Tra từ be - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

be [be am are is was were being been] verb, auxiliary verb BrE [bi] NAmE [bi] BrE strong form [biː] AmE strong form [biː]
» irregular verbs
verb
1. linking verb there is/are + noun to exist; to be present
• Is there a God?
•Once upon a time there was a princess…
• I tried phoning but there was no answer.
•There's a bank down the road.
•Was there a pool at the hotel?
2. intransitive + adv./prep. to be located; to be in a place
• The town is three miles away.
• If you're looking for your file, it's on the table.
•Mary's upstairs.
3. intransitive + adv./prep. to happen at a time or in a place
• The party is on Friday evening.
• The meetings are always in the main conference room.
4. intransitive + adv./prep. to remain in a place
• She has been in her room for hours.
• They're here till Christmas.
5. intransitive + adv./prep. to attend an event; to be present in a place
• I'll be at the party.
• He'll be here soon (= will arrive soon).
6. intransitive (only used in the perfect tenses)+ adv./prep. to visit or call
• I've never been to Spain.
• He had been abroad many times.
• (BrE)Has the postman been yet? In NAmE, come is used instead
•Has the mailman come yet?
7. intransitive ~ from… used to say where sb was born or where their home is
• She's from Italy.
8. linking verb used when you are naming people or things, describing them or giving more information about them
•+ noun Today is Monday.
• ‘Who is that?’ ‘It's my brother.’
•She's a great beauty.
•Susan is a doctor.
•He wants to be (= become) a pilot when he grows up.
•+ adj. It's beautiful!
•Life is unfair.
•He is ten years old.
•‘How are you?’ ‘I'm very well, thanks.’
•Be quick!
•~ (that)… The fact is (that) we don't have enough money.
•~ doing sth The problem is getting it all done in the time available.
•~ to do sth The problem is to get it all done in the time available.
9. linking verb it is/was used when you are describing a situation or saying what you think about it
•+ adj. It was really hot in the sauna.
• It's strange how she never comes to see us any more.
•He thinks it's clever to make fun of people.
•+ noun It would be a shame if you lost it.
•It's going to be a great match.
10. linking verb it is/was used to talk about time
•+ noun It's two thirty.
•+ adj. It was late at night when we finally arrived.
11. linking verb + noun used to say what sth is made of
• Is your jacket real leather?
12. linking verb intransitive used to say who sth belongs to or who it is intended for
•~ mine, yours, etc. The money's not yours, it's John's.
•~ for me, you, etc. This package is for you.
13. linking verb + noun to cost
• ‘How much is that dress?’ ‘Eighty dollars.’
14. linking verb + noun to be equal to
• Three and three is six.
• How much is a thousand pounds in euros?
•Let x be the sum of a and b.
•London is not England (= do not think that all of England is like London).
15. linking verb ~ everything, nothing, etc. (to sb) used to say how important sth is to sb
• Money isn't everything (= it is not the only important thing).
• A thousand dollars is nothing to somebody as rich as he is.
Rem: Most idioms containing be are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example be the death of sb is at death.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English bēon, an irregular and defective verb, whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs. The forms am and is are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sum and est. The forms was and were are from an Indo-European root meaning ‘remain’. The forms be and been are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin fui ‘I was’, fio ‘I become’, and Greek phuein ‘bring forth, cause to grow’. The origin of are is uncertain.

Thesaurus:
be linking verb
1. (especially spoken)
•How much is that dress?
cost • • sell • • go • |informal set sb back sth • |business trade • • retail •
How much does this cost/is this?
That costs/ will set you back a lot of money.
sth sells/goes/retails for £9.95
sth sells/trades/retails at £9.95
2.
•Three and three is six.
equal • • make • • add up to sth • • amount to sth • • run to sth • • number • |especially business total •
be/equal/make/add up to/amount to/run to/number/total 50/5,000/5 million, etc.
be/equal/make/add up to/amount to/run to/total $50/75%
be/add up to/amount to/run to/number/total about/around/approximately/nearly/almost/over/more than/at least sth
Be or equal? Equal is not usually used in questions and is only used in exact sums:
•How much is a thousand pounds in Euros?
✗ How much does a thousand pounds equal in Euros?:
•A metre is about/around/approximately 40 inches.
✗ A metre equals about/around/approximately 40 inches.

Example Bank:
•London is not England.
Idioms: ↑-to-be ▪ ↑as was ▪ ↑be-all and end-all ▪ ↑been and done something ▪ ↑if it wasn't for … ▪ ↑let somebody be

auxiliary verb
1. used with a past participle to form the passive
• He was killed in the war.
• Where were they made?
•The house was still being built.
•You will be told what to do.
2. used with a present participle to form progressive tenses
• I am studying Chinese.
• I'll be seeing him soon.
•What have you been doing this week?
•I'm always being criticized.
3. used to make ↑question tags (= short questions added to the end of statements)
• You're not hungry, are you?
• Ben's coming, isn't he?
•The old theatre was pulled down, wasn't it?
4. used to avoid repeating the full form of a verb in the passive or a progressive tense
• Karen wasn't beaten in any of her games, but all the others were.
• ‘Are you coming with us?’ ‘No, I'm not.’
5. ~ to do sth used to say what must or should be done
• I am to call them once I reach the airport.
• You are to report this to the police.
•What is to be done about this problem?
6. ~ to do sth used to say what is arranged to happen
• They are to be married in June.
7. ~ to do sth used to say what happened later
• He was to regret that decision for the rest of his life (= he did regret it).
8. ~ not, never, etc. to be done used to say what could not or did not happen
•Anna was nowhere to be found (= we could not find her anywhere).
•He was never to see his wife again (= although he did not know it would be so at the time, he did not see her again).
•She wanted to write a successful novel, but it was not to be (= it turned out never to happen).
9. if sb/it were to do sth… | were sb/it to do sth… (formal)used to express a condition
•If we were to offer you more money, would you stay?
•Were we to offer you more money, would you stay?

Word Origin:
Old English bēon, an irregular and defective verb, whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs. The forms am and is are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sum and est. The forms was and were are from an Indo-European root meaning ‘remain’. The forms be and been are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin fui ‘I was’, fio ‘I become’, and Greek phuein ‘bring forth, cause to grow’. The origin of are is uncertain.