Verb To Be Worksheets for Beginners
Build confidence with am, is, are, was and were through five carefully varied worksheets. The collection moves from simple sentence completion and French translation to reading in context, question formation, error correction and present-versus-past practice.
Three watermarked PDFs are available free. Premium members can download the clean print versions, editable DOCX files and the two advanced practice sheets.
How this worksheet collection is organised
The verb to be appears in introductions, descriptions, ages, professions, locations and many everyday statements. Because it changes according to both the subject and the tense, beginners need more than one type of activity. Repeating the same gap-fill format is useful at first, but learners also need to translate, read, transform and correct sentences.
This collection therefore follows a practical learning sequence. Students begin by matching subjects with am, is and are. They then compare English and French forms, meet the verb inside short reading passages, distinguish present from past forms and finally manipulate complete sentences in several ways.
Choose the right verb to be worksheet
Use this overview to find the resource that best matches your learners’ current needs.
| Resource | Main focus | Suggested level | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Complete the sentences | Subject agreement and basic present forms | Starter – A1 | Free watermarked PDF |
| 2. Translation practice | English-French translation, negatives and questions | A1 | Free watermarked PDF |
| 3. Reading text | Am, is, are inside two short descriptions | A1 | Free watermarked PDF |
| 4. Present and past | Am, is, are, was, were with answer key | A1-A2 | Premium PDF |
| 5. Complete present-tense practice | Questions, subject changes and error correction | A1-A2 | Premium PDF |
What learners practise across the five resources
The activities are deliberately complementary. A learner who can select is in an isolated sentence may still find it difficult to form a question, recognise a past-time clue or maintain correct agreement across a paragraph. Using the worksheets in sequence helps transfer a memorised rule into real language use.
Complete the Sentences with the Verb To Be
Starter practice with English-French support
A colour-coded reference table introduces the present forms of to be alongside their French equivalents. Students then complete 20 short sentences about family members, animals, places, identity and everyday situations.
- Practises am, is and are.
- Contrasts singular and plural subjects.
- Connects grammar with familiar visual situations.
- Works well as an introduction, revision sheet or quick assessment.
The repeated contrast between singular and plural subjects helps learners notice why the cat is but the dog and the cat are. The French column also makes this a useful bridge for francophone learners.
Download worksheet 1
Non-members receive the complete watermarked PDF. Premium members can use the clean PDF and editable Word version.
Free Watermarked PDF
Complete one-page worksheet with visible watermark markings.
🔒 Clean PDF and Editable DOCX
Unlock the files without watermark markings and edit the worksheet in Word.
Verb To Be with French Translation
Affirmative, negative and interrogative forms
This bilingual worksheet asks learners to translate 18 common English forms into French. It includes full forms, contractions, negatives and questions. A second activity contains 15 short sentences in which students select the correct form of to be.
- Reviews forms such as I’m, he’s, we’re and they aren’t.
- Includes questions such as Are we? and Is she?
- Links grammar form with meaning through translation.
- Provides 33 prompts across two activity types.
Because the translation list mixes statements, negatives and questions, students must look beyond the subject and identify the sentence type before writing their answer.
Download worksheet 2
Choose the free watermarked PDF or unlock the clean and editable Premium formats.
Free Watermarked PDF
Complete bilingual worksheet with visible watermark markings.
🔒 Clean PDF and Editable DOCX
Unlock the worksheet without watermark markings and its editable Word file.
Complementary Reading Text: Am, Is, Are
Grammar practice inside meaningful descriptions
This reading worksheet moves the verb beyond isolated sentences. Students complete two short texts describing teenagers, their families, homes, professions, interests and friendships.
- Uses repeated present forms in connected prose.
- Recycles age, nationality, family and profession vocabulary.
- Requires students to maintain agreement across a paragraph.
- Combines reading comprehension with grammar accuracy.
The two profiles create natural repetition without making every sentence identical. Learners must track whether each blank refers to one person, two people, a family member, a house or another plural noun.
Download worksheet 3
The reading text is free as a watermarked PDF. Premium members can download the clean PDF and editable DOCX.
Free Watermarked Reading PDF
Two complete reading passages with visible watermark markings.
🔒 Clean PDF and Editable DOCX
Unlock the reading worksheet without watermark markings and its editable Word version.
Present and Past Simple Practice
Am, is, are, was and were with answer key
Students complete 20 contextualised sentences using am, is, are, was or were. Present-time and past-time clues are deliberately mixed, so learners must consider both the subject and the time reference.
- Contrasts present and past forms in one exercise.
- Includes singular, plural and compound subjects.
- Uses clues such as today, right now, yesterday and last year.
- Includes a complete answer-key page.
This worksheet is particularly useful for checking whether learners read the entire sentence before answering. The correct choice sometimes depends on a time expression placed later in the sentence.
Download worksheet 4
This two-page resource, including its answer key, is reserved for Premium members.
🔒 Present and Past Practice PDF
Unlock the 20-item worksheet and complete answer key.
Complete Present-Tense Exercise Worksheet
Six activity types on one structured page
This varied worksheet checks whether learners can use the present tense of to be across six different task formats. It goes beyond selection and asks students to build, transform and correct complete sentences.
- Unscramble words to create correct statements.
- Rewrite statements as questions.
- Complete sentences and a short family paragraph.
- Change subjects while maintaining agreement.
- Identify and correct common errors.
The shift between task types reveals whether a learner truly understands the grammar or can only complete familiar gaps. It is the most comprehensive present-tense resource in this collection.
Download worksheet 5
The complete one-page practice worksheet is available to Premium members.
🔒 Complete Present-Tense Worksheet
Unlock all six activity types in one print-ready PDF.
A quick reminder: which form should students use?
Present simple: am, is and are ▼
Use am with I; is with he, she, it and singular nouns; and are with you, we, they and plural nouns.
Past simple: was and were ▼
Use was with I, he, she, it and singular nouns. Use were with you, we, they and plural nouns.
Questions and negatives ▼
Move the verb before the subject to form a question: She is ready becomes Is she ready? Add not after the verb for a negative: They are not ready.
Frequently asked questions
Which worksheets are free? ▼
The Complete the Sentences worksheet, Translation Exercise and Complementary Reading Text are free as watermarked PDFs.
What do Premium members receive? ▼
Premium members receive the available clean PDFs and editable DOCX files, plus the Present and Past Simple Practice worksheet and the Complete Present-Tense Exercise worksheet.
What level are these verb to be worksheets? ▼
The collection is designed mainly for beginner A1 learners. The present-versus-past and multi-format worksheets extend toward A2.
Is an answer key included? ▼
The Present and Past Simple Practice PDF includes a complete answer-key page. The other resources are supplied as practice worksheets.
Can the worksheets be edited? ▼
Editable DOCX files are available to Premium members for the two bilingual worksheets and the complementary reading text.
What does watermarked mean? ▼
The free PDF contains visible Fred’s Worksheets watermark markings. The learning content remains complete and printable.
