Lesson 3
be - contractions - present tense

be - contractions - present tense

When talking, use contractions to sound like a native speaker. 

In this lesson, you will learn how to form contractions with the verb “be” in the present tense affirmative and negative.

subject + be ✍️ 🗣️

Singular

I am = I‘m

you are = you‘re 

he is = he‘s

she is = she‘s 

it is = it‘s

Plural

we are = we‘re 

you are = you‘re

they are = they‘re 

 

When you learn English, it’s good to learn contractions early. People use contractions a lot when they talk.

Teacher Paul outside

I

Singular Contractions

  • I’m a teacher. 
  • You’re a student. (singular) 
  • He’s a good man. 
  • She’s a good woman. 
  • It’s important to learn English. 
beautiful, business, computer-15728.jpg

you and other students

Plural Contractions

  • You and I are online. 
  • We’re online together. 
  • You’re all my students. (plural)
  • They’re good students. (other people) 

be – present tense – contractions

 

Part A – Directions: Underline the verb “be” in each contraction. Write the subject and the verb in the space provided. 

 

  1. She’s a student.  ________ ________

  2. They’re old.  ________ ________

  3. I’m tired. ________ ________

  4. We’re in the classroom. ________ ________

  5. It’s a beautiful day. ________ ________

  6. You’re on the internet. ________ ________

  7. He’s a football player. ________ ________

  8. That’s good. ________ ________

  9. They’re over there. ________ ________

  10. I’m a student. ________ ________

 

Part B – Directions: Write the contraction for the subject and the verb. 

 

 

  1. They are very good.  _______________

  2. She is a smart woman.  _______________

  3. I am so lazy today! _______________

  4. You are at home.  _______________

  5. We are in the classroom. _______________

  6. She is at home. _______________

  7. It is an interesting book. _______________ 

  8. You are a student. _______________

  9. They are over there. _______________

  10.  I am so happy today. _______________

be – present tense – contractions – Click on the PDF to download. 

contractions - be - negative present tense

subject + be + not ✍️ 🗣️

Singular

I am not = I’m not

you are not = you’re not

he is not = he’s not

she is not = she’s not

it is not = it’s not

Plural

we are not  = we’re not

you are not = you’re not

they are not = they’re not

 

There are two ways to form negative contractions with pronouns and  the verb “be.”  

 

S + be + not

or

S + be + not

teacher paul

I

Singular

  • I’m not at school today.  
  • You’re not at school today. 
  • It’s not hot outside. It’s cold. 
classroom, school, education-2093745.jpg

you

Plural

  • The students are not in school today.  
  • They’re not in school. 
  • You’re not in the classroom. 
  • I’m not in the classroom. 
  • We’re not there. 

subject + be + not ✍️ 🗣️

Singular

I am not = I am not

you are not = you aren’t

he is not = he isn’t

she is not = she isn’t 

it is not = it isn’t

Plural

we are not  = we aren’t

you are not = you aren’t

they are not = they aren’t

 

pizza, italian, meal-1216737.jpg

Singular

  • He isn’t a teacher. He’s a pizza chef. 
  • The pizza isn’t cold. It’s hot. 
  • You aren’t hungry, are you?  
soccer, football, soccer players-1457988.jpg

Plural

  • They aren’t at school. They’re on a soccer field. 
  • The players aren’t slow. They’re very fast.   
  • We aren’t bored. We’re very interested. 

In Lesson Four, you will practice using the pronouns “you” and “I,” 

and you will learn about the other subject pronouns: he, she, it, we, and they