When do you use am, is and are?
Am, is and are are the three present forms of the verb be. The subject decides: I takes am, he/she/it take is, you/we/they take are.
- Form: I am · he/she/it is · you/we/they are.
- Contractions like I'm, he's and we're are the normal spoken forms.
- Questions and negatives work without do: Are you…? / She isn't…
A1 · Tenses · 8 minAm, is, are — taught brick by brick.
A structured ten-slide lesson for A1 learners. Hear the three forms of be in context, meet the rule from a human tutor, then practise across six interactive drills before a final five-question quiz. The whole arc takes about eight minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelA1 · Beginner
- Time to completeAbout 8 minutes
- SkillsGrammar, Listening, Writing, Speaking
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
What the verb be actually does
Be is the most frequent verb in the English language, and in the present tense it does its work through three small forms: am, is, and are. Unlike almost every other verb, be does not describe an action. It works like an equals sign: it links the subject of a sentence to a piece of information about that subject — a name, a job, a feeling, a place, a state. I'm Anna connects you to your name. He's our engineer connects a colleague to his role. We're in Berlin connects a team to a location. That is exactly why be is the first verb every English course teaches: without it you cannot introduce yourself, describe your team, or say how you feel and where you are. In working life, the first sentences of any meeting — names, roles, moods, availability — run almost entirely on these three unassuming forms.
02 / 06
Form: am, is, are — and the contractions
The present of be has exactly three slots, and the grammatical subject decides which one you need. I takes am — always, and only I. He, she, and it take is, and so does every singular noun: our manager is, the printer is, the meeting is. You, we, and they take are, along with every plural noun: our clients are, the offices are. Note that you always takes are, even when you are speaking to just one person. In real speech these forms almost always appear as contractions: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're. The contraction is not lazy slang — it is the normal spoken form, and it is completely acceptable in everyday business emails too. The full forms, I am and she is, are reserved for emphasis and for very formal writing. If you learn the contractions from day one, your English will sound natural immediately.
03 / 06
Negatives and questions — no do needed
Be is the one verb in English that builds its own negatives and questions — no helper verb required. For the negative, put not directly after the form of be: she is not becomes she isn't, they are not becomes they aren't. The only irregular corner is I am not, which contracts to I'm not — English has no standard word amn't. For questions, simply swap the subject and the verb: you are free becomes Are you free?, he is in the office becomes Is he in the office? This switch is called inversion, and with be it is the entire mechanism. Do never appears: Do you are free? is impossible in English. Short answers echo the verb form back: Are you ready? — Yes, I am. Is she in today? — No, she isn't. Master this small pattern and you can already handle a surprising amount of real conversation.
04 / 06
The core uses in business small talk
Almost every opening move in business small talk runs on am, is, and are. Introductions: I'm Anna. I'm from the Hamburg office. This is my colleague Marco. Jobs and roles: I'm a project manager. She's responsible for marketing. Note the article — English says I'm a consultant, with a, where German drops it. Feelings and states: I'm fine, thanks. He's very busy this week. We're happy with the results. Locations: She's in Room 4. The files are on the server. And availability, perhaps the most useful pattern of all in working life: I'm in a meeting until two. Are you free on Friday? He's on holiday this week. None of these sentences contains an action verb. That is the quiet power of be: with three forms and a handful of nouns and adjectives, you can already navigate the first five minutes of any meeting.
05 / 06
Common traps for German speakers
German speakers start with a real advantage here, because sein works almost exactly like be: ich bin maps to I am, er ist to he is, wir sind to we are — and even Ich bin 30 translates directly as I'm 30. The traps hide where the two languages part ways. The classic one is Ich bin einverstanden: in English, agree is a full verb, so the sentence is simply I agree — the widespread error I am agree mixes the German structure with English words. The second trap is Ich habe Recht: German uses haben, but English uses be, so the correct sentence is I'm right, and its mirror is You're right — never You have right. The third trap is subtler: many German learners avoid contractions and say I am Anna. He is my colleague. Every form is correct, but the rhythm sounds stiff and written. Contract, and you instantly sound more natural.
06 / 06
Be vs every other verb
Be behaves differently from every other verb in the present simple, and the border between the two systems is exactly where A1 learners slip. Other verbs describe actions and need the helper do for questions and negatives: Do you work here? I don't know. Be needs no helper — but it also refuses to share a sentence with a bare action verb. I'm work in Berlin is a very common beginner error: the sentence has two competing verbs. Choose one system: I work in Berlin (the action, plain present simple) or, for something happening right now, I'm working — a pattern you will meet properly in the present continuous lesson. A quick self-check: if your sentence has an adjective, a noun, or a place after the verb, you probably want be. If it has an action, you want the plain verb — and be must stay out of it.