Grammatica Hotline – Verbo Essere – To be, or not to be

il verbo to be equivale al verbo essere italiano, ed in genere mostra l’esistenza o la condizione del soggetto.

Puo’ essere il verbo principale di una frase oppure un ausiliare, utilizzato per formare il passivo o la forma progressiva .

Il verbo essere e’ considerato il verbo piu’ irregolare della lingua inglese,nonche’ il verbo ausiliare per antonomasia,giacche’ tutti gli altri verbo seguono le sue regole per formare la frase negativa e quella interrogativa.

interrogativa del verbo essere in inglese :
to be+soggetto+complemento
A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
una domanda che a volte mi confonde: sono io o gli altri pazzi?
Albert Einstein

negativa del verbo essere in inglese : soggetto+to be+not+complemento
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.
solo due cose sono infinite,l’universo e la stupidita’ umana,e non sono sicuro della prima.
Albert Einstein

in alcuni casi particolari il verbo essere in inglese assume il significato di avere, ad esempio
I’m 52 years old= ho 52 anni
I’m hot= ho caldo .
to be right=avere ragione

“To be, or not to be…”  of William Shakespeare‘s play Hamlet.

Is

What …. his name? (What is his name?)

My name …. David Hunt. (My name is David Hunt)

He ….. a Private Investigator.  (He is a Private Investigator)

Is

What ….. her name? (What is her name?)

Her name ……Linda Fox. (Her name is Linda Fox)

She …… the Boss. (She is the Boss)

David Hunt ….. not married to Linda Fox. (David Hunt is not married to Linda Fox.)

He – Lui     She – Lei      They – Loro      We – Noi        It – Esso

1. Linda Fox is American. She is not French.
2. David Hunt is American, too. He is not Scottish.
3. Linda and David are not French.  They are American.
4. My friend and I are Italian. We are not French.
5. The Statue of Liberty is in New York. It is not in Washington.
6. They are photo models. They are not mechanics.

Fill in the blanks with the right form of to be ( am, are or is):

1. _____ you a Detective?
2. Yes, I  ____
3. Linda Fox ____  the Boss.
4. David ____ not married to Linda Fox.
5. My sister and I ______ not students.
6. The Police ______ investigating the case.
7. Women  _____ beautiful.
8. The tea  ____ delicious.
9. Linda and David _____  friends.
10. The newspaper ____  cheap.

“PRACTICE”

Talk about you.

What is your name?

_______________

Where are you from?

________________

What is your nationality?

____________________

What is your e-mail  address?

___________________

Are you married?

___________________

What is your job?

___________________

Where do you live?

__________________