be

ISO 639-1 language code for Belarusian.

As an auxiliary verb: Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.

• The dog was saved by the boy.
• The woman is walking.
• I shall be writing to you soon.

Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.

• The dog was saved by the boy.

Used with present participles of verbs to form the continuous aspect.

• The woman is walking.
• I shall be writing to you soon.
• We liked to chat while we were eating.

Used with to-infinitives of verbs to express intent, obligation, appropriateness, or relative future occurrence.

• I am to leave tomorrow.
• They are to stay here until I return.
• I'd been to've been ambassador, but fell seriously ill.

Used with past participles of certain intransitive verbs to form the perfect aspect.

• He is finished.
• He is gone.
• He is come.

To tend to do, often do; marks the habitual aspect.

As a copulative verb: To exist.

• There is just one woman in town who can help us.
• It is just one woman in town who can help us.
• Hi, I’m Jim.

To exist.

• There is just one woman in town who can help us.
• It is just one woman in town who can help us.

Used to declare the subject and object identical or equivalent.

• Hi, I’m Jim.
• 3 times 5 is fifteen.
• These four are the ones going to the quarter-finals.

Used to indicate that a predicate nominal applies to the subject.

• Rex is a dog.
• A dog is an animal.
• Dogs are animals.

Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by an adjective or prepositional phrase.

• The sky is blue.

Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.

• The sky is a deep blue today.

Used to link a subject to a measurement.

• This building is three hundred years old.
• I am 75 kilograms.
• He’s about 6 feet tall.

Used to state the age of a subject in years.

• I’m 20 (years old).

Used to indicate the time of day.

• It is almost eight (o’clock).
• It’s 8:30 [read eight-thirty] in Tokyo.
• What time is it there? It’s night.

Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.

• It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to "My grandmother died three years ago", but emphasizes the intervening period)
• It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him.

Used to link two noun clauses: a day of the week, recurring date, month, or other specific time (on which the event of the main clause took place) and a period of time indicating how long ago that day was.

• I saw her Monday was a week: I saw her a week ago last Monday (a week before last Monday).
• On the morning of Sunday was fortnight before Christmas: on the morning of the Sunday that was two weeks before the Sunday prior to Christmas.

To pass or spend (time).

Alternative form of by. Also found in compounds, especially oaths, e.g. begorra begad and bejesus.

The name of the Cyrillic script letter Б / б