What are am, is and are?

Am, is and are are the present forms of the verb be. You use them to say who a person is, what something is like, or where it is: I am a student. She is happy. They are at home. English always needs this verb in sentences like these, so you cannot leave it out.

The rule

The form follows the subject. Use am after I. Use is after he, she, it and any one person or thing. Use are after you, we, they and any two or more people or things.

To make a negative, add not straight after the verb. To make a question, put the verb in front of the subject. The verb be does this on its own: you never add do or does.

Form

Examples

• I am from Turkey.
• My sister is a nurse.
• The children are in the garden.
• This coffee is not hot.
• Are you ready? — Yes, I am.

Common mistakes

• ❌ She teacher. → ✅ She is a teacher. Many languages, including Arabic and Turkish, can make this kind of present-tense sentence without a separate verb, so it is easy to forget be in English. English always needs it.
• ❌ They is happy. → ✅ They are happy. A plural subject takes are, even when the plural is irregular: the children are, not the children is.
• ❌ Do you be ready? → ✅ Are you ready? The verb be makes its own question by moving to the front, so it never takes do or does.
• ❌ Yes, I'm. → ✅ Yes, I am. You cannot use the short form at the end of a positive short answer.