Cos'è?
Il verbo to be si usa per descrivere persone, cose, luoghi, sentimenti, età, lavori e situazioni.
Le forme del presente sono:
- am
- is
- are
Usa am con I.
- I am tired.
Usa is con he, she e it.
- He is at home.
- She is a teacher.
- It is cold.
Usa are con you, we e they.
- You are ready.
- We are friends.
- They are busy.
Quando si usa
Usa to be per parlare di:
- identità: I am Daniel.
- lavori: She is a nurse.
- età: He is twenty years old.
- sentimenti: We are happy.
- descrizioni: The room is small.
- luoghi: They are at work.
- nazionalità: She is Canadian.
- tempo atmosferico e ora: It is cold. It is six o’clock.
Usa le forme negative per dire che qualcosa non è vero.
- I am not tired.
- He is not at home.
- They are not ready.
Usa le domande per chiedere informazioni su identità, condizione, luogo, età o descrizione.
- Are you tired?
- Is she at work?
- Are they students?
Struttura
Frasi affermative
Usa:
soggetto + am/is/are + complemento
| Soggetto | Forma | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | I am ready. |
| he / she / it | is | She is busy. |
| you / we / they | are | They are outside. |
Le contrazioni comuni sono:
| Forma intera | Forma contratta |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Frasi negative
Usa:
soggetto + am/is/are + not + complemento
| Soggetto | Forma intera | Forma contratta |
|---|---|---|
| I | am not | I’m not |
| he / she / it | is not | isn’t |
| you / we / they | are not | aren’t |
Esempi:
- I’m not hungry.
- She isn’t at home.
- We aren’t late.
Anche le forme he’s not, she’s not, you’re not e they’re not sono corrette.
Domande
Metti am, is o are prima del soggetto.
am/is/are + soggetto + complemento?
| Affermazione | Domanda |
|---|---|
| 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? |
Risposte brevi
Usa am, is o are nelle risposte brevi.
- 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 non si usano le contrazioni affermative nelle risposte brevi.
- Corretto: Yes, I am.
- Scorretto: Yes, I’m.
Esempi
- 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?
Eccezioni
Usa am I not? nelle domande formali.
- Am I not invited?
Nell’inglese di tutti i giorni, aren’t I? è comune nelle domande negative e nei question tag.
- Aren’t I invited?
- I’m late, aren’t I?
Non usare do, does o did con to be.
- Corretto: Is she tired?
- Scorretto: Does she be tired?
Il verbo to be non richiede un verbo principale separato nelle descrizioni semplici.
- She is happy.
- They are at home.
Errori comuni
-
Scorretto: I is tired. Corretto: I am tired. Spiegazione: Usa am con I.
-
Scorretto: They is at home. Corretto: They are at home. Spiegazione: Usa are con they.
-
Scorretto: She not is ready. Corretto: She is not ready. Spiegazione: Metti not dopo is.
-
Scorretto: I don’t am hungry. Corretto: I am not hungry. Spiegazione: Non usare do con to be.
-
Scorretto: Does he be at work? Corretto: Is he at work? Spiegazione: Metti is prima del soggetto per formare una domanda.
-
Scorretto: Are she tired? Corretto: Is she tired? Spiegazione: Usa is con she.
-
Scorretto: Is they ready? Corretto: Are they ready? Spiegazione: Usa are con they.
-
Scorretto: Yes, I’m. Corretto: Yes, I am. Spiegazione: Normalmente non si usa una contrazione affermativa in una risposta breve.