How to Use Is, Am and Are: Easy Rules, Tips and Sentence Examples

Is, am, and are are three of the most common words in English. You see them in simple sentences almost everywhere.

For example:

• I am happy.
• She is my sister.
• They are ready.

These words may look easy, but many English learners are unsure about when to use is, am, and are.

The good news is that the basic rule is simple. The correct word depends mainly on who or what you are talking about.

In this article , you will learn how to use is, am, and are with easy rules, examples, negative sentences, questions, contractions, and common mistakes.

What Are Is, Am and Are?

Is, am, and are are forms of the verb “to be.”

We use them to talk about:

• A person or thing
• A condition
• A feeling
• A place
• An identity
• An age
• An action happening now

The three forms are used with different subjects.

Subject	Correct form	Example
I	Am	I am ready.
He	Is	He is tired.
She	Is	She is happy.
It	Is	It is cold.
You	Are	You are kind.
We	Are	We are friends.
They	Are	They are busy.

The easiest rule to remember is:

I → am

He, She, It → is

You, We, They → are

How to Use Am

Use am with the subject I.

This is one of the easiest rules in English.

Examples

• I am a student.
• I am happy.
• I am tired.
• I am hungry.
• I am at home.
• I am ready.
• I am your friend.
• I am learning English.
• I am from India.
• I am eleven years old.

Remember that we normally do not say:

I is happy. ❌

We say:

I am happy. ✅

Am With Actions

We can also use am with a verb ending in -ing when talking about something happening now.

Examples:

• I am reading a book.
• I am eating lunch.
• I am studying English.
• I am writing a sentence.
• I am watching television.
• I am playing football.
• I am learning grammar.
• I am talking to my friend.

The pattern is:

I + am + verb-ing

For example:

I am reading.

How to Use Is

Use is with:

• He
• She
• It
• One person
• One thing
• A singular noun

Is With He

Use is when the subject is he.

Examples:

• He is my brother.
• He is tall.
• He is happy.
• He is at school.
• He is a teacher.
• He is busy.
• He is tired.

Is With She

Use is with she.

Examples:

• She is my friend.
• She is kind.
• She is a student.
• She is at home.
• She is happy.
• She is busy.
• She is ready.

Is With It

Use is with it.

Examples:

• It is cold.
• It is hot.
• It is raining.
• It is my bag.
• It is very small.
• It is on the table.
• It is a new phone.

Is With Singular Nouns

Use is when talking about one person, animal, place, or thing.

Examples:

• The boy is happy.
• The girl is tired.
• The dog is hungry.
• The cat is sleeping.
• The book is new.
• The car is fast.
• The house is large.
• The teacher is busy.

A simple way to remember this is:

One → is

For example:

The apple is red.

There is one apple, so we use is.

How to Use Are

Use are with:

• You
• We
• They
• Two or more people
• Two or more things
• Plural nouns

Are With You

Use are with you, whether you are talking to one person or more than one person.

Examples:

• You are kind.
• You are my friend.
• You are ready.
• You are late.
• You are helpful.
• You are very smart.
• You are at home.

Are With We

Use are with we.

Examples:

• We are friends.
• We are students.
• We are ready.
• We are happy.
• We are at school.
• We are learning English.
• We are playing a game.

Are With They

Use are with they.

Examples:

• They are happy.
• They are my friends.
• They are students.
• They are outside.
• They are busy.
• They are playing football.
• They are watching a movie.

Are With Plural Nouns

Use are when the subject means more than one.

Examples:

• The boys are happy.
• The girls are ready.
• The dogs are hungry.
• The books are on the table.
• The cars are outside.
• The flowers are beautiful.
• The teachers are busy.

The simple rule is:

More than one → are

Is, Am and Are Rules at a Glance

Here is the easiest chart to remember:

Subject	Verb	Example
I	am	I am happy.
He	is	He is happy.
She	is	She is happy.
It	is	It is small.
One person	is	John is here.
One thing	is	The book is new.
You	are	You are happy.
We	are	We are happy.
They	are	They are happy.
Two people	are	John and Sam are here.
Plural things	are	The books are new.

Is, Am and Are With Adjectives

We often use is, am, and are before adjectives.

An adjective tells us more about a person or thing.

Examples:

• I am happy.
• She is beautiful.
• He is tall.
• It is cold.
• You are kind.
• We are ready.
• They are tired.

Here are more examples:

Subject	Example
I	I am hungry.
He	He is strong.
She	She is clever.
It	It is expensive.
You	You are funny.
We	We are excited.
They	They are friendly.

Is, Am and Are With Nouns

We can use these verbs before nouns to tell someone what a person or thing is.

Examples:

• I am a student.
• He is a doctor.
• She is a teacher.
• It is a bird.
• You are a good friend.
• We are classmates.
• They are players.

The pattern is:

Subject + is/am/are + noun

For example:

She is a teacher.

Here, she is the subject, is is the verb, and teacher tells us what she is.

Is, Am and Are With Locations

We can use is, am, and are to say where someone or something is.

Examples:

• I am at home.
• He is at school.
• She is in the kitchen.
• It is on the table.
• You are in the room.
• We are at the park.
• They are in the classroom.

More Examples

• My brother is at work.
• The children are in the garden.
• My parents are at home.
• The phone is on the bed.
• I am in my room.

Is, Am and Are With Age

We also use these words when talking about someone’s age.

Examples:

• I am ten years old.
• He is twelve years old.
• She is eight years old.
• You are fifteen years old.
• We are eighteen years old.
• They are twenty years old.

Do not say:

I have ten years. ❌

For age in standard English, say:

I am ten years old. ✅

Is, Am and Are in Present Continuous Sentences

We use is, am, and are as helping verbs in the present continuous tense.

The basic pattern is:

Subject + is/am/are + verb-ing

Examples With Am

• I am reading.
• I am writing.
• I am eating.
• I am walking.

Examples With Is

• He is sleeping.
• She is singing.
• It is raining.
• The baby is crying.

Examples With Are

• You are learning.
• We are studying.
• They are playing.
• The children are running.

Negative Sentences With Is, Am and Are

To make a negative sentence, we usually add not after is, am, or are.

With Am

• I am not tired.
• I am not hungry.
• I am not angry.
• I am not ready.

With Is

• He is not here.
• She is not busy.
• It is not cold.
• The book is not mine.

With Are

• You are not late.
• We are not ready.
• They are not at home.
• The children are not sleeping.

The basic pattern is:

Subject + is/am/are + not + rest of sentence

Short Forms of Is, Am and Are

In everyday English, we often use contractions.

Full form	Short form
I am	I’m
He is	He’s
She is	She’s
It is	It’s
You are	You’re
We are	We’re
They are	They’re
Is not	Isn’t
Are not	Aren’t

Examples:

• I am happy. → I’m happy.
• She is ready. → She’s ready.
• They are busy. → They’re busy.
• He is not here. → He isn’t here.
• We are not late. → We aren’t late.

Important Note About “I’m”

We use I’m for I am.

Correct:

I’m happy.

Incorrect:

I’s happy.

There is no standard contraction I’s for I am.

Questions With Is, Am and Are

To make many simple questions, we put is, am, or are before the subject.

Questions With Am

• Am I late?
• Am I ready?
• Am I correct?
• Am I invited?

Questions With Is

• Is he your brother?
• Is she a teacher?
• Is it cold?
• Is this your book?
• Is the food ready?

Questions With Are

• Are you okay?
• Are we late?
• Are they students?
• Are the children ready?
• Are these your shoes?

Compare:

She is happy.

Question:

Is she happy?

The verb moves before the subject.

Short Answers With Is, Am and Are

We often use short answers when answering questions.

With Am

Am I late?

Yes, you are.

No, you aren’t.

With Is

Is she your sister?

Yes, she is.

No, she isn’t.

With Are

Are they ready?

Yes, they are.

No, they aren’t.

Is vs. Are

The choice between is and are depends on whether the subject is singular or plural.

Use Is for One

• The boy is tall.
• The dog is hungry.
• The car is new.
• The flower is beautiful.

Use Are for More Than One

• The boys are tall.
• The dogs are hungry.
• The cars are new.
• The flowers are beautiful.

Compare:

The apple is red.

The apples are red.

The first sentence has one apple. The second has more than one.

Is vs. Am

The main difference is very simple:

I → am

He/She/It → is

Examples:

• I am a student.
• He is a student.
• She is a student.
• It is a book.

Do not use is with I.

I is happy. ❌

I am happy. ✅

Is vs. Are

Use is for singular subjects and are for plural subjects.

Examples:

The child is happy.

The children are happy.

The cat is sleeping.

The cats are sleeping.

The book is new.

The books are new.

Am vs. Are

Use am only with I.

Use are with you, we, and they.

Examples:

• I am ready.
• You are ready.
• We are ready.
• They are ready.

A common mistake is:

I are ready. ❌

The correct sentence is:

I am ready. ✅

Common Mistakes With Is, Am and Are

Even simple grammar rules can cause mistakes. Here are some common ones.

Mistake 1: Using Is With I

❌ I is happy.

✅ I am happy.

Mistake 2: Using Are With He

❌ He are tired.

✅ He is tired.

Mistake 3: Using Is With They

❌ They is ready.

✅ They are ready.

Mistake 4: Using Am With She

❌ She am a student.

✅ She is a student.

Mistake 5: Using Are With One Thing

❌ The book are new.

✅ The book is new.

Mistake 6: Using Is With Plural Nouns

❌ The books is on the table.

✅ The books are on the table.

Mistake 7: Using Have for Age

❌ I have ten years old.

✅ I am ten years old.

Is, Am and Are Examples in Daily English

Here are some simple sentences you can use in everyday English.

1. I am hungry.
2. I am ready.
3. I am tired.
4. I am happy.
5. I am busy.
6. He is my friend.
7. She is my sister.
8. It is cold.
9. The food is hot.
10. The room is clean.
11. You are kind.
12. You are right.
13. We are friends.
14. We are ready.
15. They are busy.
16. They are outside.
17. The children are happy.
18. The dog is hungry.
19. The books are new.
20. My parents are home.

Is, Am and Are Exercise

Try to choose the correct word: is, am, or are.

1. I ___ happy.
2. She ___ my friend.
3. They ___ at school.
4. He ___ tired.
5. We ___ ready.
6. You ___ very kind.
7. It ___ cold.
8. The dog ___ hungry.
9. The boys ___ outside.
10. I ___ learning English.
11. My mother ___ busy.
12. The books ___ on the desk.
13. We ___ students.
14. He ___ playing football.
15. They ___ watching television.

Answers

1. am
2. is
3. are
4. is
5. are
6. are
7. is
8. is
9. are
10. am
11. is
12. are
13. are
14. is
15. are

Easy Trick to Remember Is, Am and Are

If you often forget which word to use, remember this short pattern:

I → AM

He → IS

She → IS

It → IS

You → ARE

We → ARE

They → ARE

You can remember it as:

I am. He is. She is. It is. You are. We are. They are.

Once this pattern becomes familiar, choosing the correct word becomes much easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do we use is, am, and are?

Use am with I, is with he, she, it, and singular nouns, and are with you, we, they, and plural nouns.

Which is correct: I am or I is?

I am is correct.

Example: I am happy.

Which is correct: She is or She are?

She is is correct.

Example: She is my friend.

Which is correct: They is or They are?

They are is correct.

Example: They are ready.

Can we use is, am and are with -ing verbs?

Yes. They are used as helping verbs in the present continuous tense.

Examples:

• I am reading.
• She is reading.
• They are reading.

Is “you are” correct for one person?

Yes. You are is used whether you refers to one person or more than one person.

Examples:

• You are my friend.
• You are my friends.

What is the easiest rule for is, am and are?

Remember:

I = am

He/She/It = is

You/We/They = are

How do I make a negative sentence with is, am and are?

Add not after the verb.

Examples:

• I am not tired.
• She is not here.
• They are not ready.

How do I make a question with is, am and are?

Move is, am, or are before the subject.

Examples:

• Is she happy?
• Am I late?
• Are they ready?

Conclusion

Learning is, am, and are becomes much easier when you focus on the subject of the sentence.

The main rule is simple:

I → am

He, She, It → is

You, We, They → are

Use is for one person or thing, are for more than one, and am with I. You will also see these words in negative sentences, questions, and present continuous sentences.

The best way to learn them is to practice with short sentences every day. Start with simple examples such as I am happy, She is tired, and They are ready. After some practice, choosing between is, am, and are will become natural.