Be and Do Verbs in English Grammar – Forms, Rules, and Examples

Understanding how to use “Be” and “Do” verbs is one of the most important foundations in English grammar. These two verbs act as main verbs and helping (auxiliary) verbs, and they are used in many sentences across all tenses.

In this student-friendly guide, we’ll learn the forms, meanings, and correct usage of “be” and “do” in both present and past tenses, with simple explanations and examples.

The “Be” Verb – Forms and Uses

The verb “be” shows the state of being, identity, or condition of a person or thing. It doesn’t describe an action, but rather what something is or how it exists.

A. Forms of “Be” Verb

Subject	Present Tense	Past Tense
I	am	was
You	are	were
He	is	was
She	is	was
It	is	was
We	are	were
They	are	were

B. Examples of “Be” in Present Tense

Form	Example Sentence
am	I am a student.
is	She is very kind.
are	They are ready for the class.

Explanation:

• “Am” is used only with I.
• “Is” is used with he, she, it (singular subjects).
• “Are” is used with you, we, they (plural subjects).

C. Examples of “Be” in Past Tense

Form	Example Sentence
was	I was tired yesterday.
was	She was at school.
were	They were very happy.

Explanation:

• “Was” is used for I, he, she, it.
• “Were” is used for you, we, they.

D. When to Use the “Be” Verb

1. To show identity or job:

• I am a teacher.
• He is a doctor.

2. To describe conditions or feelings:

• They are excited about the trip.
• She was tired after running.

3. To show location:

• The book is on the table.
• We were at home.

4. To form continuous tenses:

• I am studying English.
• She was reading a book.

5. To form the passive voice:

• The homework was done by the students.
• The cake is made every Sunday.

Common Mistakes with the “Be” Verb

Wrong	Correct
He am a boy.	He is a boy.
They is playing.	They are playing.
I were late.	I was late.
You was happy.	You were happy.

2. The “Do” Verb – Forms and Uses

The verb “do” expresses an action or is used as an auxiliary (helping) verb in forming questions and negatives.

A. Forms of “Do” Verb

Subject	Present Tense	Past Tense
I	do	did
You	do	did
He	does	did
She	does	did
It	does	did
We	do	did
They	do	did

B. Examples of “Do” in Present Tense

Form	Example Sentence
do	I do my homework every evening.
does	She does her best to study well.

Explanation:

• “Do” is used with I, you, we, they.
• “Does” is used with he, she, it.

C. Examples of “Do” in Past Tense

Form	Example Sentence
did	I did my homework yesterday.
did	He did his best to help me.

Explanation:

• “Did” is used with all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) in past tense.

D. When to Use the “Do” Verb

1. As a Main Verb (to perform an action):

• I do my homework every day.
• She does the dishes.
• They did their project well.

2. As an Auxiliary (Helping) Verb (for negatives and questions):

• I do not (don’t) like coffee.
• He doesn’t play football.
• Do you speak English?
• Did she call you yesterday?

3. For Emphasis (to make meaning stronger):

• I do want to learn English!
• She did try her best.

Comparison Between “Be” and “Do” Verbs

Feature	Be Verb	Do Verb
Function	Shows existence, state, or condition	Shows action or used for questions/negatives
Examples	I am happy. / They were late.	I do my homework. / He did well.
Helping Verb Use	Used in continuous & passive forms	Used in simple tense questions/negatives
Present Forms	am, is, are	do, does
Past Forms	was, were	did

How to Remember the Difference

Situation	Verb to Use	Example
To describe a state or condition	Be	I am tired.
To describe an action	Do	I do my work.
To make a question (Simple Present)	Do/Does	Do you play football?
To make a question (Simple Past)	Did	Did she go home?
To show existence	Be	It is on the table.
To form continuous tense	Be	They are studying.

Common Sentences with “Be” and “Do”

Using “Be”

1. I am happy today.
2. He is a smart student.
3. They are late for school.
4. She was my best friend.
5. We were at the library yesterday.

Using “Do”

1. I do my chores every morning.
2. He does his work perfectly.
3. We did our homework last night.
4. They do not like spicy food.
5. Do you play the guitar?

Mini Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of “Be” or “Do”:

1. I ___ a student.
2. She ___ her homework every day.
3. They ___ at the park yesterday.
4. He ___ not like milk.
5. We ___ ready for the test.
6. ___ you understand the lesson?
7. The children ___ happy.
8. He ___ his best in exams.

Answers:

1. am
2. does
3. were
4. does
5. are
6. Do
7. are
8. did

FAQ

Q1. What is the difference between “Be” and “Do”?

• “Be” describes states or conditions (I am happy).
• “Do” describes actions or tasks (I do my homework).

Q2. Can “Be” and “Do” act as helping verbs?

Yes!

• Be helps form continuous and passive sentences (She is studying, The book was written).
• Do helps form negatives and questions (Do you play?, I don’t know).

Q3. When do we use “does”?

We use does for he, she, it in the present tense. (He does his work carefully.)

Q4. What’s the past form of “Do”?

The past form of do is did for all subjects. (I did my homework yesterday.)

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