Beginner Lesson 3
Creation - Day 2
Grammar Exercise
Introduction to English Verbs
What is a Verb?
A verb is an action. Make, trust, eat, drink, and do are verbs.
You make our hearts glad because we trust you, the only God. (Psalm 33:21)
When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
There are also verbs that do not show action. They connect the subject of the sentence with more information. The best example of this kind of verb is be.
The Verb “Be”
The verb be does not show action. It gives us more information about the subject. Be changes its form with the subject of the sentence. This is the present tense.
I am
you (one person) are
he/she/it is
we are
you (two or more people) are
they are
We use are for every subject except I, he, she, and it. We say, I am, he is, she is, and it is.
Sample Verses
Here are some sample verses that use the verb be in the present tense.
Lord, I am your servant. (Luke 2:29)
You (one person) are merciful, Lord! (Psalm 119:56)
He is forever able to save the people he leads to God. (Hebrews 7:25)
Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. (Luke 1:36)
It is right to do good on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:12)
We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One. (John 6:69)
All of you (two or more people) are welcome to my meat and wine. (Proverbs 9:5)
They are praying for you and want to see you. (2 Corinthians 9:14)
Contractions
Look at this sentence in today’s Bible text:
And that’s what happened.
That’s means that is. We write it like this because it sounds like what we say. It is easier and faster to say that’s than that is.
This is called a contraction. It is very, very common in English to make a contraction with the verb be.
The contractions are:
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 are = you’re
they are = they’re
Sample Verses
Here are some Bible verses that use the verb be in a contraction:
Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” (I am) (John 21:3)
He’s the one who will rule Israel. (he is) (1 Samuel 9:17)
It’s an Israelite named Elisha. (It is) (2 Kings 6:12)
Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.” (they are) (Luke 23:34)
Conclusion
In this lesson we learned how to conjugate the verb be in the present simple tense. Read more about the present simple tense in this article. It will help you understand more about verbs in the present simple tense.
Practice Makes Perfect!
When you learn new grammar, practice by using it as much as possible. Do this worksheet about the verb be in the present simple tense.
Now click the button to go to the writing exercise.
