English Grammar Lab

← A1

Present simple: am, is and are

You will be able to Use am, is and are to describe people and situations.

Explanation

Use am with I, is with he, she or it, and are with you, we or they.

Examples

Detailed course

Understand the grammar point

Go to practice ↓

Detailed explanation

This lesson focuses on present simple: am, is and are. The structure helps learners share basic information, and it should always be interpreted as part of a complete message rather than as an isolated formula. Before selecting a form, identify the subject, time reference, clause relationship, and the information that receives emphasis.

Formation is central. Use am with I, is with he, she, it, or a singular noun, and are with you, we, they, or plural nouns. Put not after be for negatives and move be before the subject for questions. Build the sentence in stages: identify the grammatical subject, choose the auxiliary or main verb form, and complete the clause in normal English word order. In negatives and questions, check whether the structure supplies its own auxiliary or requires another one.

The pattern can help users describe a simple situation, form clear statements and questions, and notice subject and verb agreement. These purposes may overlap, so context decides which interpretation is natural. Time expressions, determiners, linking words, and punctuation often provide evidence for the correct choice.

A useful contrast prevents overgeneralisation. Unlike most present-simple verbs, be does not use do or does in negatives and questions. Ask how the nearest alternative would change time, certainty, focus, politeness, or register. A grammatically possible sentence may still communicate the wrong relationship if that contrast is ignored.

The guided examples are complete messages. Notice how the target structure agrees with its subject and how the surrounding vocabulary makes the intended meaning clear. When producing a new example, preserve the relationship between form and meaning while changing the people, place, and lexical details.

A reliable self-check is to paraphrase the sentence in simpler language. If the paraphrase changes the time relationship, degree of certainty, or focus, review the original form. Compare the sentence with the common mistakes and explain why the corrected version is preferable.

How to form it

Use am with I, is with he, she, it, or a singular noun, and are with you, we, they, or plural nouns. Put not after be for negatives and move be before the subject for questions.

Use the structure to share basic information.

Use the structure to describe a simple situation.

Use the structure to form clear statements and questions.

Use the structure to notice subject and verb agreement.

Unlike most present-simple verbs, be does not use do or does in negatives and questions.

Guided examples

I am ready for my first English lesson.

I always takes am, so the sentence pairs the first-person subject with the correct form of be.

Maya is a new student in our class.

Maya is a singular noun, like he or she, so it takes is rather than am or are.

Her notebooks are on the front desk.

Notebooks is plural, so the sentence uses are instead of is, even though there is no personal pronoun.

We are excited about the school project.

We is a plural subject, so it takes are, matching the rule for we, you and they.

The classroom is not very large.

This is the negative form: not goes directly after is, without adding do or does.

Are you in the correct room today?

This is a question: are moves before the subject you instead of staying after it.

Common mistakes

Not: I is ready for my first English lesson.

Use: I am ready for my first English lesson.

I always takes am; is is only used with he, she, it, or a singular noun.

Not: Maya are a new student in our class.

Use: Maya is a new student in our class.

Maya is one person, like she, so the verb must be is, not are.

Not: Her notebooks is on the front desk.

Use: Her notebooks are on the front desk.

Notebooks is plural, so it needs are, not is, even though the sentence starts with a possessive.

Not: We is excited about the school project.

Use: We are excited about the school project.

We is a plural subject and always takes are, never is.

Before you practise

  • Identify the communicative purpose.
  • Check the subject and required verb or auxiliary.
  • Confirm the time reference and clause order.
  • Compare the sentence with the nearest alternative.
  • Read the complete sentence and verify the meaning.

Reading text

Mina Joins the English Club

About 143 words

Mina, Rami, and Lina are in the school library. They need to join the morning English club and choose a table. Mina feels shy because the room is new. I am new here. Someone points to name cards. The library is quiet. The first answer is short, so everyone can follow it. We are in the same group. One detail is still unclear. The cards are on the table. They check the materials slowly. Soon the result is clear: the work is finished. The morning feels easier because the small task is finished. Mina, Rami, and Lina look at name cards again before they move on. One helper writes the next step on a small card. The group speaks quietly, and the plan becomes clear. No one hurries, because the small details matter. The place feels calmer when the task is almost finished.

Reading comprehension

  1. Who is involved in the reading?

    Show answer

    Mina, Rami, and Lina

  2. Where does the reading take place?

    Show answer

    the school library

  3. What task are the people trying to complete?

    Show answer

    join the morning English club and choose a table

  4. What problem makes the task less simple?

    Show answer

    Mina feels shy because the room is new

Grammar in the text

  1. I am new here.

    I pairs with am, showing the speaker is describing their own situation.

  2. The library is quiet.

    The library is one place, so the description uses is, matching a singular subject.

  3. We are in the same group.

    We is more than one person, so the sentence uses are, not is.

  4. The cards are on the table.

    Cards is plural, so the sentence uses are to match, even though there is no pronoun.

Key point

Use this pattern when the meaning needs it in the reading: subject + am/is/are + complement. In short, am, is, or are links a subject to a name, place, or description. Example: "I am new here."

Practice

  1. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "I ____ new here."

    Show answer

    I am new here.

  2. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "The library ____ quiet."

    Show answer

    The library is quiet.

  3. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "We ____ in the same group."

    Show answer

    We are in the same group.

  4. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "The cards ____ on the table."

    Show answer

    The cards are on the table.

Listening practice

Watch a TEDx talk

“How to speak so that people want to listen” — Julian Treasure (TED). Listen for clear, natural English and pick up new vocabulary while you review this grammar point.

Check your understanding

Which of these is one of Julian Treasure's “seven deadly sins of speaking”?

Check your understanding

What does the acronym HAIL stand for in Treasure's four cornerstones of powerful speaking?

Practice

Choose the correct answer. She ___ a teacher.

Practice

Choose the correct answer. We ___ ready.

Practice

Choose the correct answer. I ___ at home.

Written practice

Produce the answer yourself. Capitalisation and final punctuation do not affect validation, but the grammar and word order must be correct.

Sentence correction

Written practice

Correct the sentence.

She are ready for the lesson.

Word ordering

Written practice

Put the words in the correct order.

today / are / we / early