Are you wondering how to teach the be verb to English language learners?
The be verb is often the first verb that English learners learn. We use the be verb to make introductions and tell the most basic information about ourselves; for example, our names and where we are from:
“My name is Maggie. I am from the United States.”
Be is the most commonly used verb in English, but some languages don’t have the equivalent of the be verb. Another tricky thing about the be verb is that it can take many forms and it is an irregular verb – it changes according to the subject.
It is important not to overwhelm learners with too much information about the be verb. Here are three basic ways that we use the be verb that you can teach to beginner students.
1. Be + Noun
We use be to describe a subject with a noun; in other words, to describe what someone or something is. For example, “I’m a teacher. Robbie is a child. Teresa is a cat.”
2. Be + Adjective
We use the be verb with adjectives to express physical states and emotions: “I am hungry. Hannah is cold. Carlos is happy.” It is important to introduce vocabulary for these physical states and emotions. For learners at a beginning level, it is effective to use a lot of visuals and comprehensive input to teach new words and concepts.
3. Be + Place
We use the be verb with places and prepositions of place to describe where someone or something is located: “The kids are outside. You are in the classroom. Natalie is in Canada.” I like to teach a few prepositions of place when I teach the be verb such as in, on, and at, but I am careful not to teach too many at once.
Once students get the hang of these basic uses of the be verb, you can teach there is/there are along with singular and plural nouns, contractions, and questions with be.
For no-prep English lessons on the be verb, check out my newly revamped Be Verb Grammar Lesson and my newly created Questions with Be Grammar Lesson. I’ve bundled these lessons together along with some Be Verb Grammar Task Cards at a discounted price! Click the images below to check them out:
