The simple present and simple past tenses of to be are also used as auxiliary verbs to create the present continuous and past continuous tenses, which show an ongoing or continuous action.Īs with other tenses, in the continuous tenses, to be verbs are still conjugated to match the subject. These tenses each use their own special words for to be, depending on the person and number of the subject. The verb to be is most commonly used in the simple present and simple past tenses.
Forms of to be verbs Simple present and past tenses The past participle is been, and the bare infinitive form is be. It’s also written differently in certain verb tenses : The present participle of to be is being. When conjugated for different subjects or tenses, the verb to be can become am, are, is, was, or were. It is the most common verb in English, partly because of its additional uses in grammar : to be verbs can be auxiliary verbs that help create other tenses or linking verbs that help describe the subject of a sentence.Īs an irregular verb, to be has its own unique forms. The verb to be means to exist ( I am here ), to occur ( The meeting is Tuesday ), or to have the characteristics of something ( She was a quiet child ). Here ’s a quick list of the to be verbs and their functions: To be verbs: Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What are the to be verbs?
