are
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.a form of 'be' used with 'you', 'we', and 'they' to describe a state or identity.
v.the present indicative form of 'be' used for the second-person singular and all plural subjects.
Simple“We are very tired after the long walk in the park.”
In context“The researchers are currently investigating the long-term effects of the policy on local communities.”
PitfallThey is very happy today. They are very happy today.Use 'are' for plural subjects like 'they', 'we', or 'the people'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a metric unit of area equal to 100 square metres.
n.a metric unit of surface area equivalent to 100 square metres; largely superseded by the hectare.
Simple“The small garden was exactly one are in size.”
In context“The land was measured in ares and hectares before the modern standardisation of agricultural records.”
For Spanish speakers Spanish speakers may omit the final /r/ or produce an intrusive /e/ at the start because Spanish does not have word-final rhotic /r/ in the same phonetic environment. The vowel /ɑːr/ is often substituted with the more closed Spanish /a/.
Spanish inflects the verb for person ('eres', 'sois') and drops the subject pronoun, so 'are' corresponds to several Spanish forms. Because Spanish is pro-drop, learners omit the obligatory subject and produce 'Are coming?' for 'Are you coming?'; English requires an explicit 'you', 'we', or 'they' before 'are'.
For Mandarin speakers Mandarin is a non-inflected language that uses a single copula 是 (shì) regardless of person or number. Learners frequently omit 'are' or use the singular 'is' because Mandarin does not mark subject-verb agreement or differentiate plural forms of the verb 'to be'.
For Japanese speakers The Japanese /ɾ/ is a single tap, leading to the substitution of the English liquid /r/ in 'are' with a flap or an epenthetic vowel addition, producing /aːɾɯ/.
Japanese verbs do not conjugate based on person or number, so the distinction between 'am', 'is', and 'are' has no equivalent in the L1 system; learners frequently default to 'is' or omit the copula entirely because Japanese sentences can end in nouns or adjectives without a verb.
For French speakers French lacks the post-vocalic /r/ found in rhotic English dialects; speakers often substitute a uvular /ʁ/ or drop the sound entirely, pronouncing 'are' like 'ah' /ɑː/ even in positions where /r/ is required for linking.
French speakers often transfer the verb 'avoir' (to have) for age, hunger, or thirst, resulting in 'you have' instead of 'you are' (e.g., 'tu as vingt ans' leads to 'you have twenty years').