To be: present

POSITIVE: 

I am = I’m 

He, She, It is = He/She/It’s 

You, They, We are = You / They / We’re

NEGATIVE: 

I am not = I’m not 

He, She, It is not = He/She/It’s not

You, They, We are not = You / They / We’re not

QUESTION: 

Am I handsome? 

Is he, she, it smart? 

Are you, they, we students?

The verb be is also used as a main verb. It is commonly found joining a subject to its complement. As a main verb, be is used to talk about: 

Noun (Name of a person, place, or thing)

For Example 

I am Yonatan. 

They are my cousins. 

I'm from Canada. I’m Canadian. 

She is not Italian. She is Israeli. 

They are from Tel Aviv. 

Age

For Example 

I am 31 years old. 

They are 15 years old. 

She is 25 years old. 

How old are you? 

Is your mother 65 years old? 

Emotions

For Example 

She is delighted with the news but I am not happy. 

They are busy. 

My sister is sad. 

We are not happy. 

Are you sick? 

Jobs/Occupation

For Example 

Are you a student? 

I am not a teacher. 

Is your sister an English teacher? 

They are police officers. 

My brother is a lawyer.