I am a contraction. The verb be in full and short forms

Even when speaking Russian, we pronounce words differently from how they are written. We are not even talking about the rules of reading, but about those cases when, in order to quickly express a thought, we throw out whole chunks from words. For example: “wha” instead of “what” or “what”, “right now” instead of “now” and so on.

Are there similar things in English? Yes, and even more often than in Russian.

You may have seen words like wanna And gonna: these are shortened, quickly pronounced forms of want to(“want to do something”) and going to("going to do something"). English abbreviations consist of combining several small words into one big one.

This transformation occurs with the most frequently used combinations and is used in informal colloquial speech. You can even see abbreviations in writing: on the Internet, in SMS, in books that try to accurately reproduce the speech of the characters. In other words, in everyday English there is nowhere without abbreviations.

Let's look at the most necessary of them.

Attention: Have you been learning English for a long time, but can't speak? Find out in Moscow how to speak after 1 month of classes using the ESL method.

14 abbreviated forms with examples

! Note!

As you can see, all abbreviations are a modified version of one form. For example:

• lemme- it's always let me(Not let him, let her etc.);
• whatcha- Always what are you(Not what is he, what are they etc.).

What does it mean? This means what to say" he wanna go with us" is incorrect, because in full the phrase should look like " he wants to go with us", but not " he wants to go with you". The word itself wanna is not abusive or offensive, but its incorrect use hurts the ear and sounds like street language in the worst sense :).

And finally: you may have noticed the word ain"t. Where did it come from and why does it mean immediately I am, he is and even I have? The point is that once upon a time ain"t was short for am not, but later (back in the 19th century!) it spread to he is, and on she is, and so on.

All the abbreviations that we have discussed are completely normal for everyday communication, but be careful: inserting them in a letter to business partners is the same as writing “right now” in Russian :).

I hope the article was useful and interesting! Good luck - and use the abbreviations!

You won’t envy a person learning a foreign language for the first time. A student thinks in his native language and unconsciously tries to transfer the categories, norms and rules of his language into a foreign language. Therefore, when encountering a concept or phenomenon that is absent in native speech, even elementary things seem difficult to perceive.

Often the stumbling block is the verbs am, is, are in English. It is necessary to take time and understand this issue.

Three-headed dragon To be

The verb to be has no analogue in Russian. The fact is that the verb is more of an indicator of person and number than an independent meaning. To be retains separate singular and plural forms for the first and third person in the present tense.

Other verbs retained only the ending -s, which is a sign of the 3rd person singular, for example, She speak s. The same verb in conjunction with a 1st and 2nd person pronoun will differ from the initial form to speak only in the absence of the particle to: “I speak” and “You speak”. The verbs am, is, are are forms of to be. You can focus the student’s attention on this by depicting the verb to be in the form of a dragon, and calling its heads Am, Is and Are.

Translation problems

The translation sounds like “is” or “to be.” The most common mistake young students make is trying to translate phrases like “I am Kristian” as “I am Christian.” This is a delicate moment for beginners learning a language. Such reservations should be corrected immediately.

The interaction of native and foreign languages ​​is very important for the learning process, so the translation should always sound competent and in accordance with the norms of the language. In general, everyone should memorize the verbs am, is, are.

When do they say am and is, and when do they say are?

Verbs are used in the present tense. For the past, there are the forms was and were; in sentences with the future tense, the form will be and very rarely, shall be, are used. You can remember the rules for using forms of the verb to be by studying the table presented below.

As can be seen from the table, the forms am, is, was are used to denote the singular, and are and were - the plural. In modern English shall and will are considered insufficient verbs. Both verbs are used only in the form of the present tense - shall/will, and the past tense - should/would.

Shall in current English is used only in the British version. In shall has retained its modal meaning and is used only in cases where they want to talk about the inevitability of an event. In British English shall is used with the pronouns I and we, and will is used with the pronouns she, he, it. Carefully study the following table, which shows the uses of the verb shall.

Common abbreviations for spoken and written speech

When used in negative sentences, the particle not is added to all forms of the verb to be. The full spelling is rarely used; the abbreviated form of writing the negation is more common:

• I am = I"m, I am not = I"m not;
• he is = he"s, he is not = he"s not or he isn't;
• she is = she"s, she is not = she"s not or she isn't;
• it is = it"s, it is not = it"s not or it isn't;
• we are = we"re, we are not = we"re not or we aren't;
• you are = you"re, you are not = you"re not or you aren't;
• they are = they"re, they are not = they"re not or they aren't;
• I (he, she, it) was not = I (he, she, it) wasn"t;
• we (you, they) were not = we (you, they) weren't.

In common parlance and for writing, the following abbreviations of the forms will and shall are used:

• will/shall = "ll;
• will not = won't;
• shall not = shant"t;
• would/should = "d;
• would not = wouldn't;
• shouldn't = shouldn't.

As you can see, the shortened form for shall in the present and past tenses coincides with will, and in speech the difference between the use of forms has practically disappeared.

"To be or not to be" - that is the question

What does Shakespeare's famous line have to do with it?

To consolidate the rules for using the verbs am, is, are and others in practice, it is worth practicing composing affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

Interrogative sentences are the most effective in terms of practicing speech skills. It is necessary to train the use of the verb to be not only in the present, but also in the past and future tenses.

Another way to practice your language skills is to memorize short rhymes and poems. Studying poems in a foreign language will not only expand your knowledge of grammar, but also increase your vocabulary.

Variants of using the verb to be and its forms in speech

In speech, the verb to be can be used both as the main semantic predicate and as a connecting or auxiliary part of a compound predicate.

Here are examples of the most common ways to use a verb in speech:

1. The verb to be acts as the main predicate in order to emphasize membership in a particular group. For example, Sara is a florist (Sara is a florist) or Alan is my brother (Alan is my brother). In other words, the verb to be does not express an action, but states the state of an object and its belonging.
2. To be plays the role of the main word in a compound predicate along with adjectives. For example, Jilian is a beautiful young lady (Jilian is a beautiful young girl) or The TV-show is interesting (This TV show is interesting).
3. The verb is the main predicate in statements indicating a place or geographical location. For example, She is at dinner (She is at dinner) or His flat is in the center (His apartment is located in the center).
4. To be acts as a predicate in comparative constructions. For example, The light is faster than the sound.
5. The verb to be can play an auxiliary role in continuous tenses. For example, Present Continuous: They are sitting on the ground (They are now sitting on the ground); Past Continuous: We were watching the TV-show when she telephoned (When she called, we were watching the TV show); Future Continuous: Jilly will be singing tonight.
6. The verb is used to express passive tenses. In such sentences, to be is conjugated in the required tense. The semantic verb is always used in the form of the past participle - Past Participle. The form of all sentences with passive voice is the same: Passive Subject + To Be + Past Participle. For example, Past Perfect: The breakfast had been eaten before she arrived (Breakfast was eaten before she arrived) or Past Simple: His car was bought in 1995 (His car was bought in 1995).

The verb to be plays a huge role in the English language. Correct use of verb forms is necessary for beautiful and correct speech.

As you know, abbreviation is the “shortening” of a word, when some letters are, as it were, “thrown out” of the word. In English, “expelled” letters are replaced by an apostrophe (’).

Abbreviated or short forms are an integral part of English speech. Their use directly speaks to the tone of the conversation. Many people mistakenly assume that contractions have no place in writing, for example. However, in friendly correspondence, for example, they are quite acceptable. Of course, they should be avoided in business reports and documents.

Most often, the negative particle is contracted 'not' . She turns into n't , while merging with the previous verb:

• After verb forms be: aren't, isn't, wasn't, weren't
• After modal verbs: can"t, couldn"t, mustn"t, shouldn"t, won"t, wouldn't
• After verb forms do: didn't, doesn't, don't
• After verb forms have: hasn't, haven't, hadn't

We were not ready for the changes. = We weren’t ready for the changes.

She could not have missed it. = She couldn’t have missed it.

Why didn't you call me? = Why didn’t you call me?

They have not arrived yet. = They haven’t arrived yet.

In addition to the particle 'not', in English it is customary to abbreviate the forms of verbs 'to be', 'to have', 'to do', as well as modal verbs 'can', 'may', 'must', 'need', 'will ', 'shall', etc. in all tenses.

List of common abbreviated forms

Table. Shortened forms of verbs in English.

You probably noticed that it is the auxiliary verbs that are abbreviated, because there are few of them, everyone knows them and they are easy to recognize in their abbreviated form, which cannot be said about all other verbs. For example, how to reduce reserve, buy, write to be understood?

There is one thing:

You should not shorten the auxiliary verb if the sentence consists only of a subject and that verb. In this case, the logical emphasis falls on it: if we reduce it, then there will be nothing to emphasize.

Are you a student? - Yes, I am. Yes, I'm.

Have they written the report yet? - Yes, they have. Yes, they've.

This rule does not apply to abbreviations with not: in them the verb remains whole.

The table also shows that abbreviations “stick” to pronouns and question words. What about nouns? Is it possible to say ‘The table’s been repaired’? In principle, it is possible, but, frankly speaking, such use is rare. Abbreviations can be attached, for example, to names or words that designate people.

Alicia’s going to see the doctor on Friday.

The doctor’s fixed the appointment on 11 a.m.

If you notice, am not is not abbreviated. Once upon a time it was possible to say ‘ amn't', but today this form is practically not used. However, instead of it you can put aren't, for example, in questions with a tail.

I am her brother, aren’t I?

Ain't , however, can replace any auxiliary verb+not. This is usually observed in dialects and slangs, as well as in colloquial speech.

Not a single written speech, be it business correspondence or, especially, informal correspondence, is complete without abbreviations and acronyms. Abbreviations in English are also found in colloquial speech - acronyms (abbreviations that have become independent words) such as NASA, NATO, USA or Radar are used. In this article we will talk about the most common abbreviations that you may encounter in English texts.

Table with abbreviations of verb constructions

While studying English tenses, you may have noticed that verb constructions are very rarely written in their full form; abbreviations are much more common. Full forms can most often be found in official texts (legal or scientific literature). Contracted forms have auxiliaries and , as well as the verb be.

Abbreviations of the verb have

Abbreviations of the verb be

Shortened forms of other modal verbs

Slang abbreviations

During informal communication with native speakers, you can often get lost in abbreviations and acronyms, or even completely stop understanding what the interlocutor is talking about. We hope our table will make it easier for you to communicate with English-speaking friends:

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Irregular English verbs: table, rules and examples

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Common abbreviations

We have long been accustomed to abbreviations in the Russian language and different, etc., singular, p.s., husband. and scientific do not cause any difficulty while reading texts. To make English texts just as easy to read, we have prepared for you a table with the most common written abbreviations and abbreviations:

Abbreviations for Weights and Measures

As in Russian, in English there are a number of abbreviations for measuring weight, time and distance:

Video about abbreviations in English:

In the modern age, saturated with information, there is less and less time for communication and correspondence. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, the more information a person has, the more ways he looks for to reduce it and transmit it in a more condensed form. One of the best ways to shorten words and expressions is to use abbreviations.

Today they are found everywhere in general English, in business correspondence, in SMS messages and chats, and in international terms. Many of them are used quite often, so not only students of English, but also an ordinary modern person should master a couple of the most common ones.

Abbreviation(Italian abbreviatura from Latin brevis - short) is a word formed by an abbreviation of a word or phrase and read by the alphabetical name of the initial letters or by the initial sounds of the words included in it.

Abbreviations are found in every language in the world and play a huge role. Sometimes ignorance or incorrect use of a particular abbreviation in English can lead to a rather awkward situation or misunderstanding of what the interlocutor wants to express with a particular phrase.

Let's look at an example of the incorrect use of a fairly well-known abbreviation LOL(laughing out loud - laugh loudly, out loud).

Messages
Mom: Your beloved aunt just passed away. LOL
I: Why is that funny?
Mom: It’s not funny, David!
I: Mom, LOL means “laughing out loud”.
Mom: Oh my goodness! I thought it means “lots of love”...I sent it to everyone! I need to call everyone…

Messages
Mom: Your favorite aunt just passed away. LOL
Me: What's so funny about that?
Mom: This is not funny, David!
Me: Mom, LOL means "laugh out loud".
Mom: Oh God! I thought it meant lots of love...
I sent this to everyone! We need to call everyone back...

Most popular abbreviations

This list of abbreviations can be found everywhere and you are probably familiar with most of them visually, but let’s pay attention to their correct translation and use.

• V.I.P. (very important person)- very important person;
• P.S.(from Latin “post scriptum”) - after what is written;
• A.D.(from Latin “Anno Domini”) - our era;
• B.C. / B.C.E. -before Christ- before Christ / before Common Era- BC;
• ASAP (as soon as possible)- As soon as possible;
• UNO (United Nations Organization)- UN;
• UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)- UNESCO;
• a.m.(ante meridiem, in the morning)- in the morning;
• p.m.(postmeridiem, in the afternoon)- In the evening;
• i.e. ( id est , that is)- it means;
• e.g. ( exemplary gratia , for example)- For example;
• u (you)- You;
• etc.(from Latin et cetera) - and so on;
• 2G2BT (too good to be true)- too good to be true;
• 2moro (tomorrow)- Tomorrow;
• 2day (today)- Today;
• BD or BDAY (birthday)- birthday;
• 2nite (tonight)- In the evening;
• 4ever (forever)- forever;
• AFAIK (as far as I know)- as far as I know;
• BTW (by the way)- by the way;
• RLY (really)- really, really;
• BRB (be right back)- I'll be back soon;
• TTYL (talk to you later)- we’ll talk later, “before we get in touch”;
• IMHO (in my honest opinion)- in my opinion, in my opinion;
• AKA (also known as)- also known as;
• TIA (thanks in advance)- thanks in advance.

Let's look at the use of the abbreviations given above in examples:

• According to my work schedule I need to come to work at 8 a.m.-According to my work schedule, I need to come to work at 8 am.
• AFAIK this concert will be held 2day.-As far as I know, the concert will be held today.
• All these events happened in 455 B.C.- All these events took place in 455 BC.
• I invite u to my BD 2nite.- I invite you to my birthday tonight.
• BTW she was RLY good at Math at school. - By the way (by the way) she was really good at mathematics when she was in school.
• I"m sorry. I"m in hurry. TTYL.-I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry. Let's talk later.

General purpose English abbreviations are described quite interestingly in this video:

Business letters and abbreviations

Writing business letters and composing business correspondence today requires high-quality study and a careful approach. When faced for the first time with the design and decoding of abbreviations in business English, a beginner sometimes experiences confusion and bewilderment as to what it all means. The difficulty lies in using this or that abbreviation correctly, as well as in the specifics of business vocabulary. However, as in any area of ​​language learning, knowledge and a little practice will help you overcome any difficulties.

A number of abbreviations are used only in writing, but in oral speech the full forms of the word are pronounced:

• Mr. (mister)- Mister;
• Mrs. (mistress)- Mrs.
• Dr. (Doctor)- doctor;
• St. (Saint/Street)- saint or street;
• Blvd. (boulevard)- boulevard;
• Ave. (avenue)- avenue;
• Sq. (square)- square;
• Rd. (road)- road;
• Bldg. (building)- building;
• B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science)- Bachelor of Science;
• M.A. (Master of Arts)- Master of Arts;
• Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)- PhD;
• M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)- Doctor of Medical Sciences.

The most popular business abbreviations of English words are given below:

• Co (company)- company;
• PA (personal assistant)- personal assistant;
• Appx. (appendix)- application;
• Re. (reply)- answer;
• p. (page)- page;
• smth. (something)- something;
• smb. (somebody)- somebody;
• vs ( lat. versus)- against;
• etc. ( lat. et cetera)- And so on.

Popular three-letter acronyms ( TLA or Three-Letter Acronyms) in the business sphere:

• CAO (Chief Administrative Officer)- Administration Manager;
• CEO (Chief Executive Officer)- chief executive officer (CEO);
• exp. (export)- export - removal of goods beyond the borders of the country;
• HR (human resources)- HR service of the enterprise;
• HQ (Headquarters)- main department of the company;
• LLC (limited liability company)- limited liability company (LLC);
• R&D (research and development)- Research and development;
• IT (information technology)- information Technology.

Examples of business correspondence using abbreviations :

• Dear Mr. Braun, our Co will be glad to offer you the position of CAO.- Dear Mr. Brown, our company will be glad to offer you the position of chief accountant of the company.
• Dear Ms. Stone, my PA will definitely contact you about changes in exp. process - Dear Miss Stone, my personal secretary will contact you regarding changes in the export process.

Chats and SMS

As stated above, in English there are Three Letter Acronyms ( TLA or Three-Letter Acronyms), which help shorten and condense fairly large phrases into 3 letters. Today, this is a fairly popular way to save time when corresponding on social networks.

• BFN (bye for now)- see you later, bye
• BTW (by the way)- By the way
• FYI (for your information)- for your information
• JIT (just in time)- during
• IOW (in other words)- in other words, in other words
• NRN (no reply is necessary)- no answer required
• OTOH (on the other hand)- on the other side

As for SMS abbreviations, there are a huge number of them.
The specificity of such abbreviations is that it can be almost impossible to decipher without a detailed analysis.

• GL (good luck)- Good luck!
• GB (good bye)- Bye
• DNO (don't know)- Don't know
• ASAYGT (as soon as you get this)- as soon as you receive it
• B4 (before)- before
• BC (because)- because
• BON (believe it or not)- believe it or not
• BW (best wishes)- best wishes
• BZ (busy)- busy
• CYT (see you tomorrow)- see you tomorrow

• Wish you G.L. on your exam. Mom. - I wish you good luck in the exam. Mother.
• Sorry. BZ. C.Y.T.- I am sorry. Busy. See you tomorrow.
• I will be JIT. G.B.- I'll be on time. Bye.

For a detailed overview of English abbreviations for words in SMS, we recommend visiting, which contains 2000+ abbreviations.

As we can see, the topic is quite extensive, but don’t be scared! After encountering acronyms and abbreviations in English several times, you just can't help but fall in love with them for their originality and help in saving you time. And once you love something, you will definitely and easily remember it!

We suggest you choose a couple of abbreviations for yourself right now and surprise your loved ones with improved communication! BFN and watch your step while texting!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family