🧱 Grammar · Verb & Sentence Basics
The Verb Be (Am, Is, Are, Was, Were)
The most important verb in English — how to say who or what someone or something is, right now or in the past.
Grammar › Verb & Sentence Basics › The Verb Be (Am, Is, Are, Was, Were)
The rule in one sentenceUse am / is / are to describe how things are now, and was / were to describe how they were in the past — always matching the subject.
What does “be” actually do?
“Be” is the odd one out among English verbs — it doesn’t show an action, it shows a state: who or what someone is, where something is, or what something is like. There’s no “run” or “jump” happening when you say Boys Don’t Cry is a drama film — you’re simply describing it.
In the present, “be” changes shape depending on the subject: am with I, is with singular subjects like he, she, it, and are with plural subjects and you. I am a big fan of Studio Ghibli. Dances with Wolves is a western epic. The Minions are yellow.
In the past, there are only two forms: was for singular and were for plural. The Birdcage was a hit comedy in 1996. The reviews for Paris Is Burning were extremely positive.
🎬 Compare: “James Wan is a director.” (a fact that is still true today) vs. “Georges Méliès was a director.” (true in the past — Méliès died in 1938, so we describe his life with was, not is).
The verb “be” changes tense, but the pattern — subject plus a form of “be” plus description — never changes.
“Be” also builds the frame for talking about age, feelings, nationality, jobs, and location — all without needing another verb at all: Millie Bobby Brown is British. The Smile premiere was in Los Angeles. Fans are excited about the next Purge film.
How to build it
Present: am / is / are
Tetris is a Russian puzzle game before it was a film.
Tetris isn’t a sequel to any other film.
am not / isn’t / aren’t + descriptionIs Jon S. Baird the director of Tetris?
Am / Is / Are + subject + descriptionPast: was / were
Trolls was a huge hit for DreamWorks in 2016.
The reviews of Trolls weren’t negative at all.
wasn’t / weren’t + descriptionWere the songs in Trolls written by Justin Timberlake?
Was / Were + subject + descriptionWhen to use which
Am / is / are — true now
- Identity: Milla Jovovich is Alice in the Resident Evil films.
- Description: The Lighthouse is visually stunning.
- Age, feelings, job: Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a French film. I‘m excited for the next Predator film.
- Current location: The Oscars ceremony is in Los Angeles every year.
Was / were — true in the past
- People or things no longer in that state: Pride (2014) was based on a true story.
- Past events: The Halloween premiere was in October 1978.
- Past feelings or reactions: Critics were impressed by The Babadook in 2014.
- Childhood, earlier careers: Jodie Foster was a child actor before Taxi Driver.
Signal words: your instant clue
These words point straight to the correct form of “be”.
Present signal words
Past signal words
Visual guide
👉 Swipe through Teacher Teddy’s 6-slide illustrated guide to this rule
Common mistakes
❌ Pixar films is always popular with children.
✅ Pixar films are always popular with children.
“Pixar films” is plural, so the verb must be “are”, not “is”.
❌ I am agree that Moon is beautiful.
✅ I agree that Moon is beautiful.
“Agree” is already a full verb — don’t add “am” in front of an ordinary verb, only use “be” with adjectives or nouns.
❌ Viola Davis were nominated for Fences.
✅ Viola Davis was nominated for Fences.
Viola Davis is one singular person, so the past form must be “was”, not “were”.
❌ The special effects in Twister was expensive.
✅ The special effects in Twister were expensive.
“Special effects” is a plural noun, so it needs “were”, not “was”.
Exceptions & tricky cases
Four small quirks of “be” worth knowing early.
1. “Aren’t I?” borrows from “are”. There’s no natural contraction for “am not” in a question, so English borrows “aren’t” instead.
✅ “I’m a huge Marvel fan, aren’t I?” (never “amn’t I?”)
2. “Were” for imagined situations, even with I/he/she. In hypothetical “if” sentences, “were” is used for every subject, not just plural ones.
✅ “If Robert Eggers were to remake Rosemary’s Baby, fans would be furious.”
3. Group nouns can take either form. Words like “cast” or “crew” can be “is” (one unit) or “are” (individual members) — British English often prefers the plural.
✅ “The cast of Encanto is talented.” ✅ “The cast of Encanto are all singers.”
4. Impersonal “it” for time and length. “It” plus “be” describes running time, dates, and distance with no real subject.
✅ “It’s nearly four hours long.” (about Gone with the Wind’s runtime)
Practice: choose the right form
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually say — you get the explanation either way.
1. Jenna Ortega ___ the star of Scream VI.
“Jenna Ortega” is one singular person → is.
2. The Minions ___ yellow and speak their own language.
“The Minions” is plural → are.
3. But I’m a Cheerleader ___ released in 1999.
We describe a film’s release as a finished past fact → was.
4. The special effects in Tron ___ groundbreaking in 1982.
“The special effects” is plural, and 1982 is a finished time → were.
5. I ___ not a fan of horror films like Talk to Me.
Subject “I” always takes “am”.
6. ___ Jon S. Baird the director of Tetris?
“Jon S. Baird” is singular → Is.
7. Fans ___ excited about the next Purge sequel right now.
“Fans” is plural, and “right now” is present → are.
8. Naomi Watts ___ a struggling actress for years before her breakout in Mulholland Drive.
“Before her breakout” is a finished past period → was.
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