The verb ‘To be’ has a special importance in the English language, due to its intense and multifaceted use. It corresponds to the Spanish verbs “ser” and “estar” and serves us both to refer to a person, and to what that person is doing.
As an ordinary verb, it serves to express age, height, measure, weight, shape, and color; to express feelings (equivalent to the verb “to have”) and to talk about the weather.
As an auxiliary verb, it serves to form progressive times (I’m studying = Estoy estudiando); is used to form the passive voice (English is spoken here = Aqui se habla Inglés); to give orders impersonally or to communicate plans, when using “Be + infinitive”; and as a way to express future “Be + going”, as in this case: I am going to do it = Voy a hacerlo.
It is one of the most commonly used verbs in the English language, and its mastery provides a firm foundation for supporting a systematic and efficient learning process.
With practice, and according to the context of the sentence, it is easy to differentiate whether the verb is being used as “ser” or “estar.” Let’s learn the practical and useful verb “To-be”:
| SER AND ESTAR: I am English / Soy americano. I am in the United States / Estoy en Estados Unidos. TENER (To express age) TENER (To express feelings) HACER (To talk about weather) GIVE ORDERS: Used to give orders or instructions and to establish a plan.He is to stay here = Él debe quedarse aquí. FUTURE FORM. To be + going to expresses a form of future (go to…, be about to…, intend to…, etc.) |
Indicative Present
| AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE | INTERROGATIVE |
| I am (I’m) | I am not (I’m not) | Am I? |
| soy, estoy | no soy, no estoy | ¿soy yo?, ¿estoy yo? |
| You are (you’re) | You are not (you’re not) | Are you? |
| eres, estás | no eres, no estás | ¿eres tú?, ¿estás tú? |
| He is (he’s) | He is not (he’s not) | Is he? |
| él es, está | él no es, no está | ¿es él?, ¿está él? |
| We are (we’re) | We are not (we’re not) | Are we? |
| somos, estamos | no somos, no estamos | ¿somos?, ¿estamos? |
| You are (you’re) | You are not (you’re not) | Are you? |
| sois, estáis | no sois, no estáis | ¿sois?, ¿estáis? |
| They are (they’re) | They are not (they’re not) | Are they? |
| ellos son, están | ellos no son, no están | ¿son, están ellos? |
Preterite (corresponds to the past tense indefinite and preterite imperfect Spanish)
| AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE | INTERROGATIVE |
| I was | I was not (I wasn’t) | Was I? |
| fui, era / estuve, estaba | no fui, no era / no estuve, no estaba | ¿fui?, ¿era? / ¿estuve?, ¿estaba? |
| You were | You were not (you weren’t) | Were you? |
| fuiste, eras / estuviste, estabas | no fuiste, no eras / no estuviste, no estabas | ¿fuiste?, ¿eras? / ¿estuviste?, ¿estabas? |
| He was | He was not (he wasn’t) | Was he? |
| fue, era / estuvo, estaba | no fue, no era / no estuvo, no estaba | ¿fue?, ¿era? / ¿estuvo? ¿estaba? |
| We were | We were not (we weren’t) | Were we? |
| fuimos, éramos, / estuvimos, estábamos | no fuimos, no éramos, / no estuvimos, no estábamos | ¿fuimos?, ¿éramos? / ¿estuvimos?, estábamos |
| You were | You were not (you weren’t) | Were you? |
| fuisteis, erais, / estuvisteis, estabais | no fuisteis, no erais / no estuvisteis, no estabais | ¿fuisteis?, ¿erais?, / ¿estuvisteis?, ¿estabais? |
| They were | They were not (they weren’t) | Were they? |
| fueron, eran / estuvieron, estaban | no fueron, no eran / no estuvieron, no estaban | ¿fueron?, ¿eran? / ¿estuvieron?, ¿estaban? |
As can be seen, the verb To-be is extremely useful and, like other aspects of the English language, admits a relatively small number of conjugations, if compared to Spanish.
In Borealis Language Academy we pay special attention to the use of the verb “To-be” because of the enormous utility, it has in the English language, and if you are looking for a language school in Charlotte, Monroe or Gastonia, we are your best choice.
Contact us, and we will evaluate you in order to define the level of knowledge of each student, to place you in the level that is most favorable to you. It will be a pleasure to help you!