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Kielioppi
Sentence structure A1

Be sentences

Use be to talk about identity, description, age, feelings, location, and basic situations.

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Visuaalinen opas

Be is the bridge

BE = a bridge to information

who/what  ── am / is / are ──► information

I         ── am  ────────────► Alex.
She       ── is  ────────────► tired.
They      ── are ────────────► at home.

Negative:  who/what ── be + not ──► information
           I am not busy.

Question:  be ── who/what ──► information?
           Are you okay?

For feelings/descriptions, use the be bridge:
           Are you happy?   ✓
           Do you happy?    ✗

Use be as a bridge from the person/thing to information about identity, feeling, place, or situation.

Introduction

What be sentences do

Use be when the sentence is about what someone or something is, how it is, where it is, or what the basic situation is. Be is one of the first English verbs because it builds simple, useful statements: identity, description, feelings, location, age, weather, time, and status. In these sentences, there is no action like run or eat. The sentence links a subject to information about that subject.
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

I am Alex.

A basic be sentence can give a name or identity.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

I
subject
The speaker is the subject.
am
be_form
Use am with I.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Alex
identity
The name identifies the subject.
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

She is tired.

Be links the subject to a feeling or state.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

She
subject
The person we are talking about.
is tired
be_plus_state
Use is + adjective to describe a state.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

They are at home.

Be can show location.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

They
subject
The people or things we are talking about.
are at home
be_plus_place
Use are + place phrase for location with they.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Cognitive metaphor

Be is a bridge

Think of be as a small bridge. On the left is the subject; on the right is information about that subject. The bridge says that these two parts belong together now. It can connect a person to an identity, a thing to a description, or an object to a place. Be is not an action word in this pattern. It does not mean do, make, go, or have. It simply links the subject to the description, name, place, feeling, or situation that follows.
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Ava is a student.

Be connects a subject to an identity or role.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

Ava
subject
The person we are talking about.
is a student
be_plus_identity
Use is + noun phrase to say what one person is.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

My keys are on the table.

Be can link a plural subject to a place.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

My keys
subject
The plural thing we are talking about.
are on the table
be_plus_place
Use are + place phrase for the location of plural things.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Core pattern

Subject + be + information

The core pattern is subject + be + information. The information after be can be a noun phrase, an adjective, or a place phrase. Use am with I, is with he, she, it, and one thing, and are with you, we, they, and plural things. In relaxed English, contractions are very common: I’m, you’re, he’s, she’s, it’s, we’re, they’re. Full forms are also correct and are useful for emphasis or careful speech.
Spoken Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Informal

I'm ready.

Contractions are common in speech and everyday writing.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

I'm
contraction
I'm means I am.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
ready
state
An adjective describes the subject.
Spoken Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Informal

You're late.

Use are with you; the common contraction is you're.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

You're
contraction
You're means you are.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
late
description
An adjective describes the subject.
Spoken Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

We're from Canada.

Use are with we; the common contraction is we're.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

We're
contraction
We're means we are.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
from Canada
origin
A from-phrase gives origin.
Sentence xray

See the parts

X-ray the sentence My sister is at school. My sister is the subject: the person we are talking about. Is is the be form that matches one person. At school is the information: her location. If the subject changes, be may change too. If the information changes, the be form can stay the same. The middle link is important: in a simple English sentence, a subject plus an adjective, noun, or place usually needs be.
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

My sister is at school.

This sentence shows the reusable frame subject + be + place.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

My sister
subject
The person we are talking about.
is
be_form
Use is with one person or thing.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
at school
place
The place information comes after be.
Form variations

Questions and negatives

For yes/no questions, move be before the subject: be + subject + information. Statement order is you are okay; question order is are you okay? With a singular noun, use is before the subject. For negatives, put not after be. In speech and everyday writing, contractions are common: isn’t and aren’t. Short answers also keep be: yes, I am; no, it isn’t; yes, they are; no, they aren’t.
Question Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Are you okay?

Be comes before the subject in yes/no questions.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

Are you
question_be
Put are before you to make a yes/no question.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
okay
state
The adjective gives the state.
Question Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Is the shop open?

Use is before one thing in a be question.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

Is the shop
question_be
Put is before a singular noun subject in a question.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
open
state
The adjective gives the status.
Negative Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

I am not busy.

Put not after be to make a negative.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

I
subject
The speaker is the subject.
am not
negative_be
Use am not to make I negative with be.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
busy
state
The adjective describes the subject.
Negative Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

They are not here.

Not follows are in a negative be sentence.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

They
subject
The people or things we are talking about.
are not here
negative_be
Use are not + place word to say a plural subject is absent.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Usage rules

Main everyday uses

Use be for several high-frequency meanings. Identity means a person or thing is a type, role, or name. Description means something is big, small, ready, new, easy, or difficult. Age also uses be in English. Feelings and body states often use be: tired, hungry, cold, fine, or okay. Location uses be with place phrases. Weather, time, and basic status often use be too. These are state or situation sentences, not action sentences.
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

I am twenty.

English uses be to talk about age.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

I
subject
The speaker is the subject.
am twenty
be_plus_age
Use be, not have, for age in English.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Core Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

It is sunny.

Weather sentences often use it is.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

It
weather_subject
Use it as the subject for weather.
is sunny
be_plus_weather
Use is + weather adjective for basic weather.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
Contrast

Be is not do

The closest confusion is be versus ordinary action verbs with do. Do not use do to make questions or negatives when be is the main verb. Be makes its own question: are you happy? But ordinary action verbs need do in simple present questions: do you work here? The contrast is be + adjective, place, or noun, but do + subject + action verb. Use do for work, live, like, want, and other actions.
Mistake Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Do you happy?

Do is not used to make a question when happy is the information after be.

Corrected Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Are you happy?

Be makes its own question with adjectives like happy.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

Are you
question_be
Use are before you in a be question.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
happy
feeling
The adjective describes the feeling.
Contrast Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Do you work here?

Ordinary action verbs, such as work, use do in simple present questions.

Rakennuspalikat

Lue lause merkityskokonaisuuksina, älä sana sanalta.

Do you work
question_do
Use do + subject + base verb for an ordinary action question.
Opettele yhtenä kokonaisuutena
here
place
Here gives the place.
Mistake Kielioppi A1 Sanasto A1 Neutral

Are you work here?

Work is an action verb here, so a simple present question needs do, not be.

Danger zone

Common A1 traps

Watch for three common errors. First, do not drop be between the subject and the information; English usually needs the link. Second, match the form to the subject: I am, one person or thing is, you, we, they, and plural things are. Third, put not after be, not before it. In simple present, do not add a second main verb after be unless you are using another structure, such as an -ing action. For this A1 pattern, keep the sentence simple.
Summary

The practical rule

A complete be sentence names a subject, chooses the correct form of be, and adds useful information. Use it to say who someone is, what something is like, how old someone is, how someone feels, where something is, or what the situation is. For statements, use subject + am/is/are + information. For questions, put am/is/are before the subject. For negatives, put not after am/is/are. When the next word is an action verb like work or live, check whether you need do instead.
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