Word
is
Definition
v. used to describe a person, thing, or situation. You use it to give information about someone or something, like their name, age, or job.
v. the third-person singular present indicative form of 'be'. Functions as a linking verb to connect a subject with its complement or as an auxiliary verb to form continuous tenses and the passive voice.
Examples
“She is a doctor at the local hospital.”
“The weather is quite cold today, so you should wear a heavy coat when you go outside.”
“While the theory is sound in a controlled laboratory setting, its practical application is often hindered by the unpredictable nature of real-world variables.”
Examples
simple
“She is a doctor at the local hospital.”
contextual
“The weather is quite cold today, so you should wear a heavy coat when you go outside.”
complex
“While the theory is sound in a controlled laboratory setting, its practical application is often hindered by the unpredictable nature of real-world variables.”
Usage
Third-person singular form; pairs with singular subjects like 'he', 'she', 'it', or singular noun phrases.
Pitfall
They is happy.
They are happy.
'Is' is only used for singular subjects; plural subjects require 'are'.
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European h₁ésti ("is"), a form of the root h₁es- meaning "to be". The word descends through Proto-Germanic wesaną, "to be", whose stem isti yields Proto-West Germanic *ist and then Old English is, unchanged through Middle English to the present.
Cognates remain recognisable across Germanic: West Frisian is, Dutch is, German ist, Yiddish איז (iz), and Afrikaans is, which has absorbed the functions of "am" and "are" as well. Old Norse and Old Swedish supply er and är, variants of the same stem.
The form *h₁ésti also produced Latin est, Ancient Greek ἐστί (estí), Sanskrit अस्ति (asti), Persian است (ast), and Russian есть (jestʹ). All carry the same meaning, though English has kept the third-person singular as the sole surviving present tense of "to be".
Alternative pronunciation of us.
From i + -s.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · Beginner
- Updated
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