be and have

What you will practice

• Use am, is, and are with the right subject.
• Use have for I, you, we, and they, and has for he, she, and it.
• Talk about age with be, not with have.

Explanation

be

be has three present forms. I am, often I’m. He is, she is, and it is. You are, we are, and they are. The pronoun you uses are for one person and for several. A job uses this verb: She is a teacher. Here the job title takes a or an.

have

have has two present forms. I have, you have, we have, and they have. He has, she has, and it has. Use it for possession and family: I have a brother, She has two cats. The question is Do you have a brother? with do, not Have you a brother? in ordinary modern English.

Age and jobs

Age uses be: I am twenty or I am twenty years old. I have twenty years is a translation from languages that use “have,” and it is not English. Origin also uses be: I am from Berlin. A feeling can use be too: I am tired.

Examples

1. She is a teacher.She is a teacher.
2. I am twenty years old.I am twenty years old.
3. I have a brother.I have a brother.
4. He has two cats.He has two cats.
5. They are from Berlin.They are from Berlin.

Common mistakes

• He have and she have are missing the -s form. The form is has.
• Do not drop the verb. She teacher needs is: She is a teacher.