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The construction there is / there are is used to report the location of objects and persons. Remember a simple rule: If Russian offer begins with the adverbial adverbial place (the first word of a Russian sentence answers the question “where?”), then we will start the English sentence with there is / there are. For example: “There is a mouse in the box” - There is a mouse in the box. In this case, the very circumstance of place (in the box) must be placed at the end of the sentence. English sentences with the construction there is / there are are translated from the end (while There is... there are is not translated). For example: There is a bench in the garden - There is a bench in the garden.

If the sentence begins with a subject (“who?” or “what?”), this construction is not used, we translate it as it is: the car is in the street.

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Let us compare two sentences “there is a vase on the table” and “a vase on the table”. The first begins with the adverbial place, and the second with the subject, respectively, to translate the first sentence we use There is a…. - “there is a vase on the table”, and we translate the second sentence without this construction - “the vase is on the table”. If the subject (the thing referred to in the sentence) singular, then there is is used, and if it is plural, then there are.

• Please note that (is, are) in such sentences can be translated as “lies”, “stands”, “hangs”, “grows”, “is located”: There are toys in the box - In the box lie toys, there is a big tree in front of my house - In front of my house growing a big tree.
• When listing items, There is used is, if the first item listed is singular (There is a copy book, three pencils and a ruler on the table) and there are, if the first item listed is in the plural (There are three pencils, a copy book and a ruler on the table).

Word order in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences with the construction there is / there are

Prepositions of place are function words that connect members of a sentence and are closely related to the use of the construction there is / there are, so we consider them in this post. First, let's remember the prepositions of place and direction in English language

• On – on: there is an apple on the plate – there is an apple on the plate
• In – inside: there are pens in the bag – there are pens in the bag
• Above/over – above: there is a picture above the fireplace – a picture hangs above the fireplace
• At - at: at the wall - at the wall
• Near - near, around, nearby: near my house - near my house
• Under - under: under the table - under the table
• Below - below, under: below the window - below the window
• Behind - behind: behind the tree - behind the tree
• To - indicates movement towards an object: to school - to school, to work - to work, to a friend - to a friend
• Into – inside: into the room- into the room
• From - indicates movement from an object: from school - from school, from work - from work, take the cup from that boy - take the cup from that boy, take the book from the table - take the book from the table
• Out of - from (from within): out of the bag - from the bag
• In front of - in front of: in front of my house - in front of my house
• Between - between: between the cupboard and the sofa - between the closet and the sofa
• Up - up: up the street - up the street
• Through - through, through: through the window - through the window
• Across - across (crossing): across the street - across the street
• Beside/next to - next to (next in a row): sit next to me - sit next to me

• We recommend paying attention to the difference between the prepositions in and into. Phrases with the preposition in answer the question “where?” - in the cupboard - in the closet, in the bag - in the bag, in the box - in the box. Phrases with the preposition into answer the question “where?” - into the cupboard - into the closet, into the bag - into the bag, into the box - into the box.

More about the preposition into watch in our video:

• Remember the exceptions: on a tree - in the tree, on the street - in the street, in a picture - in the picture.

Prepositions in English perform many functions, they act as case endings, which do not exist in the English language, are an integral part of countless expressions and should in no case be neglected.

Those who study English constantly come across the verbs am, is, are in the text. What kind of constructions these are, their meaning, translation into Russian and the construction of sentences - you will learn all this in the article.

I am...

We are used to saying simply “My name is Ivan”, “I am a truck driver”, “I am 34 years old”. The English language does not have the plasticity of Russian. It cannot transfer parts of speech from one part of a sentence to another or skip words. Auxiliary verbs are used to connect the subject and predicate. The verb to be, the meaning of which is “to be, to be, to appear,” has its own form for each tense in the English language. The verbs am, is, are are auxiliary verbs for the present continuous tense Present Progressive. This tense denotes an action that is happening at the present moment. The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) is also used to introduce yourself, name your city, age and profession using a linking verb in Present Simple- simple present tense. Let's construct sentences with the verb am: I am from Russia. I'm from Russia. I am 26 years old. I am 26 years old.

Use in speech

How to choose the right form? The form of the verb to be (am, is, are) depends on the number and person of the subject.

Important: the pronoun it denotes inanimate objects, as well as animals and plants. This is my rose. It's wonderful. This is my rose. She is beautiful.

The table above refers to the case when the verbs am, is are used as a connective between the subject and the predicate. Scheme of an affirmative sentence in general view looks like that:

1. Subject.
2. Linking verb.
3. Predicate.
4. Addition or circumstance, if any.

At the same time, the verbs am, is, are are not translated into Russian. The particle to, which appears in the text, is also not translated. It simply refers to the verb.

Construction of an interrogative sentence

In Russian, the same word order can be in both declarative and negative and affirmative sentence. For example: "You love me." “Do you love me?”, “Do you love me!” All that distinguishes them is the intonation during pronunciation.

In English, interrogative sentences are constructed differently. Let's take an example of a declarative sentence and transform it into an interrogative:

I am from Moscow. I am from Moscow. To make the interrogative sentence sound more logical, let's change the pronoun I to you. Are you from Moscow? Now the sentence sounds like this: Are you from Moscow? The auxiliary verb comes first, followed by the subject and predicate, without changes. Let's build a few more interrogative sentences:

1. Am I wrong? - I made a mistake?
2. Are you busy? Are you busy?
3. Where is my cup? Where's my cup?
4. How old is she? How old is she?
5. Is it raining today? Today the rain?

Construction of a negative sentence

A negative sentence is constructed in the same way as a narrative one, but after the verbs am, is, are, the negation not is placed.

Forms of denial

1. He is not in school. He's not at school.
2. You are not French. You're not French.
3. I am not a doctor. I'm not a doctor.

Present Progressive tense

Present progressive is used in English to denote an action taking place in this moment time. In Russian, prefixes, suffixes, modified roots and word endings are used for the same purpose.

Present progressive is used in the following cases:

1. To express an action that is happening right now.
2. To refer to a period of time in a broad sense: last week, today, this month. The action has already begun, but events are still happening in this period of time. It"s raining all day. It rains all day.
3. The action will take place in the near future and is already known for sure. Certificates or tickets are available. I'm going to London next week. Next week I'm going to London.
4. In those cases when you have to express boring constancy. You are always losing money. You always lose money.

How is this time formed? Here we use the already known form of the verb to be (am, is, are) with the addition of the ending ing to the verb. Required form The auxiliary verb is chosen in the same way as a declarative sentence in the Present Simple.

Declarative sentences

1. I am cooking now. I'm cooking.
2. You are drawing beautiful picture. You paint a beautiful picture.
3. She is reading a magazine now. She is reading a magazine.
4. They are studying at school now. They are at school now.
5. We are going to his work. We go to his work.
6. I am cooking very special supper with my boyfriend. My boyfriend and I are cooking a very special dinner.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences in the Present Progressive are constructed as follows:

First place is given auxiliary to be in the chosen form. If the offer contains question word, it comes first, followed by to be. Then comes the subject, expressed by a pronoun or noun, after which the verb ending in ing is used.

1. What am I doing here? What am I doing here?
2. Are you working now? Do you work?
3. Is she going home? Is she going home?
4. Are they reading newspaper while children are playing with toys in the garden. Do they read the newspaper while the children play with toys in the garden?

Negative sentences

Negative sentences in the Present Progressive are constructed according to the following scheme:

The negative particle not is added to the existing form of the verb to be. For brevity and euphony, the form of the verb to be is shortened with an apostrophe:

• I"m not at home now. I'm not at home now.
• We aren't in the room. We are coming to Ann. We are not in the room. We are going to Anna.
• He isn't listening to my favorite musical team. He doesn't listen to my favorite musical group.

Exercises with the verbs am, is, are will help reinforce the material.

Verb be (be) in the present tense has three forms: am, is, are:
am used only with a pronounI (I).
is - with nounssingular.
are - with nounsin plural . Pronoun you in English it is always plural, although it can be translated into Russian as “you” or “you”.

Verb Declension Table to be in the present simple tense:

I"m not hungry, but I"m thirsty.
I'm not hungry, but I'm thirsty. (thirsty - adjective)

Kristy(she) is my niece.
Christy is my niece.

The weather is n"t very nice today.
The weather today is not very pleasant.

Kittens(they) are very funny.
Kittens are very funny.

My sister and I(we) are big fans of Lady Gaga.
My sister and I are big Lady Gaga fans.

"Game of Thrones"(it) is the most expensive TV show.
"Game of Thrones" is the most expensive TV series.

In an interrogative sentence, am, is, are come before subject to. (In a declarative sentence, the verbs am, is, are come after the subject).

Are are you busy? - No, I"m not. I"m free now.
You're busy? - No. I'm free now.

Am I right? - No, you are n"t. You are wrong.
I'm right? - No. You're wrong. (wrong - adjective)

Where is my rucksack? Your rucksack (it) is under the desk.
Where's my backpack? - Your backpack is under the table.

How old are your children (they)? - My son (he) is 8 and my daughter (she) is 6.
How old are your children? - My son is 8, and my daughter is 6.

The pie is so delicious. Is the recipe difficult?
This pie is so delicious. Is his recipe complicated?

Use of verbs am, is, are:
It is unusual for the Russian language to use the verb “to be” in the present tense, and is omitted in translation. And in English the verb to be is very important, since it is linking verb- connects different parts of speech (2 nouns, a noun and an adjective, a pronoun and a noun). Otherwise the sentence is incomplete in meaning: Our daughter is a biologist. - At literal translation everything is fine - Our daughter is a biologist. But in English, without the verb is, this sentence is grammatically incorrect, since it is not clear how the daughter and the biologist are related. For your daughter to “become” a biologist, you need to connect these two nouns with the verb is - Our daughter is a biologist. - Our daughter (is/is) a biologist.

Remember! Sentence in English cannot exist without a verb, therefore, if there is no semantic verb in a Russian sentence, then in this sentence in English it is necessary to use the linking verb “to be”, i.e. am, is or are:

Klaus comes from Germany.
Klaus is from Germany. (come is a semantic verb - the verb is is not needed)
Klaus is from Germany.
Klaus from Germany. (without is the sentence will remain without a verb)

You look beautiful!
You look great! (there is a verb look)
You are beautiful.
You are wonderful! (no semantic verb)

This dog seems very clever.
This dog seems very smart. (there is a verb seem)
This dog is very clever.
This dog is very smart. (no semantic verb)

Note! Some verbs of the Russian language into English are translated by adjectives with the verb to be: late (late), tired (tired), ill (sick), angry (angry), afraid (afraid), thirsty (thirsty).

I "m too tired to cook.
I'm too tired to cook.

Why are you always late?
Why are you always late?

I don't understand why she is angry with me.
I don't understand why she's angry with me.

My son and husband (they) are ill.
My son and husband got sick.

Little kids are often afraid of the dark.
Young children are often afraid of the dark.

>When is the verb to be used?

When is the verb to be used in English?

Here you can find out when the verb to be is used.

Before talking about when the verb to be is used, it is necessary to recall that this is a special verb in the English language.
Firstly, it has different shapes for different pronouns. In Present Indefinite time am - for the pronoun I, is - for he, she, it, are - for we, you, they. In the tense Past Indefinite was - for singular pronouns, were - for plural pronouns. Secondly, the verb to be, unlike other verbs, is used to compose interrogative and negative sentences.

These features of the verb to be should always be remembered. The verb to be appears almost everywhere in English, and the most common occurrences are listed below.

1. Using the verb to be as a linking verb.
In this meaning, the verb to be is translated as to be, to appear.

For example.
He is an engineer - He is an engineer (he is an engineer).
Mary will be an economist next year - Mary will be a teacher next year.

If you pay attention, such sentences are translated into Russian without a verb. And since in English there cannot be a sentence without a verb, its function is performed by the verb to be, being a linking verb.

2. Using the verb to be as a semantic verb.
In this meaning, the verb to be is translated as to be, to be.

For example.
He isn't at the university - He is not at the university (he is not at the university).
I will be there at 6 o"clock - I will be there at six o'clock.

In such sentences, when translated, the verb to be is also often not translated.

3. Using the verb to be as an auxiliary verb.

a) In all tenses of the Continuous group.
I am calling him now - I’m calling him now.
My mother was cooking, when I came - My mother was cooking when I came.
I will be still sleeping at 3 o"clock - I will still sleep at 3 o'clock.

b) In all tenses of the group Perfect Continuous.
I have been waiting a long time for my sister - I have been waiting for my sister for a long time.
I had been sleeping for three hours when my mother came - I was sleeping for three hours when my mother came.

B) In all tenses of the passive voice.
The car was bought yesterday - The car was bought yesterday.
We were invited to a party - We were invited to a party.

4. Using the verb to be as a modal verb.
We are to do it at once - We must do it immediately.

5. The use of the verb to be as part of the phrase there is/there are.

The verb to be is part of a phrase.
There is a lamp in my room - There is a lamp in my room.

You won’t envy a person learning a foreign language for the first time. The student thinks in his own way native language, unconsciously tries to transfer the categories, norms and rules of his language into a foreign language. Therefore, when encountering a concept or phenomenon that is absent in native speech, even elementary things seem difficult to perceive.

Often the stumbling block is the verbs am, is, are English language. It is necessary to take time and understand this issue.

Three-headed dragon To be

The verb to be has no analogue in Russian. The fact is that the verb is more of an indicator of person and number than an independent meaning. To be has retained separate forms of singular and plural for the first and third person in the present tense.

Other verbs retained only the ending -s, which is a sign of the 3rd person singular, for example, She speak s. The same verb in conjunction with a 1st and 2nd person pronoun will differ from initial form to speak only by the absence of the to particle: “I speak” and “You speak”. The verbs am, is, are are forms of to be. You can focus the student’s attention on this by depicting the verb to be in the form of a dragon, and calling its heads Am, Is and Are.

Translation problems

The translation sounds like “is” or “to be.” The most common mistake young students make is trying to translate phrases like “I am Kristian” as “I am Christian.” This is a delicate moment for beginners learning a language. Such reservations should be corrected immediately.

The interaction of native and foreign languages ​​is very important for the learning process, so the translation should always sound competent and in accordance with the norms of the language. In general, everyone should memorize the verbs am, is, are.

When do they say am and is, and when do they say are?

Verbs are used in the present tense. For the past, there are the forms was and were; in sentences with the future tense, the form will be and very rarely, shall be, are used. You can remember the rules for using forms of the verb to be by studying the table presented below.

As can be seen from the table, the forms am, is, was are used to denote the singular, and are and were - the plural. In modern English shall and will are considered insufficient verbs. Both verbs are used only in the form of the present tense - shall/will, and the past tense - should/would.

Shall in current English is used only in the British version. In shall has retained its modal meaning and is used only in cases where they want to talk about the inevitability of an event. In British English shall is used with the pronouns I and we, and will is used with the pronouns she, he, it. Carefully study the following table, which shows the uses of the verb shall.

Common abbreviations for spoken and written speech

When used in negative sentences The particle not is added to all forms of the verb to be. The full spelling is rarely used; the abbreviated form of writing the negation is more common:

• I am = I"m, I am not = I"m not;
• he is = he"s, he is not = he"s not or he isn't;
• she is = she"s, she is not = she"s not or she isn't;
• it is = it"s, it is not = it"s not or it isn't;
• we are = we"re, we are not = we"re not or we aren't;
• you are = you"re, you are not = you"re not or you aren't;
• they are = they"re, they are not = they"re not or they aren't;
• I (he, she, it) was not = I (he, she, it) wasn"t;
• we (you, they) were not = we (you, they) weren't.

In common parlance and for writing, the following abbreviations of the forms will and shall are used:

• will/shall = "ll;
• will not = won't;
• shall not = shant"t;
• would/should = "d;
• would not = wouldn't;
• shouldn't = shouldn't.

As you can see, the shortened form for shall in the present and past tenses coincides with will, and in speech the difference between the use of forms has practically disappeared.

"To be or not to be" - that is the question

What does Shakespeare's famous line have to do with it?

To consolidate the rules for using the verbs am, is, are and others in practice, it is worth practicing composing affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

Most effective in terms of practicing speech skills interrogative sentences. It is necessary to train the use of the verb to be not only in the present, but also in the past and future tenses.

Another way to practice your language skills is to memorize short rhymes and poems. Studying poems on foreign language It will not only expand your knowledge of grammar, but also increase your vocabulary.

Variants of using the verb to be and its forms in speech

In speech, the verb to be can be used both as the main semantic predicate and as a connecting or auxiliary part of a compound predicate.

Here are examples of the most common ways to use a verb in speech:

1. The verb to be acts as the main predicate in order to emphasize membership in a particular group. For example, Sara is a florist (Sara is a florist) or Alan is my brother (Alan is my brother). In other words, the verb to be does not express an action, but states the state of an object and its belonging.
2. To be plays the role of the main word in a compound predicate along with adjectives. For example, Jilian is a beautiful young lady (Jilian is a beautiful young girl) or The TV-show is interesting (This TV show is interesting).
3. The verb is the main predicate in statements indicating a place or geographical location. For example, She is at dinner (She is at dinner) or His flat is in the center (His apartment is located in the center).
4. To be acts as a predicate in comparative designs. For example, The light is faster than the sound.
5. The verb to be can play an auxiliary role in continuous tenses. For example, Present Continuous: They are sitting on the ground (They are now sitting on the ground); Past Continuous: We were watching the TV-show when she telephoned (When she called, we were watching the TV show); Future Continuous: Jilly will be singing tonight.
6. The verb is used to express passive tenses. In such sentences, to be is conjugated in the required tense. The semantic verb is always used in the form of the past participle - Past Participle. Form of all sentences with passive voice one: Passive Subject + To Be + Past Participle. For example, Past Perfect: The breakfast had been eaten before she arrived (Breakfast was eaten before she arrived) or Past Simple: His car was bought in 1995 (His car was bought in 1995).

The verb to be plays a huge role in the English language. Proper use verb forms are necessary for beautiful and correct speech.