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The present simple of be – FORM

The present simple of the verb be has three forms:

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

They= people and things

We use he for a man, she for a woman, and it for a thing.

• He‘s a little boy. 
• She‘s beautiful. 
• I like this TV. It‘s very big. 

We use they for people and for things.

• I love Sara and Jonas. They are my friends.
• I love these chairs. They are very beautiful.

Don’t forget the subject

We always need a subject before the verb.

• It is cold. 
• Is cold. 
• Sally is a wonderful woman. 
• Is a wonderful woman. 

Contractions or short forms

We use ‘m, ‘s and ‘re with personal pronouns (I, you, he, etc.)

• I’m sad.
• You’re tired.
• She’s from Scotland.

But we can also use ‘s with names.

• Laura’s beautiful.
• London’s an expensive city. 

Contractions in short answers

We can only use contractions in negative short answers. Not in positive short answers.

• Yes, I am. 
• Yes, I’m. 
• Yes, she is. 
• Yes, she’s. 
• Yes, they are. 
• Yes, they’re. 

The present simple of be – USE

We use the verb be to talk about:

• Who we are: I‘m Steven, and this is Isabella. And this is my daughter, Alicia.
• Age: I‘m 24 years old, and my father is 50. 
• Job: I‘m a teacher, and my wife is a doctor. 
• Nationality: Alex is from Ireland, and Sonia is from Spain.
• Feelings: I‘m scared. She is very tired. 
• Colour: Our dog is black. His eyes are blue.
• Prices: It‘s seven pounds. This T-shirt is twenty dollars.  
• The weather: It‘s sunny today. It is very cold this morning. 
• The time: What time is it? It‘s ten past four. 
• Descriptions in general: He is very short and thin. The cars are old and cheap. 

Have got – form

Have got (British English) = have (American English)

The verb have got is a common form used in the UK, mainly when people are speaking. In the US, people use the verb have.

• I‘ve got a car. = I have a car.
• I haven’t got a car. = I don’t have a car.
• Have you got a car? = Do you have a car?

Be careful with this common mistake!

The verb have got only has a present form (NOT past).

• I had got a car. 
• I had a car. 
• I hadn’t got a car. 
  
• I didn’t have a car. 
• Had you got car? 
  
• Did you have car? 

Have got – use

Possession, family

• She‘s got a nice apartment.
• Have you got a computer?
• I haven’t got any brothers or sisters.

Illnesses

• I‘ve got a headache.
• She‘s got a cold.

Physical descriptions

• He‘s got brown hair and a long nose.
• They‘ve got blue eyes.

A/an, plurals – Grammar chart

A/an

We use a/an with singular nouns.

• This is a table. 
• It’s an orange. 

We use a with nouns beginning with a consonant, and we use an with nouns beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).

• Give me an apple. 
• There is an elephant in the zoo. 
• It’s an amazing experience. 

We also use an with nouns beginning with h if the h is not pronounced. But we use a if the h is pronounced.

• Give me an hour. (The h is not pronounced in hour.)
• I want to buy a hat. (The h is pronounced in hat.)

We use a and NOT an with nouns beginning with u when it is pronounced /ju:/, like university. 

• Is there a university in this city? 
• I wear a uniform. 

Plurals in English

Do not use a + plural

We do NOT use a/an with plural nouns.

• These are tables. 
• These are a tables. 

Regular plurals

We add -s to make plural nouns in English. Sometimes we need to add -es, -ies or –ves. Check the spelling in the grammar chart above.

Irregular plurals

Some words have irregular plurals and do NOT add -s to make their plural form.

There is, there are – Use

We use there is, there are to say that something exists.

• There is a lot of noise. 

Where something is

We often use there is, there are to say where something is.

• There is a good restaurant at the end of the street. 
• There are some keys in that box. 

When something happens

We can also use  there is, there are to say when something happens.

• There is a concert tonight.
• There are a lot of storms in summer.

A, some, any

We often use  there is, there are + a, some, any.

There is + singular / there are + plural

We use there is + singular noun, and there are + plural noun.

• There is a new teacher in the school. 
• There are some problems that we need to solve.

We use there is + a list of things if the first noun after there is is singular.

• In the room, there is a bed, a wardrobe and two chairs.