El verbo to be es uno de los verbos más importantes del inglés y también un concepto que depende del contexto en el que se encuentre. Para hacerte más fácil aprenderlo te daremos esta guía con sus usos y conjugaciones.
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Los significados del verbo to be
Debes saber que cuando lees, escribes o escuchas inglés, el contexto te dará el significado correcto que pueden tener los verbos en inglés:
| Ser |
I am Canadian |
Soy canadiense |
| Estar |
She is at the hospital |
Ella está en el hospital |
| Haber |
Is there anything in the car? |
¿Hay algo en el auto? |
¿Cómo usar el verbo to be correctamente?
Conocer los diferentes significados es muy importante, así que ahora veremos los principales usos del verbo to be.
-
Uso del verbo to be como verbo.
Establece esos estados o acciones que inciden en el sujeto de la oración y se usan en cualquier tiempo verbal.
| I am an adult |
Soy un adulto |
| He was a soloist |
Él era solista |
-
Usos de to be como verbo auxiliar
De esta forma, debe acompañarse de otros verbos que le permitan manifestar estados o acciones que suceden en el mismo momento o en cierto lapso temporal. No olvides adicionar –ing al final del verbo principal o la forma adecuada según el tiempo.
| He is dancing |
Él está bailando. |
Las conjugaciones del verbo to be en inglés
Encuentra en los siguientes cuadros el tiempo (presente, pasado, futuro y condicional) y forma (afirmativa, negativa e interrogativa) en que se puede conjugar el verbo to be en inglés. Aprende de los ejemplos y practica.
Presente
El verbo to be en presente
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I am |
I am not |
Am I? |
| You are |
You are not |
Are you? |
| He is |
He is not |
Is he? |
| She is |
She is not |
Is she? |
| It is |
It is not |
is it? |
| We are |
We are not |
Are we? |
| They are |
They are not |
Are they? |
Oraciones de ejemplo con el verbo to be en presente:
- She is left handed = Ella es zurda
- We are not on the same level = No estamos en el mismo nivel
- Is it the right place? = ¿Es el lugar correcto?
Presente Perfecto
Verbo to be en presente perfecto
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I have been |
I have not been |
Have I been? |
| You have been |
You have not been |
Have you been? |
| He has been |
He has not been |
Has he been? |
| She has been |
She has not been |
Has she been? |
| It has been |
It has not been |
Has it been? |
| We have been |
We have not been |
Have we been? |
| They have been |
They have not been |
Have they been? |
Por ejemplo:
- She has been writing all day = Ella ha estado escribiendo todo el día
- We have not been formally introduced = No hemos sido presentados formalmente
- Have I been rude? = ¿He sido grosero?
Pasado
Pasado simple del verbo to be
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I was |
I was not |
Was I? |
| You were |
You were not |
Were you? |
| He was |
He was not |
Was he? |
| She was |
She was not |
Was she? |
| It was |
It was not |
Was it? |
| We were |
We were not |
Were we? |
| They were |
They were not |
Were they? |
Oraciones con el pasado del verbo to be:
- I was tired = Estaba cansado
- He was not there = Él no estaba allí
- Was he at the meeting? = ¿Estaba él en la reunión?
Pasado Perfecto
Pasado perfecto del verbo to be
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I had been |
I had not been |
Had I been? |
| You had been |
You had not been |
Had you been? |
| He had been |
He had not been |
Had he been? |
| She had been |
She had not been |
Had she been? |
| It had been |
It had not been |
Had it been? |
| We had been |
We had not been |
Had we been? |
| They had been |
They had not been |
Had they been? |
Para apoyar el contexto de estas oraciones siempre habrá un complemento para el verbo to be.
Por ejemplo:
- She had been crying since this morning until she fell asleep = Ella había estado llorando desde la mañana hasta que se quedó dormida
- They had not been to South Korea before their son invited them to visit the country = Ellos no habían estado en Corea del Sur antes de que su hijo los invitara a visitar el país
- Had I been there before I went with my wife? = ¿Había estado allí antes de que fuera con mi esposa?
Futuro Simple
Futuro simple del verbo to be
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| Will be |
I will not be |
Will I be? |
| You will be |
You will not be |
Will you be? |
| He will be |
He will not be |
Will he be? |
| She will be |
She will not be |
Will she be? |
| It will be |
It will not be |
Will it be? |
| We will be |
We will not be |
Will we be? |
| They will be |
They will not be |
Will they be? |
Oraciones de ejemplo usando el verbo to be en futuro:
- She will be the best teacher = Ella será la mejor profesora
- They will not be forgotten = Ellos no serán olvidados
- Will you be there? = ¿Estarás allí?
Futuro Perfecto
Futuro perfecto del verbo to be
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I will have been |
I will not have been |
Will I have been? |
| You will have been |
You will not have been |
Will you have been? |
| He will have been |
He will not have been |
Will he have been? |
| She will have been |
She will not have been |
Will she have been? |
| It will have been |
It will not have been |
Will it have been? |
| We will have been |
We will not have been |
Will we have been? |
| They will have been |
They will not have been |
Will they have been? |
La particularidad de este tipo de oraciones es que presentan situaciones o acciones que ocurren en secuencia.
Por ejemplo:
- She will have been reading the book by the sunset = Ella habrá estado leyendo el libro para el momento del atardecer
- We will have not been married for 8 years until 2020 = No habremos estado casados durante 8 años hasta el 2020
- Will we have been prepared for the opening by this year? = ¿Nos habremos preparado para la inauguración este año?
Condicional
Condicional del verbo to be
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I would be |
I would not be |
Would I be? |
| You would be |
You would not be |
Would you be? |
| He would be |
He would not be |
Would he be? |
| She would be |
She would not be |
Would she be? |
| It would be |
It would not be |
Would it be? |
| We would be |
We would not be |
Would we be? |
| They would be |
They would not be |
Would they be? |
Ejemplos del verbo to be en condicional:
- She would be a great queen = Ella sería una gran reina
- It would not be possible = Eso no sería posible
- Would they be a couple ? = ¿Ellos serían pareja?
Condicional perfecto
Condicional perfecto del verbo to be
|
| Afirmativa |
Negativa |
Interrogativa |
| I would have been |
I would not have been |
Would I have been? |
| You would have been |
You would not have been |
Would you have been? |
| He would have been |
He would not have been |
Would he have been? |
| She would have been |
She would not have been |
Would she have been? |
| It would have been |
It would not have been |
Would it have been? |
| We would have been |
We would not have been |
Would we have been? |
| They would have been |
They would not have been |
Would they have been? |
Por ejemplo:
- She would have been living there if she had enough money = Habría estado viviendo allí si tuviera suficiente dinero
- I would not have been so sad if you were with me = No hubiera estado tan triste si estuvieras conmigo
- Would you have been polite if the fight hadn’t happened? = ¿Habrías sido educado si la pelea no hubiera sucedido
