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TOEFL | English Grammar for Students | Conjugation Of The Verb Be

Conjugation Of The Verb Be

Principal Parts.

Pres.	Past.	Post Part.
Be.	Was.	Been.

Indicative Mode. Present Tense

Singular.		Plural.
1.	I am.	1.	We are.
2.	You are.	2.	You are.
3.	He is.	3.	They are.

Present Perfect Tense

Singular.		Plural.
1.	I have been.	1.	We have been.
2.	You have been.	2.	You have been.
3.	He has been.	3.	They have been.

Past Tense

Singular.		Plural.
1.	I was.	1.	We were.
2.	You were.	2.	You were.
3.	He was.	3.	They were.

Past Perfect Tense

Singular.		Plural
1.	I had been.	1.	We had been.
2.	You had been.	2.	Yon had been.
8.	He had been.	8.	They had been.

Future Tense

Singular,		Plural
1.	I shall be.	1.	We shall be.
2.	You will be.	2.	You will be.
3.	He will be.	3.	They will be.

Or to express determination:

1.	I Trill be.	1.	We will be.
2.	Yon shall be.	2.	You shall be.
3.	He shall be.	3.	They shall be.

Future Perfect Tense

	Singular.		Plural.
1.	I shall have been.	1.	We shall have been.
2.	You will have been.	2.	You will have been.
8.	He will have been.	3.	They will have been.

Or to express determination:

1.	I will have been.	1.	We will have been.
2.	Yon shall have been.	2.	You shall have been.
8.	He shall have been.	3.	They shall have been.

Subjunctive Mode (Usually Follows If, Though, Lest, That, Etc.)

As all the tenses are formed regularly, the first person singular only is given for each tense.

Present Tense

Singular. (If) I be.

Present Perfect Tense

Singular. (If) I have been.

Past Tense

Singular. (If) I were.

Past Perfect Tense

Singular. (If) I had been.

Potential Mode

Note

The conjugation of the potential mode of the verb be is here given for the benefit of those who prefer to use this form.

Present Tense

	Singular.		Plural.
1.	I may be.	1.	We may be.
2.	You may be.	2.	You may be.
3.	He may be.	3.	They may be.

In the same way conjugate can be and must be.

Present Perfect Tense

	Singular.		Plural.
1.	I may have been.	1.	We may have been.
2.	You may have been.	2.	You may have been.
3.	He may have been.	3.	They may have been.

In the same way conjugate can have been and must have been.

Past Tense

	Singular.		Plural.
1.	I might be.	1.	We might be.
2.	You might be.	2.	You might be.
3.	He might be.	3.	They might be.

In the same way conjugate could be, would be, and should be.

Past Perfect Tense

	Singular.		Plural.
1.	I might have been.	1.	We might have been.
2.	You might have been.	2.	You might have been.
3.	He might have been.	3.	They might have been.

In the same way conjugate could have been, would have been, and should have been.

Imperative Mode. Present Tense

	Singular.		Plural.
2.	Be (thou).	2.	Be (you or ye).

Infinitive Mode

PRESENT TENSE.	PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.
(To) be.	(To) have been.

Participles.

PRESENT.	PAST.	PERFECT.
Being.	Been.	Having been.

Be is used both as a principal verb and as an auxiliary. When used as an auxiliary, it is combined with the present participles of other verbs to make the progressive forms of their tenses, and with their past participles to make the tenses of their passive voices.

1. I am studying my lesson.

2. They were teaching Whittier's "Snow-Bound."

3. The house was built by the carpenter.

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