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Verb to be: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Levels A1 to A2 6 lesson plans · 3 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

The verb to be is the first verb most beginners learn: am, is and are for names, places, jobs and feelings, and was and were for the past. Gathered here are 6 ready-made lessons on it from the edio.ai library, levels A1 to A2, interactive and in American English. Try their exercises, look at each form in the grammar schemes, and pick a lesson for your class, from greetings and nationalities to was born. Students practice in their own accounts, and the exercises check themselves.

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Verb to be lesson plans and drills

6 lesson plans and 3 drill lessons, A1 to A2. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 45 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the verb to be exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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Verb to be explained

We use be to say who people are, where they come from, where they are and how they feel: I'm Sam, We're American, They're in the kitchen, I was tired. Unlike most verbs, be makes questions and negatives without do or did: She isn't here, Was it hot?

Am, is and are: every person, yes and no

I takes am, he, she and it take is, and you, we and they take are, often shortened to I'm, she's, you're. For no, add not: I'm not, he isn't, we aren't, and with you also you're not.

WhoYes ✓No ✗
II'm Olivia. (= I am)I'm not Emma. (= I am not)
youYou're Sam. (= you are)You aren't Jack. / You're not Jack. (= you are not)
he, she, itHe's Sam. She's Mia. It's late. (= he is, she is, it is)He isn't Jack. She isn't Emma. It isn't late. (= he is not, she is not, it is not)
weWe're roommates. (= we are)We aren't in Texas. (= we are not)
theyThey're in the kitchen. (= they are)They aren't in the backyard. (= they are not)

From the lesson Hi, hey, howdy or aloha? (English A1.1)

He, she, it, we or they?

A man is he, a woman she, a place it, and two or more people they, while Liam and I make we. Where are you from? is answered with from + a country, or with a nationality and no from: I'm from Mexico. I'm Mexican.

People and places

  • Hans is from Germany. He's German.a man → he
  • Ingrid is from Sweden. She's Swedish.a woman → she
  • Ellis Island? It's in New York Harbor.a place or a thing → it
  • Liam and I are from the USA. We're American.Liam and I → we
  • Rosa and Marco are from Italy. They're Italian.two or more people → they

Where are you from?

QuestionAnswer
Where are you from?I'm from Mexico. I'm Mexican.
Where's he from? (Where's = Where is)He's from Germany. He's German.
Where's she from?She's from China. She's Chinese.
Where are they from?They're from Greece. They're Greek.

From the lesson Ellis Island: where are they from? (English A1.1)

Yes/no questions: am, is or are first

For a question, move am, is or are to the front: She is American becomes Is she American? Short answers repeat the verb, in full after yes, Yes, I am, and often short after no: No, he isn't.

be: sentence and question

SentenceQuestion
I am late.Am I late?
You are a guide.Are you a guide?
He is a bus driver.Is he a bus driver?
She is American.Is she American?
It is in English.Is it in English?
We are in the right room.Are we in the right room?
They are interpreters.Are they interpreters?

Short answers

QuestionYesNo
Am I late?Yes, you are.No, you aren't.
Are you a student?Yes, I am.No, I'm not.
Is he from Atlanta?Yes, he is.No, he isn't.
Is she a guide?Yes, she is.No, she isn't.
Is it in English?Yes, it is.No, it isn't.
Are you and Kofi roommates?Yes, we are.No, we aren't.
Are they interpreters?Yes, they are.No, they aren't.

From the lesson Six languages at the UN (English A1.1)

Was and were: be in the past

The past of be has just two forms. Was goes with I, he, she, it and any one person or thing; were goes with you, we, they and two or more: My mom was happy, My friends were there.

was

  • I was
  • he, she, it was
  • one person or thing: My mom was happy. The café was busy.

were

  • you were
  • we, they were
  • two or more: My friends were there. The roommates were tired.

From the lesson Why do we have two days off? (English A1.2)

Wasn't, weren't, Was…? and was born

At A2, the past of be gets its negatives and questions: It wasn't hot, Were you at the beach? Dates and places of birth need was born or were born, never born alone: She was born in 1951, Where were you born?

be in the past: every person

WhoYes ✓No ✗Question ?
II was late.I wasn't late.Was I late?
youYou were at the beach.You weren't at the beach.Were you at the beach?
heHe was tired.He wasn't tired.Was he tired?
sheShe was an astronaut.She wasn't an astronaut.Was she an astronaut?
itIt was hot.It wasn't hot.Was it hot?
weWe were in Florida.We weren't in Florida.Were we in Florida?
theyThey were in orbit.They weren't in orbit.Were they in orbit?

was born

Say itAsk it
I was born in Ohio.Where were you born?
She was born in 1951.When was she born?
They were born in Texas.Were they born in Texas?

From the lesson The first American woman in space (English A2.1)

Questions about the verb to be

What are the forms of the verb to be?
Am, is and are; in the past, was and were. I am, you are, he / she / it is, we are, they are, with the short forms I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're and they're. The past has was for I, he, she and it, and were for you, we and they.
When do we use the verb to be?
For names, jobs, origins, places and feelings. I'm Olivia, He's a bus driver, We're from Brazil, The keys are in the kitchen, I'm tired. It also describes things and the weather (It's sunny), and in the past it says where people were: I was at home on Sunday. A common slip is doubling it: I'm is Olivia for I'm Olivia.
How do you make questions with the verb to be?
Put am, is or are before the subject. So He is from Atlanta becomes Is he from Atlanta? Short answers use the same verb: Yes, he is, No, he isn't. Question words go first (Where are you from?), and the past works the same way: Were they at home?
How do you make the verb to be negative?
Add not after the verb: am not, isn't, aren't. I'm not Emma, He isn't late, We aren't in Texas. With you, both you aren't and you're not are correct, but I has only one short form, I'm not. The past negatives are wasn't and weren't: It wasn't hot, They weren't in orbit.
Do you use do or does with the verb to be?
No: be forms questions and negatives on its own. Say Are you tired? and She isn't here, not Do you are…? or She doesn't be… Most other verbs still need do: Do you speak French?, not Are you speak French? The past follows the same rule, so Was she the first? is right and Did she was…? is wrong.
How do I teach the verb to be to beginners?
Begin with I'm and you're in greetings. In English A1.1, lesson 1 uses I'm and you're to say hello and spell names, lesson 2 adds he's, she's and they're with countries and nationalities, lesson 3 asks yes/no questions with short answers, and lesson 4 reviews them. The past follows in English A1.2 with was and were, and in English A2.1 with negatives, questions and was born.
What are good verb to be games and activities?
Guessing games built on simple questions. In “Who am I?”, one student takes a famous name and the class asks Are you a singer? or Are you from Canada? until someone guesses. Name cards with a new country and job turn introductions into a mingle. Each lesson also has a chat and a speaking game, Spin the wheel or Open the box.
Are there interactive verb to be exercises?
Yes, and the ones above need no account. Each comes from one of the lessons on this page, whose drills include drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to fill in and quizzes on am, is and are, short answers, and was and were. In their own accounts, students find out at once whether each answer is right. A free trial opens all the verb to be lessons, and the rest of the library too.
When do you use was or were?
I, he, she, it: was. You, we, they: were. A singular noun takes was (The café was busy), a plural one were (My friends were there), and you always takes were, even for one person. Watch for We was and I were. In questions, the verb comes first: Was it sunny?
Do the verb to be lessons work with one student?
Yes, both in a live lesson and at home. Live, your student follows along in their own account while you lead, and the speaking games need only the two of you. At home, the drills check themselves, and any recorded answer comes to you to listen to.

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