Level One

Lesson 1
be - present tense

The best place to begin learning English is with the verb “be.”

 

In the present tense, the verb “be” takes three forms: am, is, or are. 

 

When you complete this lesson, you can take Quiz #1. 

When you see the ✍🏾, write in your notebook. 

1a. be - present tense ✍️
subject + verb

Singular

I am 

you are

he is

she is

it is

Plural

we are

you are 

they are

1a. Examples ✍️

Teacher Paul / Paul Lawrence
  • I am your teacher. 
  • You are my student. 
  • It is cold outside. 
  • I am outside. 
  • There is snow on the ground. 
students, classroom, school-395568.jpg
  • He is a student.
  • There are other students. 
  • They are all in a classroom. 
  • It is warm in the classroom. 
  • The teacher is somewhere in the classroom. 

1b. be - present tense
subject + verb ✍️

Singular

I am a ______. 

You are a _______. 

He is a _______. 

She is a _______. 

It is a _______. 

Plural

We are ________. 

You are _________. 

They are __________. 

1b. write

Write 

✍️

Fill in the blank _____ with a noun or an adjective. 

  • I am _______________. 
  • You are _____________.  
  • It is ________________.  
  • I am ________________.
  • There is _________________. . 
students, classroom, school-395568.jpg
  • He is ________________. .
  • There are ________________. . 
  • They are _________________. . 
  • It is ____________________. . 
  • The teacher is _____________.  

 be – present tense (PDF) 

be – present tense

 

Part A – Directions: Underline the verb “be” in each sentence. Indicate if the verb (be) is singular or plural. 

 

  1. He is a student. (singular / plural) 

  2. The books are old.  (singular / plural) 

  3. My teacher’s name is Paul. (singular / plural) 

  4. Joe and Mary are students.  (singular / plural) 

  5. It is a dog. (singular / plural) 

  6. They are large. (singular / plural) 

  7. I am a student. (singular / plural) 

  8. You are a student. (singular / plural) 

  9. You are students. (singular / plural) 

  10. We are in the classroom  (singular / plural) 

 

Part B – Directions: Write the correct form of the verb “be” for each sentence. 

  1. I __________ a student. 

  2. The teacher __________ a man. 

  3. We __________ at school. 

  4. You __________ a student. 

  5. The coffee __________ hot. 

  6. Mary __________ on her phone. 

  7. The books __________ on the table. 

  8. It __________ a large building. 

  9. The family __________ at the table. 

  10.  Breakfast _________ my favorite meal. 

1c. be - present tense negative ✍🏾

To make the verb “be” negative,  just add “not” after the verb. 

Singular

I am not inside.

You are not here. 

He is not a teacher. 

She is not a teacher. 

It is not a car. 

Plural

We are not in the same room.

You are not here with me.

They are not at school.

1c. Examples ✍️

  • I am not outside. I’m inside.
  • You are not here. You are there. You are somewhere else.  
  • It is not cold inside. It’s warm inside. 
  • Are you inside or outside right now? (This is a question.)
Young people sitting on a conference bike.
  • They are not inside. They’re outside. 
  • They are not at home. 
  • They are not in a classroom. 
  • It is not cold outside. It’s warm. 

1d. be - present tense questions ✍🏾

To form a question, put the verb “be” in front of the subject. 

Singular

Am I a teacher? 

Are you a student?

Is he a student? 

Is she a student? 

Is it a book? 

 

Plural

Are we in the same room? 

Are you all in a classroom?

Are they at school right now? 

1d. Examples ✍️

to learn, school, language lessons-2001847.jpg
  • Is she a student? 
  • Is she in school? 
  • Are you in school? 
  • Am I your teacher? 
  • Are you my student? 
  • Are you online? 
  • Am I online? 
  • Are we online? 

be – present tense – negatives and questions (You may click print the PDFs.) 

 If this is too easy, go to Lesson Two. 

In Lesson Two, you learn how to use the word “there.”

Lesson Two