THE MOST BASIC VERB IN ENGLISH

                                 THE VERB TO BE

The verb to be is a key verb in English, playing a major part in many types of constructions, as in all other European languages ( etre in French, sein in German, ser/estar in Spanish). It has many usages and meanings, both as a main verb and as an auxiliary verb. It also acts differently in negative sentences and questions. To know more, read these sections of our review on the verb to be in English.

1.  Forms 
2.  Meaning
3.  Uses
4.  In negative sentences.
5.  In questions
6.  With time expressions

FORMS:

When?	Who?	Form	Example
Base form		be	It can be simple.
Simple Present	I	am	I am here.
	You	are	You are here.
	He/She/It	is	She is here.
	We	are	We are here.
	They	are	They are here.
Simple Past	I	was	I was here.
	You	were	You were here.
	He/She/It	was	She was here.
	We	were	We were here.
	They	were	They were here.
Simple Future	I	will be	I will be here.
	You	will be	You will be here.
	He/She/It	will be	She will be here.
	We	will be	We will be here.
	They	will be	They will be here.
Progressive form		being	He is being unusual.
Perfect from		been	It has been fun.

 MEANING:

As a main verb in a sentence, to be is a stative verb serving as a copula (a verb linking the subject with its complement). As every sentence in English must have a verb, to be is used in many cases where there is no action described in the sentence.
For examples:

1. I am Dan Smith. She is a doctor. We are from Spain
2. We are from Italy.
3. The sky is blue, and so is my favorite color.

USES:

- The verb "to be" as an auxiliary verb:

Auxiliary verbs are verbs that are used together with the main verb of the sentence to express the action or state. 

Main verb + auxiliary verb = complete ideaThe verb "to be" can be used as an auxiliary verb to express ongoing(continuing) actions.

For example:

Anna is eating a sandwich.

"Eating" = the main verb.

"Is" = an auxiliary (helping) verb.

"is eating" (a complete idea) = the eating is IN PROGRESS.

More examples:

Kayla is walking home with her friends.

Justin and Ethan are watching a movie.

I am trying to get some sleep.


- The verb "to be" in passive sentences

The verb "to be" is used together with the third form of the verb (V3) in passive sentences.

For example:

ACTIVE: I eat an apple.

PASSIVE: The apple is eaten.

"Eaten" = the main verb (in the third form – V3).

"Is" = an auxiliary (helping) verb.

"is eaten" (a complete idea) = the subject of the sentence (the apple) is affected by the action. 
More examples:

People buy cars. --> Cars are bought.

Someone turned on the light. --> The light was turned on.

He will clean the house. --> The house will be cleaned. 

- Progressive Forms of the verb "to be"

The progressive form of the verb "to be" is "being."

This means the action is ongoing (continuing).

Examples:

The little boy is being naughty.

She was being rude, but then she apologized.

They are being tricked.

- Perfect Forms of the verb "to be"

The perfect form of the verb "to be" is "been."

This means the action is complete (finished).


Examples:

The little boy has been naughty.

She has been rude, but now she apologizes.

They have been tricked.


IN NEGATIVE SENTENCES: 

When a sentence in either the Present Simple or Past Simple tenses has to be as a main verb, then no auxiliary verb is needed for negation. The word not is simply added after the verb. In other words, the verbs to be and to do do not appear in one verb phrase together.

EXAMPLES:

Positive sentence – She is from Spain.
Negative sentence – She is not from Spain.
[ to be is the main verb, no auxiliary verb needed]

Positive sentence – She works in Madrid.
Negative Sentence – She doesn’t work in Madrid.
[ to be is not he main verb, auxiliary verb needed]

IN QUESTIONS:

When a sentence in either the Present Simple or Past Simple tenses has to be as a main verb, then no auxiliary verb is needed for forming questions. The be verb form is inverted before the subject. In other words, the verbs to be and to do do not appear in one verb phrase together.

Positive sentence – She works in Madrid.

Yes/No question – Does she work in Madrid ?

[ to be is not he main verb, auxiliary verb needed]

Positive sentence – She is from Spain.

Wh question – Where is she from ?

[ to be is the main verb, no auxiliary verb needed]

Positive sentence – She is my friend from Spain.

Wh Subject question – Who is she ?

[ to be is the main verb, no auxiliary verb needed in a Wh subject question]

WITH TIME EXPRESSIONS:

Frequency adverbs appear after the verb to be and not before, as with other verbs.

She is usually on time and always works very well.
[ usually appears after is, always appears before works]