be
[bi:] ( pt was or were, pp been )auxiliary verb Conjugación
| 1. | (in combination with present participle: to form cont tense)
stare
what is he doing? cosa sta facendo? it's snowing nevica I'm leaving tomorrow parto domani they've been promising reform for years sono anni che promettono delle riforme |
| 2. | (in combination with pp: to form passive)
essere
to be loved essere amato ( f amata) ten people have been killed dieci persone sono rimaste uccise there was no one to be seen non c'era nessuno |
| 3. | (in question tags)
it was fun, wasn't it? è stato divertente, vero? she's pretty, isn't she? è carina, non trovi? the meal was delicious, wasn't it? il pranzo era squisito, no? |
| 4. | (followed by "to" + infin)
I'm to be promoted avrò una promozione you're not to tell anyone non lo devi dire a nessuno |
be
[bi:] ( pt was or were, pp been )copulative verb Conjugación
| 1. | (with adjective, n)
essere
to be a doctor /lawyer /plumber essere medico/avvocato/idraulico she's intelligent /attractive è intelligente/attraente I'm hot /cold ho caldo/freddo be quiet /careful! stai zitto/attento! 1 and 1 are 2 1 più 1 fa 2 |
| 2. | [referring to health]
stare
how are you? come stai? I'm fine sto bene she's better now sta meglio ora |
| 3. | [referring to age]
how old are you? quanti anni hai? I'm 20 (years old) ho 20 anni |
| 4. | [cost]
costare
how much was it? quanto è costato? that will be £10, please fanno 10 sterline, per favore |
be
[bi:] ( pt was or were, pp been )intransitive verb Conjugación
| 1. | [exist]
esserci
be that as it may comunque sia |
| 2. | [referring to place]
essere
where is the book? — it's on the table dov'è il libro? — è sul tavolo Salerno is in Italy Salerno è in Italia he will be here tomorrow sarà qui domani |
| 3. | [referring to movement]
essere
where have you been? dove sei stato? I've been to the cinema/to France/to the butcher's sono stato al cinema/in Francia/dal macellaio |
be
[bi:] ( pt was or were, pp been )impersonal verb Conjugación
| 1. | [referring to time, dates]
essere
it's two o'clock sono le due it's 17 February è il 17 febbraio |
| 2. | [referring to distance]
essere
it's 5 km from here è a 5 km da qui it's 3 km to the next town la città più vicina è a 3 km |
| 3. | [referring to the weather]
it's hot /cold fa caldo/freddo it's windy c'è vento |
| 4. | [for emphasis]
essere
it's me sono io it's the milkman è il lattaio |
