We use the verb “to be” to talk about ourselves and our nationality. This page has grammar explanations and exercises about the verb “to be”, and vocabulary to talk about nationalities.

The verb “to be”

I am
You are
He / She / It is
We are
They are

Notes

We use “you” for one person or for more than one person.
We use “you” in formal and informal situations.

For example:

How are you? (I’m talking to my sister.)
How are you? (I’m talking to my sister and my brother.)
How are you? (I’m talking to my friend.)
How are you? (I’m talking to a customer.)

Negative

I am not (I’m not)
You are not (You aren’t)
He is not (He isn’t)
She is not (She isn’t)
We are not (We aren’t)
They are not (They aren’t)

Question form

Am I ….?
Are you ….?
Is he / she / it …?
Are we ….?
Are they …?

Short answers

Yes, I am / No I’m not
Yes, you are / No you aren’t
Yes, he, she, it is / No he, she, it isn’t
Yes, we are / No we aren’t
Yes, they are / No they aren’t

In the past

I was (wasn’t = negative)
You were (weren’t = negative)
He was (wasn’t)
We were (weren’t)
They were (weren’t)

Was I…? Were you …? etc

There is / There are

We also use the verb “to be” to talk about what exists. We use “there is” (singular) and “there are” (plural) for this. For example:

“There’s a good film on TV tonight.”

“There are some people in the shop.”

For more information about how to use there is / there are, see this page.

Verb “to be”

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Nationalities

We use the verb “to be” to talk about nationalities

“I am English.” (from England)
“He is French.” (from France)

“ish”, “ian”, “an”, “ese” are all common nationality endings.

If you can’t remember the nationality word, you can say “I’m from….” (and say the name of your country.)

Here are some common countries and nationalities of people who visit the english-at-home website.