El verbo to be es uno de los más camaleónicos del inglés, por lo que en muchas ocasiones su significado

depende del contexto en el que te lo encuentres. Sin embargo, sus significados principales son los
siguientes:
Ser
He is smart = Él es inteligente
Estar
It is cold today = Hoy está hacienda frío
Haber
Is there anybody inside? = ¿Hay alguien adentro?
Poder (permiso)
Tell her she is not to open the door to strangers = Dile que no puede abrirle la puerta a extraños.

Usos principales del verbo to be

Una vez que ya conocemos sus significados más conocidos, podemos conocer los usos más comunes de
este término:
Verbo
Sirve para mencionar una acción o estado del sujeto en cualquier tiempo.
I am Mexican = Soy mexicano.
I was a doctor = Yo era doctor.
Verbo auxiliar
Se usa en compañía de otros verbos para dar a entender que las acciones o estados se desarrollan en el
momento. Para ello se usa la conjugación –ing.
I am still working= Todavía estoy trabajando.

Conjugación del verbo to be

Te presentamos algunos cuadros con las conjugaciones de los siguientes tiempos: presente, pasado
simple, futuro simple, presente perfecto, pasado perfecto, futuro perfecto, condicional y condicional
perfecto. Además incluimos sus formas afirmativas, negativas y de pregunta.

Presente

Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

I am I am not Am I?

You are You are not Are you?

He / She / It is He / She / It is not Is he / she / it?

We are We are not Are we?

You are You are not Are you?

 They are They are not Are they?

Verbo to be: Ejemplos en presente

I am tall = Yo soy alto/a
I am not your teacher = Yo no soy tu maestro/a
Are you her doctor? = ¿Eres su doctor/a?
Pasado simple

Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

I was I was not Was I?

You were You were not Were you?

He / She / It was He / She / It was not Was he / she / it?

We were We were not Were we?

You were You were not Were you?

They were They were not Were they?

Verbo to be: Ejemplos en pasado simple

I was very shy = Yo era muy tímido/a
We were not the champions = Nosotros no fuimos campeones
Were you at the store? = ¿Estabas en la tienda?
Futuro simple

Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

I will be I will not be Will I be?

You will be You will not be Will you be?

He / She / It will be He / She / It will not be Will he / she / it be?

We will be We will not be Will we be?

 You will be You will not be Will you be?

They will be They will not be Will they be?

Verbo to be: Ejemplos en futuro simple

We will be a great team = Seremos un gran equipo
They will not be my next students = Ellos no serán mis próximos estudiantes
Will we be at the beach next weekend? = ¿Estaremos en la playa el próximo fin de semana?
Presente perfecto

Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

I have been I have not been Have I been?

You have been You have not been Have you been?

He / She / It has been He / She / It has not been Has he / she / it been?

We have been We have not been Have we been?

You have been You have not been Have you been?

They have been They have not been Have they been?

Verbo to be: Ejemplos en presente perfecto

I have been your fan all my life = He sido tu fanático toda mi vida
She has not been kind to you = Ella no te ha tratado bien
Has it been a good instrument? = ¿Eso a sido un buen instrumento?
Pasado perfecto

Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

I had been I had not been Had I been?

You had been You had not been Had you been?

He / She / It been He / She / It had not been Had he / she / it been?

 We had been We had not been Had we been?

You had been You had not been Had you been?

They had been They had not been Had they been?

Verbo to be: Ejemplos en pasado perfecto

La oración en pasado perfecto siempre está acompañada de otra oración o frase en el pasado para dar
contexto:
I had been the goalkeeper of the team before I went to college in another city = Yo era el portero del
equipo antes de irme a estudiar a otra ciudad.
They had not been the best classmates in high school = Ellos no fueron los mejores compañeros de clase
en la secundaria.
Had you been at the concert before the earthquake? = ¿Ustedes estaban en el concierto cuando
tembló?
Futuro perfecto

Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

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 / She / It will have been He / She / It will not have been Will he / she / have been?

We will have been We will not have been Will we have been?

You will have been You will not have been Will you have been?

They will have been They will not have been Will they have been?

Verbo to be: Ejemplos en futuro perfecto

El futuro perfecto es para hablar de algo que sucederá antes de otra acción en el futuro. Por ejemplo:
By the time you get home, I will have been asleep = Para cuando estés llegando a casa, yo ya habré
dormido.
You will have been named the winner by the time the end of the day = Habrás sido declarada la
ganadora antes de que termine el día.
She will have been cured by the time her family gets here? = Ella se habrá curado antes de que llegué su
familia.
Condicional
Afirmativo Negativo Pregunta

I would be I would not be Would I be?

You would be You would not be Would you be?

He / She / It would be He / She / It would not be Would he / she / it be?

We would be We would not be Would we be?

You would be You would not be Would you be?

They would be They would not be Would they be?