Using the Verb To Be
Lesduur is: 50 minOnderdelen in deze les
Open with familiar examples students already know, such as 'I am tired' or 'She is my friend', so the lesson starts from everyday language.
Learning goal
I can understand and use the verb to be in the positive, negative and question form.
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When we use to be
Names and identity: I am Sam.
Feelings: She is tired.
Age: He is fourteen.
Place: We are in class.
Description: The book is interesting.
These examples give students useful sentence patterns for later production.
To be Zijn
I am ik ben
you are jij bent
he is hij is
she is zij is
it is het is
we are wij zijn
you are jullie zijn
they are zij zijn
Positive sentences Bevestigende zinnen
___________________________________
___________________________________
____________________ my uncle.
_____________________ my aunt.
____________________ a beautiful day.
____________________ siblings.
You are all very quiet today.
_____________________ cousins.
Point out that students must learn the correct form with each subject. You can briefly mention contractions later, but keep full forms first.
Short Forms
In speaking and informal writing, we often use short forms:
I am → I'm
you are → you're
he is → he's
she is → she's
it is → it's
we are → we're
you (plural) are → you're plural=meervoud
they are → they're
Point out that students must learn the correct form with each subject. You can briefly mention contractions later, but keep full forms first.
Make a sentence with:
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Negative sentences Ontkennende zinnen
Weet iemand hoe we van een bevestigende zin (+) een ontkennende zin (-) kunnen maken met het werkwoord to be ?
Point out that students must learn the correct form with each subject. You can briefly mention contractions later, but keep full forms first.
Negative sentences Ontkennende zinnen
I am happy (+)
I am not happy (-)
We are writing (+)
We are not writing (-)
Welk woord hebben we toegevoegd om de zin ontkennend te maken?
Waar staat dit woord in de zin?
Point out that students must learn the correct form with each subject. You can briefly mention contractions later, but keep full forms first.
Questions Vragen
Weet iemand hoe we een vraag kunnen maken met het werkwoord to be ?
Point out that students must learn the correct form with each subject. You can briefly mention contractions later, but keep full forms first.
Questions Vragen
I am happy (+)
Am I happy ?
She is reading (+)
Is she reading?
Wat valt jullie op aan de woordvolgorde?
Bij een vraag met to be draait de woordvolgorde om: het werkwoord komt nu vóór het onderwerp.
Point out that students must learn the correct form with each subject. You can briefly mention contractions later, but keep full forms first.
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Is she Spanish? Yes, she ________ Spanish
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Is he Swedish? No, he ________ Swedish.
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Are they Dutch? Yes, they ________ Dutch.
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She ___________ British.
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They ___________ British.
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............ they in the Netherlands?
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............ he in Greece?
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............ I Dutch ?
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They are in Greece. Turn this sentence into a question (?)
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They are on holiday. Turn this sentence into a (-) negative sentence.
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Maak opdracht 7 op pagina 28.
Maak opdracht 8 op pagina 29.
Maak opdracht 9 op pagina 30.
Ben je klaar?
wordmap?
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One word or short phrase you know with am, is or are
Use this as prior knowledge activation. Expect examples such as 'I am happy', 'she is nice' or 'we are here'. Briefly discuss which answers already use the verb to be correctly.
What is the verb to be?
The verb to be is one of the most common verbs in English.
We use it to talk about who someone is, what something is, how someone feels and where someone is.
Examples: I am happy. They are at school.
Keep the focus on meaning and use, not grammar labels only. Students need to see that 'to be' connects a subject to information.
Positive form
I am ready.
You are my friend.
He is at home.
We are busy.
A positive sentence gives information.
Make sure students notice that the form changes with the subject, but the sentence order stays simple: subject + am/is/are + extra information.
Positive form pattern
Subject + am/is/are + complement
I am a student.
She is kind.
They are in the park.
You may explain 'complement' as the information after the verb: a name, place, feeling or description.
Which sentence is in the positive form?
She is kind.
Is she kind?
She not is kind.
She is not kind.
Checks recognition of the positive form after the first block on meaning, forms and pattern. Distractors mirror the question form, the negative form and a common word-order mistake.
Complete the sentences with the correct form
My name is Ben. I am happy today. My friends are in class with me.
Students match subject and form: 'name' takes 'is', 'I' takes 'am', and plural 'friends' takes 'are'.
Negative form
To make a sentence negative, add not.
I am not late.
She is not tired.
We are not at school.
A negative sentence says something is not true.
Students often forget 'not' or put it in the wrong place. Emphasise that it comes after am, is or are.
Negative form pattern
Subject + am/is/are + not + complement
He is not eleven.
You are not alone.
It is not cold.
If helpful, briefly note common contractions such as isn't and aren't, but keep the main pattern clear first.
Where does not go in a negative sentence?
after the subject
after am/is/are
at the end
before the subject
Targets the key rule from the negative-form slides: subject + am/is/are + not + complement.
Complete the negative form
I am not late today. She is not tired, and we are not at school yet.
The blanks test the helping forms only, because students must already place 'not' after them from the slide content.
Question form
To make a question, put am, is or are before the subject.
Am I late?
Is she your sister?
Are they at home?
This is the key contrast with positive sentences: the verb moves before the subject.
Question form pattern
Am/Is/Are + subject + complement?
Are you happy?
Is he in the classroom?
Are we ready?
Students may copy word order from their first language. Reinforce the English question pattern clearly.
Positive, negative and question
Sentence changes
What changes?
She is happy.
She is not happy.
Is she happy?
Positive: normal order
Negative: add not
Question: move is before she
This comparison slide helps students see one sentence change across three forms instead of treating each form separately.
Which is the correct question form?
You are ready?
Are ready you?
Are you ready?
You ready are?
Checks inversion: am/is/are comes before the subject in questions.
Complete the three forms
She is happy. She is not happy. Is she happy?
This mirrors the comparison slide exactly: positive, negative and question form of the same sentence.
What changes from positive to negative to question?
Expected elements: students should mention that the positive form keeps normal order, the negative form adds 'not' after am/is/are, and the question form moves am/is/are before the subject.
To be in short answers
Are you from Spain?
Yes, I am.
Is he your teacher?
No, he is not.
Show that short answers repeat the correct form of to be. Avoid answers like 'Yes, I' or 'No, he not'.
Common mistakes
I is happy. ❌ → I am happy. ✅
She are here. ❌ → She is here. ✅
You not are late. ❌ → You are not late. ✅
He is tired? ❌ → Is he tired? ✅
Students often confuse am/is/are and question word order. Use this slide to correct errors gently and clearly.
Using to be in real sentences
I am in Year 2.
My friends are friendly.
Our teacher is in the classroom.
We are not late.
Are you ready for English?
End the content arc by showing that the verb to be is useful in everyday school situations and simple personal communication.
What is one thing you learned about to be today?
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What is one thing you learned about to be today?
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Exit Tickets
verb - a word that shows an action or a state
to be - the verb with the forms am, is and are
subject - the person or thing in the sentence
positive sentence - a sentence that gives information
negative sentence - a sentence that says something is not true
question - a sentence that asks for information
short answer - a brief answer such as yes, I am or no, she is not
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