Be (am, are) Verb Forms: Past Tense and Past Participle (V1 V2 V3)

The verb “be” is an irregular verb, which means its past tense and past participle forms do not follow the regular patterns of adding “-ed” or “-d” to the base form.

Be Verb Forms V1 V2 V3 V4 V5

In the present tense, “be” has different forms depending on the subject of the sentence. For example:

• I am
• You are
• He/she/it is
• We are
• They are

In the past tense, the forms of “be” change as follows:

• I was
• You were
• He/she/it was
• We were
• They were

These past tense forms are used to describe actions or states that occurred or existed in the past.

The past participle of “be” is “been.” The past participle is used in combination with auxiliary verbs to form various tenses and aspects. For example:

• Present perfect tense: I have been, You have been, He/she/it has been, We have been, They have been
• Past perfect tense: I had been, You had been, He/she/it had been, We had been, They had been
• Future perfect tense: I will have been, You will have been, He/she/it will have been, We will have been, They will have been

Example Sentences Using Verb Forms of Be

Here are some example sentences using the past tense and past participle forms of the verb “be” (am, are):

Past Tense (was, were):

1. I was very tired after the long journey.
2. You were late for the meeting yesterday.
3. He was a great singer in his youth.
4. We were at the park when it started raining.
5. They were happy to see their friends again.

Past Participle (been):

1. I have been to Paris twice.
2. She had been studying for hours before the exam.
3. They will have been married for 10 years next month.
4. We could have been more careful with our preparation.
5. The project should have been completed by now.

These sentences demonstrate the usage of the past tense and past participle forms of “be” in different contexts.

Past Tense of BE Phrasal Verbs

Explore Other Verb Forms:

• Refuse
• Kneel
• Fall
• Kill
• Choke
• Recast