Universidade Católica de Moçambique

Instituto de Educação à Distância

The verb to be in: past, present and future

Nome do Estudante :Paulo Dimissone Labissone

Código :708233635

Curso: Português
Disciplina: Língua Inglesa

Ano de Frequência: 2023

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 Nampula, Setembro de 2023

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Índice
I. Introduction...........................................................................................................................4
II. Metodology...........................................................................................................................4
III. Objectives.............................................................................................................................4
1. The verb to verbs are the verb that are used in all our many................................5
2. The verb to be in present...........................................................................................5
3. The verb to be in past.................................................................................................6
4. The verb to be in future.................................................................................................6
5. When to use “to be” verbs as infinitives. ...............................................................7
IV. Conclusion...........................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The verb to be in present tense helps to express how you are and how the other things
in the world. In order to use the verb properly, you need first to learn about it. I have written
this article especially for those who have just started to learn the English language, because
the study of English grammar should begin by getting acquainted with the verb to be. This is
one of the most important words in English, and also one of the most difficult. There are
many different tense forms of the word that are commonly used; we’ve covered the past tense
in other articles, and in this one we’ll go over simple present tense. Unlike other verbs in
English, to be is conjugated (in other words, it changes) according to grammatical person and
number. Later, we’ll see some examples of how the verb to be is used in the present tense.
Although you might think that this is a very easy topic, you will need to practice using the
verb to be in both speech and writing. It is a little verb but it is very important. Do you need to
improve your English? See the locations of our english language schools in the United States.
To Use the Verb “To Be” in Present Simple Tense, Pair It with a Personal Pronoun. If you are
trying to describe a current state of being for you, someone else, or an object, you start with a
personal pronoun. To form a simple sentence to say that you are a student, we need the
connecting verb to be: “I am a student.” In sentences using the passive voice, the person or
thing which is performing the action is either in the object of the sentence or
even omitted. When written, the noun performing the action is normally found following a
preposition such as “by”.
The most common passive voice construction is this:
 Subject + “to be” verb + verb or
 Subject + “to be” verb + verb + by + object
In these constructions, the “to be” verb will follow the standard rules for subject verb
agreement. The examples below have sentences using “to be” verbs in different tenses.
Methodology: The Methodology of the present were used manuals, scientific articles
as support in the elaboration of the present fieldwork. This work involved a qualitative and
quantitative research that enriched a materialization of the data of the present research.
Furthermore, it was research was active.
Objectives: The objectives of the work is to know the verb to. To describe the tense of
verb to be.

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 1. To Be: Present, Past, & Future
Verb To Be: Present, Past, & FutureHello, what is your name? Where are you from?
How old are you? All of these are common questions in English which use the verb to be. One
of the first topics that you need to study when you learn English is the verb to be. Today I will
teach you how to use the verb to be in the present, past and future tense, or time.

2. The verb to be
“To Be” is a verb which shows a state of existence. “To Be” can be used to describe
the Present, Past, and Future time. Use the verb to be in the present tense. Examples:
 I am a student.
 She is a student.
 You are a student.
 They are students.
The verb to be in present tense helps to express how you are and how the other things
in the world. In order to use the verb properly, you need first to learn about it. I have written
this article especially for those who have just started to learn the English language, because
the study of English grammar should begin by getting acquainted with the verb to be. This is
one of the most important words in English, and also one of the most difficult. There are
many different tense forms of the word that are commonly used; we’ve covered the past tense
in other articles, and in this one we’ll go over simple present tense. Unlike other verbs in
English, to be is conjugated (in other words, it changes) according to grammatical person and
number. Later, we’ll see some examples of how the verb to be is used in the present tense.
Although you might think that this is a very easy topic, you will need to practice using the
verb to be in both speech and writing. It is a little verb but it is very important. Do you need to
improve your English? See the locations of our english language schools in the United States.
To Use the Verb “To Be” in Present Simple Tense, Pair It with a Personal Pronoun. If you are
trying to describe a current state of being for you, someone else, or an object, you start with a
personal pronoun. To form a simple sentence to say that you are a student, we need the

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connecting verb to be: “I am a student.” For this type of sentence, you can choose any other
person/persons and use the proper form of to be:
 He/She is a student.
 We are doctors.
 You are a student.
Look at the table to see how to form sentences in the present simple tense using the
verb to be. You can see that there is a short form (contraction) used when writing the verb to
be, and an apostrophe is used to form it: I am = I’m, She is = She’s, etc. Word Order When
Using “To Be” in Present Simple Tense. In English, word order is very important: subject +
verb + object. If you need to form a question, simply move the verb to be to the beginning of
the sentence:
 Am I a student?
 Are we students?
 Is she clever?
 You can answer like this:
 Yes, he is / No, he is not = isn’t.
 Yes, we are / No, we are not = aren’t.

Using the Verb “To Be” in a Negative Sentence

If you need to form a negative sentence, use the adverb not after the connecting verb:
 I am not a student.
 You are not a doctor.
 She is not a teacher.
In negative sentences, we can also use a shortened form of the verb to be and the
adverb not. For example: He is not = he isn’t, they are not = they aren’t, etc. Speak fluent
English by mastering grammar. Practice with a Preply tutor to learn grammar naturally and
confidently. To practice using the English verb to be, write sentences using the following
expressions. You can write your sentences in the comments.

3. The verb to be in past

Use the verb to be in the past tense. Examples:
 I was a student in 1990.
 She was a student in 1990.
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  You were a student in 1990.
 They were students in 1990.

4. The verb to be in future tense

Use the verb to be in the future tense. Examples:
 I will be a student next year.
 She will be a student next year.
 You will be a student next year.
 They will be students next year.
Remember to use these forms of the verb to be!

5. When to use “to be” verbs as infinitives.

Infinitives are to plus a verb in order to make a noun. So you’ll see them in
the subject or object of a sentence. They are used to describe the abstract, so they most often
are used with a modal verb of desire.
 I want to be a singer.
 He likes to be the best at what he does.
 They hope to be friends.
 When making these negative, you’ll put do not or does not before the modal verb.
Examples: Note: following don’t or doesn’t modal verbs such as like, want, need, or
hope will stay in base form.
 I don’t want to be difficult.
 He does not like to be mean.
 She doesn’t want to be a musician.
 The passive voice using “to be” verbs
In sentences using the passive voice, the person or thing which is performing the
action is either in the object of the sentence or even omitted. When written, the noun
performing the action is normally found following a preposition such as “by”. The most
common passive voice construction is this:
 Subject + “to be” verb + verb or
 Subject + “to be” verb + verb + by + object

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 In these constructions, the “to be” verb will follow the standard rules for subject verb
agreement. The examples below have sentences using “to be” verbs in different tenses.
Examples:
 Present: The car is powered by electricity.
 Present progressive: The work is being done.
 Past: The building was demolished by the crew.
 Future: The meal will be prepared by the chef.
 Present perfect: The coffee had been made.
We have covered many ways in which you can use “to be” verbs. Follow our blog for
more lessons like this one. Also, if you would like to find out more about studying English
online or in the United States, contact us here. FLS International offers live online classes, in-
person classes, cultural tours and more!

CONCLUSION
How to use “to be” verbs
Are you confused by “to be” verbs? It’s okay. “To be” verbs change almost more than
any other verb. In other words, they are very irregular. Let’s learn how to use “to be” verbs
correctly. Refer back to this lesson when you have questions about how to use them in the
future. “To be” verbs are: are, am, is, was, were, been and being. They are used to describe or
tell us the condition of people, things, places and ideas. For example, they could tell us
the subject’s age, nationality, job or other traits.
 Be a good student.
 Be nice to your teacher.
 Don’t be mean to him.

The use of “to be” verbs as infinitives.

Infinitives are to plus a verb in order to make a noun. So you’ll see them in
the subject or object of a sentence. They are used to describe the abstract, so they most often
are used with a modal verb of desire.
 I want to be a singer.
 He likes to be the best at what he does.
 They hope to be friends.

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 When making these negative, you’ll put do not or does not before the modal verb.
Examples: Note: following don’t or doesn’t modal verbs such as like, want, need, or hope will
stay in base form.
 I don’t want to be difficult.
 He does not like to be mean.
 She doesn’t want to be a musician.

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