El verbo To Be (ser/estar) es el verbo más importante del inglés. Se usa para identificar, describir, ubicar y expresar estados. Tiene formas irregulares que debes memorizar.
Para el COMIPEMS: Este tema puede aparecer en preguntas de comprensión de lectura y en preguntas gramaticales de opción múltiple. Asegúrate de entender los conceptos principales y de poder aplicarlos sin pensar demasiado. To Be en presente — AM / IS / ARE
| Tipo | Ejemplo | Contracción | Traducción |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | I am tired. | I'm tired. | Estoy cansado. |
| Negativa | I am not tired. | I'm not tired. | No estoy cansado. |
| Pregunta | Am I late? | — | ¿Llego tarde? |
| Respuesta sí | Yes, you are. | Yes, you're. | Sí, llegas tarde. |
| Respuesta no | No, you are not. | No, you're not. / No, you aren't. | No, no llegas tarde. |
| Afirmativa he | He is my teacher. | He's my teacher. | Es mi maestro. |
| Negativa he | He is not here. | He's not / He isn't here. | No está aquí. |
| Pregunta she | Is she your sister? | — | ¿Es tu hermana? |
| Respuesta | Yes, she is. | — | Sí, lo es. |
| Pronombre | Pasado | Negativa | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | wasn't | I was at school yesterday. |
| You | were | weren't | Were you at home last night? |
| He/She/It | was | wasn't | She was very tired. |
| We | were | weren't | We were late. |
| They | were | weren't | They were happy. |
| Uso | Ejemplo en inglés | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| Identidad | She is a doctor. | Ella es doctora. |
| Descripción | The sky is blue. | El cielo es azul. |
| Origen | I am from Mexico. | Soy de México. |
| Ubicación | He is at school. | Él está en la escuela. |
| Estado temporal | She is tired. | Ella está cansada. |
| Edad | I am 16 years old. | Tengo 16 años. |
| Hora | It is 3pm. | Son las 3pm. |
| Clima | It is hot today. | Hace calor hoy. |
| Precio | It is $200. | Cuesta $200. |
| Present Continuous | She is studying. | Ella está estudiando. |
Además de los usos básicos (ser/estar), el verbo To Be tiene usos específicos que muchos estudiantes no conocen.
• She is happy today. — estado temporal
• He is tall. — característica permanente
• The food is delicious. — descripción
• I am tired after work. — condición física
• We are ready to go. — estado de preparación
• She is a doctor. — profesión (siempre con artículo)
• He is my brother. — relación
• It is a Honda. — identificación
• They are students. — categoría (plural sin artículo)
• The keys are on the table.
• She is at work. — ubicación con preposición at
• We are in Mexico City.
There is / There are: "There is a book on the shelf." | "There are three cats outside."
To Be + -ing (Continuous): "I am studying." | "She is running."
To Be + participio (Passive): "The car was stolen." | "It is being repaired."
To Be going to (futuro): "I am going to travel next week."
En inglés natural y conversacional siempre se usan contracciones:
I'm (not I am) | You're (not You are) | He's / She's / It's | We're | They're
I'm not | You're not / You aren't | He's not / He isn't | We're not / We aren't
Regla: en inglés escrito formal (ensayos, cartas) evita las contracciones. En conversación y textos informales, siempre úsalas.
El pasado del To Be tiene solo dos formas:
WAS: con I, he, she, it → "I was tired. She was happy. It was cold."
WERE: con you, we, they → "You were right. We were late. They were excited."
Negativo: was not (wasn't) | were not (weren't)
Preguntas: Was I/he/she/it...? | Were you/we/they...?
El español distingue entre SER (permanente) y ESTAR (temporal). El inglés usa TO BE para ambos:
Soy mexicano → I am Mexican. | Estoy cansado → I am tired.
La "permanencia" o "temporalidad" se deduce del contexto y del adjetivo, no del verbo.
Hay una excepción: ESTAR MUERTO se dice "to be dead" (permanente) pero ESTAR DORMIDO es "to be asleep" (temporal). El inglés simplemente usa el adjetivo apropiado.
1. She ___ a teacher. → is
2. They ___ from Mexico. → are
3. I ___ not tired. → am
4. ___ you ready? → Are
5. The book ___ on the table. → is
6. We ___ students. → are
7. He ___ tall and handsome. → is
8. Yesterday it ___ very cold. → was
9. They ___ in Paris last week. → were
10. ___ she a doctor? Yes, she ___. → Is / is
11. There ___ a problem. → is
12. There ___ many students. → are
13. I ___ going to study tomorrow. → am
14. The car ___ being repaired. → is
15. ___ there any milk? No, there ___. → Is / isn't