Verb to be

O verbo to be (ser ou estar)

O verbo to be é um dos verbos mais importantes da Língua Inglesa.

Este verbo tem sempre a tradução de ser ou estar, esteja como verbo principal ou como verbo auxiliar.

Como verbo auxiliar, o verbo to be ajuda a formar os seguintes tempos verbais no Inglês:

Present Continuous: verbo auxiliar to be conjugado no Present Simple
I am writing a letter.

Past Continuous: verbo auxiliar to be conjugado no Past Simple
I was writing a letter.

Present Perfect Continuous: verbo auxiliar to be no Past Participle (Particípio Passado)
I have been studying a lot.

Past Perfect Continuous: verbo auxiliar to be no Past Participle (Particípio Passado)
I had been studying a lot.

Passive Voice: verbo auxiliar da Voz Passiva (qualquer tempo verbal)
The book was published.


Como verbo principal, o verbo to be não segue sempre as mesmas regras que os outros verbos. Isso passa-se na formação do Present Simple e do Past Simple, em que não se usa o verbo auxiliar to do para fazer a negativa ou interrogativa do verbo to be. (Eu costumo dizer que, no que toca ao Present Simple e ao Past Simple, os verbos to be e to do são inimigos mortais.)

Por isso, podes consultar a seguir a conjugação do verbo to be no Present Simple e no Past Simple:


to be - Present Simple (Affirmative):

I am (I'm) - eu sou/estou
you are (you're) - tu és/estás
he is (he's) - ele é/está
she is (she's) - ela é/está
it is (it's) - ele/ela é/está (objectos, animais ou conceitos no singular)

we are (we're) - nós somos/estamos
you are (you're) - vós sois/estais
they are (they're) - eles/elas são/estão

to be - Present Simple (Negative):

Para fazer a negativa junta-se a palavra not.

I am not = I'm not
you are not = you're not = you aren't
he is not = he's not = he isn't
she is not = she's not = she isn't
it is not = it's not = it isn't

we are not = we're not = we aren't
you are not = you're not = you aren't
they are not = they're not = they aren't

to be - Present Simple (Interrogative):

Para fazer a Interrogativa tem de se fazer a inversão de sujeito, isto é, o verbo troca de lugar com o sujeito.

Am I...?
Are you...?
Is he...?
Is she...?
Is it...?

Are we...?
Are you...?
Are they...?




to be - Past Simple (Affirmative):

I was - eu fui/estava
you were
he was
she was
it was

we were
you were
they were

to be - Past Simple (Negative):

I was not = I wasn't
you were not = you weren't
he was not = he wasn't
she was not = she wasn't
it was not = it wasn't

we were not = we weren't
you were not = you weren't
they were not = they weren't

to be - Past Simple (Interrogative):

Was I...?
Were you...?
Wass he...?
Was she...?
Was it...?

Were we...?
Were you...?
Were they...?


Também poderás consultar e imprimir esta tabela com o verbo to be conjugado em todos os tempos verbais, que te poderá ser útil quando estudares a Voz Passiva.

Atenção que o verbo to be é um verbo irregular, pelo que terão de ter cuidado com ele relativamente ao Past Simple e ao Past Participle.

Leading forms: to be / was / been

Este verbo também é importante para a expressão there to be.