Verb to be is usually the very first grammar point a new student meets, which makes it deceptively easy to underteach. Because "I am," "she is," "they are" feel so basic, teachers often rush through it in one lesson — and then spend the next month fixing "I happy" and "she is like coffee" that trace straight back to that rushed first day.
1. Teach it as three words tied to a subject, not one abstract rule
Don't present "the verb to be" as a single concept with a conjugation table to memorize. Present three concrete, separate chunks instead: I am, he/she/it is, you/we/they are. Drill each chunk with real information about the people in the room ("I am a teacher." "She is a student.") before ever putting the three side by side. Students who see the table first tend to treat it as data to recall rather than language to use.
2. Introduce contractions from day one, not "later"
Native speakers almost never say "I am" in casual speech — they say "I'm." If you teach the full form first and add contractions weeks later as a bonus topic, students keep writing "I am" in contexts where it sounds unnatural, and struggle to even recognize "she's" or "they're" in spoken English. Teach I'm/you're/he's/she's/it's/we're/they're alongside the full forms from the very first lesson, so both are equally "normal" to the student.
3. Give negative and question order its own explicit drill
Verb to be is one of the only verbs in English that forms negatives and questions by moving itself, not by adding do/does — which actually makes it simpler, but only if students practice that word order directly. Drill the negative ("I am not," "she isn't") and the question ("Am I...?" "Is she...?") as separate mini-drills before mixing them into free conversation, so students don't default to inserting "do" the way they will need to for every other verb later.
Common mistakes and how to catch them
- Missing the verb entirely: "I happy." "She a teacher." — very common with students whose first language doesn't require a linking verb before an adjective or noun. Point to the pattern explicitly: in English, every sentence needs a verb, even when nothing is "happening."
- Adding "is" to a real verb: "She is like coffee." — students over-generalize verb to be as an all-purpose helper word. Contrast the two directly on the board: "She is happy" (adjective, needs is) vs. "She likes coffee" (action verb, no is).
- Wrong form with plural subjects: "They is friends." "We is ready." — usually a memorization gap rather than a logic error. Fix with fast oral drilling of subject + form pairs until the response is automatic, not calculated.
A 35-40 minute lesson shape that works
- 5 min — Warm-up: point around the room and elicit "I am / You are / He is" using real names and objects, no writing yet.
- 8 min — Present the three forms + their contractions together, using true sentences about people in the class.
- 8 min — Controlled practice: complete-the-sentence exercises choosing am/is/are for a given subject.
- 8 min — Negative and question drill: transform 6-8 affirmative sentences into negatives, then questions.
- 8 min — Freer practice: students introduce themselves and a partner to the class using am/is/are.
Free worksheets for this lesson
These printable PDFs follow the same progression above — form + contractions, controlled practice, then a reading and writing task:
- Verb To Be – Grammar (A1) — the three forms, contractions, negatives and questions in one reference sheet.
- Verb To Be – Present Simple (Pronouns) (A1) — isolates matching the correct form to each pronoun.
- Verb To Be – Practice (A1) — more controlled practice across affirmative, negative and question forms.
- Verb To Be – Reading (A1) — a short personal-profile text for receptive practice in context.
- Verb To Be – Vocabulary (A1) — pairs the new structure with everyday vocabulary.
- Verb To Be – Writing (A1) — freer production to close the lesson.
Browse the full set of grammar worksheets or filter by A1 level.