English as an Additional Language/Copular verb to be: present tense

'To be' is perhaps the most important verb in the English language. It is known as a 'copular verb'. 'Be' is irregular, so its present tense conjugation must be memorized.

The Present Tense

Here is the present tense conjugation, with their IPA equivalents.

• I am. /æːm/
• You are. /ɑr/
• He is. /ɪz/
• She is. /ɪz/
• It is. /ɪz/
• We are. /ɑr/
• They are. /ɑr/

The forms of to be contract to the pronoun, shown here:

• I'm
• You're
• He's
• She's
• It's
• We're
• They're

These contracted forms are used regularly in speech by native speakers.

Here are some examples.

• I am 36 years old.
• They are hungry.