To be: Present Simple 2 (Lesson)

Course Description

In this lesson, we will focus on the verb "to be" in the Present Simple tense. You will learn how to form positive and negative sentences, use short forms in conversation, describe identity, feelings, places, age, and weather, and talk about the existence of things with "there is" and "there are". Through examples and practice, you will develop confidence in using "to be" in everyday English.

Learning Outcomes

We use "there + be" to talk about something when it exists. "There + be" can be used to talk about where things are located:

Full Form - Positive

Singular

There is a piano in the room.

There is a computer on the table.

Plural

There are some good restaurants in the center of the town.

There are a lot of people at the stadium.

Short Form - Positive

Singular

There's a piano in the room.

There's a computer on the table.

Plural

There're some good restaurants in the center of the town.

There're a lot of people at the stadium.

We use "there + be" to talk about when things happen:

There is flight at nine o'clock.

There isn't a music class today.

We also use "be":

to talk about our feelings:

He's happy.

I'm bored.

to say greetings:

Jane: Good morning. How are you?

Mary: I'm fine. How is it going?

to apologize:

I'm sorry but I'm late.

to describe things:

It's cheap. It's not expensive at all.

The concert's wonderful.

We use "there + be" to talk about when things happen:

There is flight at nine o'clock.

There isn't a music class today.

We make questions with "be" in the Present Simple like this:

Singular

Am I hungry?

Are you hungry?

Is he/she/it hungry?

Plural

Are we late?

Are you late?

Are they late?

Practice

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