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Grammaire
anglaise
Le verbe to be en anglais
Le verbe to be - verbe principal, auxiliaire, ou modal
Aller à...: | Verbe principal | Auxiliaire | Modal to be |
1. Le verbe to be comme verbe principal
Le verbe to be est le verbe fondamental utilisé pour indiquer l'existence d'une entité (personne, objet, abstraction) ou pour présenter les qualités ou les caractéristiques d'une entité. En linguistique, on dit parfoit qu'il s'agit d'une copule.
A la différence des verbes transitifs, to be n'est pas suivi d'un c.o.d., mais d'un complément, puisque sujet et complément du verbe to be se réfèrent à la même entité. Le complément de to be peut être un groupe nominal, un adjectif ou une expression prépositionnelle.
Les temps principaux de to be
Personne | Présent | prétérit | Present perfect | Past perfect | Futur | |
1e sing. | I | am |
was | have
been |
had
been |
will be / (shall be) |
2e sing | you | are |
were | have
been |
will be | |
3e sing | he, she, etc. | is |
was | has
been |
||
1e pluriel. | we | are |
were |
have
been |
will be / (shall be) | |
2e pluriel | you | are |
were |
have
been |
will be (shall be) | |
3e pluriel | they | are |
were |
have
been |
Exemples d'emplois du verbe to be comme verbe principal :
Exemples
That man is my father.
That man is the winner of last year's Pulitzer Prize.
That man is not very clever
That man is in the middle of the road.
I have been to London before
We were much happier in the summer.
The three women were all sisters.
The child had been in the room all morning, before anyone found him.
You should have been in London last week.
That man is my father.
That man is the winner of last year's Pulitzer Prize.
That man is not very clever
That man is in the middle of the road.
I have been to London before
We were much happier in the summer.
The three women were all sisters.
The child had been in the room all morning, before anyone found him.
You should have been in London last week.
2. Le verbe to be comme auxiliaire
2.1. Les formes progressives avec be
Le verbe to be est utilisé comme auxiliaire pour indiquer l'aspect progressif ou continu d'une action; ainsi il sert à former le temps "présent progressif" et "passé progressif" et d'autres temps progressifs (aussi dénommés présent continu et passé continu, etc.). Dans ces cas, be est suivi du participe présent d'un verbe (forme en -ing.)Modèle "stand" | Presént
progressif |
Futur progressif | Prétérit
progressif |
Present perfect progressif | Past perfect progressif |
1e sing | I am standing | I will be standing | I was standing | I have been standing | I had been standing |
2e sing | you are standing | You will be standing | You were standing | You have been standing | You had been standing |
3e sing | he / she... is standing | He / she ... will be standing | He/ she ... was standing | He / she... have been standing | he / she ... had been standing |
1e pluriel | we are standing | We will be standing | We were standing | We have been standing | We had been standing |
2e pluriel | you are standing | You will be standing | You were standing | You have been standing | You had been standing |
3e pluriel | they are standing | They will be standing | They were standing | They have been standing | They had been standing |
D'autres temps peuvent être formés, y compris les temps avec auxiliaires modaux, par exemple:
I could have been living in Miami
She must have been telling a lie.
2.2. To be comme auxiliaire du passif
Le verbe to be est également employé comme auxiliaire pour former les temps du passif. Dans ces cas, le verbe be est suivi du participe passé d'un verbe..Modèle "Take" | Présent
simple passif |
Futur passif | prétérit passif | Present perfect passif | Past perfect passif |
1e sing | I am taken | I will be taken | I was taken | I have been taken | I had been taken |
3e sing | It... is taken | He / she ... will be taken | He / she ... was taken | He / she ... has been taken | He / she ... had been taken |
Etc. |
You should have been sent home.
They must have been told the truth.
2.3. Les temps du passif progressif
Employé comme auxiliaire dans la formation des temps passifs, et pour donner un aspect progressif au temps, le verbe to be figure ainsi deux fois quand il s'agit d'employer un verbe avec aspect progressif, dans une forme passive.Si une gamme complète de temps est théoriquement possible, dans la réalité l'anglais ne connaît couramment que deux temps au passif progressif, le présent et le passé ou prétérit.
Modèle "Take" | Présent
progressif passif |
Passé progressif passif |
1e sing | I am being taken | I was being taken |
3e sing | It... is being taken | He / she ... was being taken |
Etc. |
Be remplacé par get :
En anglais courant, le l'auxiliaire be peut souvent être remplacé par get dans l'expression du temps passif (dans les temps simples ou progressifs).Exemples
I was being / was getting presented to my new boss, when I suddenly felt ill.
The computer system is down, as the software is being/ is getting updated.
The house is being / is getting repainted.
The employees were being / were getting given a new uniform.
The boss was given / got given a fine present when he retired.
I was being / was getting presented to my new boss, when I suddenly felt ill.
The computer system is down, as the software is being/ is getting updated.
The house is being / is getting repainted.
The employees were being / were getting given a new uniform.
The boss was given / got given a fine present when he retired.
2.4. Evitez les confusions
N'oubliez pas que quand l'auxiliaire to be est suivi d'un participe présent, le verbe est à l'actif; lorsqu'il est suivi d'un participe passé, le verbe est au passif..Exemples
The fish were eating their dinner
The fish were eaten for dinner
They were selling cheap watches, when the police arrested them
They were sold cheap watches by a man who said they were valuable.
The children have been asking to go to bed.
The children have been asked to go to bed.
The fish were eating their dinner
The fish were eaten for dinner
They were selling cheap watches, when the police arrested them
They were sold cheap watches by a man who said they were valuable.
The children have been asking to go to bed.
The children have been asked to go to bed.
3. Le verbe to be comme verbe modal
Le verbe to be est parfois utilisé comme auxiliaire modal; mais c'est un modal étrange, dans la mesure où il peut revêtir plusieurs sens différents - un sens de futurité, un sens d'obligation, ou un sens un peu entre les deux, un sens de supposition.A la première et à la troisième personne, ce modal implique le plus souvent la futurité; mais à la seconde personne, le sens le plus courant est l'obligation. Mais cette distribution n'est pas toujours respectée.
Personne | Présent | prétérit | |
1e sing. | I |
I am
to get |
was to get |
2e sing | you | You
are
to get |
were to get |
3e sing | he, she, etc. | ... is to get | was to get |
1e pluriel. | we | ... are to get | were to get |
2e pluriel | you | ... are to get | were to get |
3e pluriel | they | ... are to get | were to get |
Exemples
- The plane was to land at 10. (Sens: The plane was supposed to land at 10.)
- I'm to work in Paris next week (I'm going to / have to work in Paris.....)
- I'm to build five of these houses ( I must / am supposed to build five..... )
- He's to stand as candidate in the election ( He is going to stand.....)
- The women were to stay at home that afternoon (The women were meant to / were going to / were supposed to .....)
- After entering the forest, they were to get lost. (After entering the forest, they were going to get lost).
- After Paris, they were to go to Lyon (After Paris, they were supposed to go to Lyon).
- You're to make more effort next time. (You must make more effort ....)
- When you get to the hospital, you're to see the doctor at once. (When you get to the hospital, you must see the doctor at once).
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