Basic English Sentence Structures: Declarative Sentences-Part 2

Another way to correctly write a basic sentence in English is to use the following structure.

Subject (or Article + Noun) + Be Verb + Adjective

Select a Subject
The Subject of a sentence tells who or what the sentence is about. It is often a person, a place, or a thing.  The subject can also be replaced with a pronoun such as I, you, he, she, it, we, or they.

Select the Correct Be Verb
The be verb in English translates into ser or estar in Spanish.  The be verb in English is often used to explain the way a person, a place, or a thing is in this moment, the way something is for the long term, or the location of something.  In the present tense, the be verb conjugates to: am, is, or are.

Singular Subject Pronouns + Be Verb Conjugations

I am (Yo soy; Yo estoy)

• I am a teacher.  (Soy profesora.)
• I am late. (Estoy tarde.)

You are—Singular (Tú eres; Tú estás; Usted es; Usted está)

• You are the boss. (Eres el jefe.)
• You are bored. (Estás aburrido.)

He is (Él es; Él está), She is (Ella es; Ella está), It is (En el inglés usamos “it” para hablar de un objeto— The pencil; The car; The television . . . )

• He is my brother.  She is my sister. (Él es mi hermano. Ella es mi hermana.)
• He is sad.  She is uncomfortable. (Él está triste.  Ella está incómoda.)
• The table is big. It is big. (La mesa es grande.)
• The painting is beautiful. It is beautiful. (La pintura está hermosa.)

Plural Subject Pronouns + Be Verb Conjugations
We are (Nosotros somos; Nosotros estamos)

• We are lawyers. (Somos abogados.)
• We are surprised. (Estamos sorprendidos.)

You are—Plural (Ustedes son; Ustedes están)

• You are students. (Ustedes son estudiantes.)
• You are worried. (Ustedes están preocupados.)

They are (Ellos son; Ellos están) (En el inglés, también usamos “they” para hablar de los objetos— The books; The chairs; The computers . . . )  

• They are scientists. (Ellos son científicos.)
• They are confused. (Ellos están confundidos.)
• The flowers are red.  They are red. (Las flores son rojas.)
• The glasses are empty. They are empty. (Los vasos están vacíos.) 

Select an Adjective
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. (A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.) Adjectives often answer the questions: What kind? and How many?  Below you will find a list of several adjectives.

• To describe the way a noun looks (la apariencia)- beautiful, ugly, unusual, interesting, damaged
• To describe the way a noun feels (el sentido)- soft, hard, rough, smooth
• To describe the way a noun sounds (el sonido)- quiet, loud, squeaky
• To describe the way a noun smells (el olor)- pleasant, stinky, fragrant, rotten
• To describe the way a noun tastes (el sabor)- sweet, salty, cold, hot, spicy 

Example Complete Sentences

• I am funny. (Soy divertido.) I am nervous. (Estoy nerviosa.)
• You are kind. (Tú eres amable.)  You are beautiful.  (Tú eres hermosa.)
• The man is angry. He is angry. (El hombre está enojado.) The server is worried. He is worried. (El mesero está preocupado.)
• The teacher is happy.  She is happy. (La profesora está contenta.) My aunt is shy. She is shy.  (Mi tía es tímida.)
• My sister and I are creative. We are creative. (Mi hermana y yo somos creativas.)
• You are hard-working. (Ustedes son trabajadores.)  You are busy. (Ustedes están ocupados.)
• My brothers are serious. They are serious. (Ellos son serios.) My uncles are prepared. They are prepared. (Ellos están preparados.)

Additional Practice