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Basic Tenses: Be

This page shows the basic tenses with the irregular verb be,

including the following structures:

affirmative or positive (+)

negative (-)

interrogative or question (?)

The basic structures are:

+ positive subject + auiliar! + main verb be

- negative subject + auiliar! + not+ main verb be

? question auiliar! + subject + main verb be

"ut for simple pastand simple presenttenses, the structures arenot the same# $n fact, the! are even easier# There is noauiliar!verb# %ere are the structures:

+ positive subject + main verb be

- negative subject + main verb be + not

? question main verb be + subject

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%ere are the forms of the main verb be that we use to construct thetenses:

base pastsimple pastparticiple presentparticiple -ing presentsimple

be was,were

been being am, are, is

&nd here is the result:

12 tenses (be) past present future

'$*present

simpleor past

simpleecept future

will + be

+ $ was $ am $ will be

- $ was not $ am not $ will notbe

? as $? &m $? ill $ be?

./T$/0.0'

be + being

+ $ was being $ am being $ will be being

- $

was notbeing

$ am notbeing $ will notbe

being

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? as $ being? &m $ being? ill $ be

being?

12T

have + been

+ $ had been $ have been $ will have

been

- $ had notbeen $have notbeen

$ will nothavebeen

? %ad $ been? %ave $ been? ill $ havebeen?

./T$/0.0'

12Thave been +

being

+ $ had been

being

$ have been

being

$ will have

been being

- $ had notbeen

being

$

have notbeenbeing

$ will nothave

been being

? %ad $ beenbeing?

%ave $ beenbeing?

ill $ havebeen being?

$n the following table, we see beconjugated in all persons in the

affirmative for 34 basic tenses:

!"#$% past present future

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singular $ was am will be

!ou were are will be

he5she5it was is will be

plural we were are will be

!ou were are will be

the! were are will be

#%&'%T past present future

singular $ had been have been will havebeen

!ou had been have been will havebeen

he5she5it had been has been will havebeen

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plural we had been have been will havebeen

!ou had been have been will havebeen

the! had been have been will havebeen

*T!* past present future

singular $ was being am being will be being

!ou werebeing

are being will be being

he5she5it was being is being will be being

plural we werebeing

are being will be being

!ou werebeing

are being will be being

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the! werebeing

are being will be being

*T!*#%&'%T past present future

singular $ had beenbeing

have beenbeing

will havebeen being

!ou had beenbeing

have beenbeing

will havebeen being

he5she5it had beenbeing

has beenbeing

will havebeen being

plural we had beenbeing

have beenbeing

will havebeen being

!ou had beenbeing

have beenbeing

will havebeen being

the! had beenbeing

have beenbeing

will havebeen being