Grammar Talks A1-01 Be Verbs

Meet the Teachers

Two teachers introduce themselvels and talk about their families.

Aimee: So Todd, where are you from?

Todd: I am from the U.S., I am from San Francisco. It's on the west coast.

Aimee: And what do you do?

Todd: I'm an English teacher. Also, I create Elllo. I work on Elllo a lot.

Aimee: Okay. How old are you?

Todd: I am 47. Yeah. I am old.

Aimee: No. That's not old. Who is your best friend?

Todd: My best friend is Don, he is a teacher too. He lives in America.

Aimee: And are you married?

Todd: No, I am not married. I am still single.

Aimee: Where is your mum from?

Todd: My mom is from California, she is from Los Angeles.

Aimee: And what does she do?

Todd: She is a manager, she works in a clothing store.

Aimee: Where is your dad from?

Todd: My dad is from San Francisco. He is not from Los Angeles, but he met my mother in Los Angeles.

Aimee: And what does he do?

Todd: He is also a manager, he works for a tree cutting company. They cut trees.

Aimee: Wow. That sounds exciting.

Todd: Yeah, cool job.

Aimee: Is it dangerous?

Todd: It is, a little dangerous. A little. And Aimee, what about you? Where are you from?

Aimee: I'm from Glasgow, on the west coast of Scotland in the United Kingdom.

Todd: Nice. And what do you do?

Aimee: I'm also a teacher.

Todd: Nice. What do you teach?

Aimee: I teach English.

Todd: Oh, me too.

Aimee: It's fun, isn't it?

Todd: It is. It is very fun. Excuse me, can I ask, how old are you?

Aimee: Of course, you can ask. I'm 34.

Todd: Okay. Very young. Very young. Where is your mom from?

Aimee: My mum is also from Glasgow.

Todd: Oh, nice. What does she do?

Aimee: Well, she's retired now, but she was a nurse.

Todd: Oh nice. And is your dad from Glasgow?

Aimee: Yes, he is.

Todd: What does he do?

Aimee: He's also retired, but he used to be a teacher.

Todd: Oh wow. Many teachers.

Aimee: Yes. Looks like it.

Todd: Well, thanks Aimee. Nice talking to you.

Aimee: You too, Todd.

Be Verbs (am, is, are) Simple Present

Point 1: The Be verb has three forms in the present tense - am, is, are.
  1. I am a teacher.
  2. You are a student.
  3. He is a nice man.
  4. She is very smart.
Point 2: Use am and am not for the pronoun I.
  1. I am American.
  2. I am not tired.
  3. I'm happy. (am = 'm)
  4. I'm not sad. (am = 'm)
Point 3: Use are and are not for the pronoun you.
  1. You are a student.
  2. You are not a teacher.
  3. You're a nice person. (are = 're)
  4. You're not late. (are not = 're not)
  5. You aren't late. (are not = aren't)
Point 4: Use is and is not for the pronoun she.
  1. She is my friend.
  2. She is not my sister.
  3. She's very smart. (is = 's)
  4. She's not here. (is not = 's not)
  5. She isn't here. (is not = isn't)
Point 5: Use is and is not for the pronoun he.
  1. He is my friend.
  2. He is not my brother.
  3. He's very smart. (is = 's)
  4. He's not here. (is not = 's not)
  5. He isn't here. (is not = isn't)
Point 6: Use is and is not for the pronoun it.
  1. It is cold today.
  2. It is not warm.
  3. It's easy. (is = 's)
  4. It's not hard (is not = 's not)
  5. It isn't hard. (is not = isn't)
Point 7: Use are and are not for the pronoun they.
  1. They are my friends.
  2. They are not from here.
  3. They're nice people.(are = 're)
  4. They're not my shoes. (are not = 're not)
  5. They aren't my shoes. (are not = aren't)
Point 8: Use are and are not for the pronoun we.
  1. We are here.
  2. We are not late.
  3. We're good friends. (are = 're)
  4. We're not busy. (are not = 're not)
  5. We aren't busy. (are not = aren't)
Answer the following questions about the interview.
Begginer A1 Conversations as listening lessons with natural English for ESL students.
Begginer A2 Conversations as listening lessons with natural English for ESL students.
Begginer B1 Conversations as listening lessons with natural English for ESL students.

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