: Are they ready? Explicación: Usa are con they.
-
Incorrecto: Yes, I’m. Correcto: Yes, I am. Explicación: Normalmente no uses una contracción afirmativa en una respuesta corta.