ESL For Arabic Speakers: Verb To Be in Present - He Teacher, He Is a Teacher

What It Is

The verb to be in the present tense is used to describe a person, place, or thing. It is a basic verb that shows existence, identity, or state. For example, "He is a teacher" is correct, but "He teacher" is incorrect. This topic causes difficulty for ESL learners because it involves understanding the different forms of to be and when to use them.

Key Rules

• Subject + am/is/are (e.g., "I am a student.")
• Use am with I and you (e.g., "I am happy.")
• Use is with he/she/it (e.g., "She is a doctor.")
• Use are with they (e.g., "They are friends.")
• Use was/were for past tense (e.g., "I was a student.")
• Use been for past participle (e.g., "I have been a student.")
• Be is an irregular verb (e.g., "go-went," but "be-am/is/are")
• Be is used for permanent or general statements (e.g., "He is a teacher.")
• Be is used for temporary or changing situations (e.g., "He is a teacher now.")
• Use to be with adjectives (e.g., "He is happy.")
• Use to be with nouns (e.g., "He is a teacher.")
• To be can be used with very (e.g., "He is very happy.")
• To be can be used with so (e.g., "He is so happy.")
• To be can be used with too (e.g., "He is too happy.")
• Use to be with not (e.g., "He is not happy.")
• Use to be with either/or (e.g., "He is either happy or sad.")

Common ESL Errors

Error: "He teacher." Why it happens: Interference from L1 grammar rules. Correction: "He is a teacher." (Use to be with a noun to describe a person or thing.)

Error: "I am go to the store." Why it happens: Overgeneralization of verb forms. Correction: "I am going to the store." (Use going to for future plans.)

Error: "He is very happy." Why it happens: Lack of understanding of adverb placement. Correction: "He is very happy." (Use very with adjectives to describe a person or thing.)

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank: "She ____ (be) a doctor." Answer: is Reason: Use to be with a noun to describe a person or thing.

2. Fill in the blank: "I ____ (be) a student last year." Answer: was Reason: Use was for past tense.

3. Fill in the blank: "They ____ (be) friends for a long time." Answer: are Reason: Use are with they.

Last-Minute Revision

Be is an irregular verb. Use to be with adjectives and nouns. Use was/were for past tense. Use been for past participle. Use am/is/are for present tense. Use to be with not. Use to be with either/or. Use to be with very. Use to be with so. Use to be with too.
To be can be used with adverbs.
To be can be used with prepositions.
To be can be used with conjunctions.
To be can be used with phrasal verbs.
To be can be used with idiomatic expressions.