5 Uses of Are: How to Use in a Sentence

‘Are’ is a present form of the verb ‘to be’. We use it with pronouns of the first person plural ‘we’, second person ‘you’, third person ‘they’ and any plural noun in the present tense. We use ‘are’ in various places in a sentence.

Uses of Are and How to Use It in a Sentence

In this topic, we shall discuss the 5 uses of ‘are’ and how to use it in a sentence with examples.

Like the uses of ‘am’ and ‘is’ in a sentence, we can also use ‘are’ in five different ways.

Here are five uses of are.

1. Describe a person or a thing in the present: the present state of being
2. Tell what a person does for a living: profession
3. Tell what a person is doing right now: continuous action
4. Get an answer from a person: ask a question
5. Describe an asked question: answer a question in affirmative or negative

Let’s see how to use ‘are’ in a sentence.

We shall discuss the uses of ‘are’ with examples one by one.

Let’s have a look.

1. The use of are to describe a person or a thing in the present: the present state of being

Let’s see how to use ‘are’ to describe a person or a thing in the present.

But first, we shall see how to form the sentence with ‘are’.

Formation of a sentence with are

The sentence formation with ‘are’ is given below.

Subject (we/you/they/these/those/any other plural subject) + are + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some examples describing the state in the present. 

Let’s have a look.

1. We are smart girls.
2. They are polite.
3. You are eighteen years old.
4. The children are surprised to see her in front of them.
5. You are intelligent boys.
6. They are all older adults.
7. You are eighteen years old.
8. All the participants are too tall.
9. Students are happy.
10. You are a wise lady.
11. We are thirsty.
12. They are exhausted.
13. We are present for the college parent meeting.
14. Her parents are very caring.
15. They are happy kids.

2. The use of are to talk about a profession.

In this sentence, we describe a person’s profession, which indicates what they do for a living.

Formation of a sentence with are

The structure of this sentence is the same as described above.

We form this sentence in the following way.

Subject (we/you/they/these/those) + are + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some sentences describing a profession.

 Have a look.

1. We are doctors at the government hospital.
2. You are an English professor.
3. They are civil engineers.
4. You are bank managers.
5. They are all lawyers.
6. We are news reporters.
7. They are fashion photographers.
8. We are cricket players.
9. They are all well-known authors.
10. You are a poet.
11. We are taxi drivers.
12. My two sisters are accountants.
13. Those are architectural visualisers.
14. My partners are criminal lawyers.
15. All her roommates are well-mannered.

3. Use of are to tell about continuous action

In these sentences, we talk about continuous action in the present tense. We tell what the persons are doing right now.
In this sentence, ‘are’ is used with another verb. In these sentences, ‘are’ functions as a helping verb that accompanies the main verb.

Formation of a sentence

In the formation of this sentence, we use ‘are’ with the present participle of the main verb. For this, you should learn the forms of a verb.
We can construct a sentence in the form given below.

    Subject (we/you/they/these/those) + are + present participle of a verb + other words + full stop (.)

Example sentences with are

Have a look at some examples of sentences with ‘are’ describing a continuous action.

1. You are learning technology. (main verb – learn + ing)
2. They are quarrelling with each other. (main verb – quarrel + ing)
3. We are listening to music. (main verb – listen + ing)
4. They are going to their hometown. (main verb – go + ing)
5. We are attending the annual function of your college. (main verb – attend  + ing)
6. Students are studying in the library. (main verb – study + ing)
7. Teachers are teaching optional subjects. (main verb – teach + ing)
8. Squirrels are eating fruit under the tree. (main verb – eat + ing)
9. We are brushing our teeth with toothpaste. (main verb – brush + ing)
10. Children are laughing at me. (main verb – laugh + ing)
11. Cats are crying on the roof. (main verb – cry + ing)
12. You are frying snacks. (main verb – fry + ing)
13. You are singing a song. (main verb – say + ing)
14. They are telling stories. (main verb – tell + ing)
15. We are watching an action movie. (main verb – watch + ing)

Here are some listening lessons where you can listen to the sentences and learn.

1. Use of ‘am’: state of being
2.  Use of ‘are’ in negative sentences
3.  Use of  ‘is’ to tell about the profession
4.  Use of was: questions about the profession
5. Use of do as the main verb
6. Use of ‘shall be’ in the questions
7. Use of ‘have’ to explain the possession
8. Use of ‘has to’ in a sentence

4. The use of are to ask a question

We can use ‘are’ to ask a question and obtain an answer from a person. In these sentences, we expect to receive information from others about the topic.

Formation of a sentence with ‘are’ to ask a question

The structure of this sentence differs from the one mentioned above. In the above sentences, we used ‘are’ after the pronouns we, you, they, these, those and any other plural subjects. But in this sentence, we should use ‘are’ at the start of a sentence.
Below is a sentence formation using ‘are’ to ask a question.

    Are + subject (we/you/they/these/those/any other plural subject) + other words + question mark (?)

Example sentences using are to ask a question

Here are some examples. Have a look.

1. Are you eighteen years old?
2. Are we doctors at the government hospital?
3. Are all the participants too tall?
4. Are the children surprised to see her in front of them?
5. Are you an English professor?
6. Are we present for the college parent meeting?
7. Are they happy kids?
8. Are you learning technology?
9. Are my partners criminal lawyers?
10. Are students studying in the library?
11. Are we brushing our teeth with toothpaste?
12. Are they all well-known authors?
13. Are cats crying on the roof?
14. Are they telling stories?
15. Are we taxi drivers?

5. Use of are to answer a question in affirmative and negative

In these sentences, we use ‘are’ to answer the question.
Let’s dive deep into how to answer the above questions in affirmative and negative sentences.

Construction of affirmative answers using are

In affirmative answers, we use the word ‘yes’.
Here is a construction of affirmative answers using are.

      Yes, + we/you/they/these/those/any other plural subject + are + other words + full stop (.)

In brief, we can say:

    Yes, + subject + are.

Example sentences of affirmative answers using are

1. Yes, you are eighteen years old.
2. Yes, we are doctors at the government hospital.
3. Yes, all the participants are too tall.
4. Yes, the children are surprised to see her in front of them.
5. Yes, you are an English professor.
6. Yes, we are present for the college parent meeting.
7. Yes, they are delighted kids.
8. Yes, you are learning technology.
9. Yes, my partners are criminal lawyers.
10. Yes, students are studying in the library.
11. Yes, we are brushing our teeth with toothpaste.
12. Yes, they are all well-known authors.
13. Yes, cats are crying on the roof.
14. Yes, they are telling stories.
15. Yes, we are taxi drivers.

Formation of negative answers

In negative answers, we use the words ‘no’ and ‘not’. Below is the formation of a negative answer using ‘are’. Let’s have a look.

No, + we/you/they/plural subject + are not + other words + period (.)

In brief, we can say:

  No, + subject + aren’t.

• No, we aren’t.
• No, you aren’t.
• No, they aren’t.

1. No, you are not eighteen years old.
2. No, we are not doctors at the government hospital.
3. No, not all the participants are too tall.
4. No, the children are not surprised to see her in front of them.
5. No, you are not an English professor.
6. No, we are not present for the college parent meeting.
7. No, they are not delighted kids.
8. No, you are not learning technology.
9. No, my partners are not criminal lawyers.
10. No, students are not studying in the library.
11. No, we are not brushing our teeth with toothpaste.
12. No, they are not all well-known authors.
13. No, cats are not crying on the roof.
14. No, they are not telling stories.
15. No, we are not taxi drivers.

Also read: 5 Uses of Am

Frequently Asked Questions about Using Are

1. When to use are in a sentence?

We use ‘are’ with the pronouns of the first person plural ‘we’, the second person singular and plural pronoun ‘you’, the third person plural pronoun ‘they’ and any other plural noun in the present tense.

2. Where to use are in a sentence?

‘Are’ is a form of the verb ‘to be’. We use it with the subjects ‘we’, ‘you’, ‘they’ and any plural noun. Always place ‘are’ after the subject in simple and continuous sentences in the present tense.

The structure of a sentence is easy.

Subject (we/you/they/these/those/any other plural subject) + are + other words + full stop (.)

When you have to ask someone a question, place ‘are’ at the start of a sentence as below.

Are + subject (we/you/they/these/those/any other plural subject) + other words + question mark (?)

3. Can we start a sentence with are?

Yes, we can start a sentence with ‘are’ when we have to ask a question.

Examples

1. Are we going on a trip?
2. Are they travellers?
3. Are your relatives nice to you?
4. Are you feeling jealous of me?
5. Are these wooden chairs?

4. Can we end a sentence with are?

Yes, we can end a sentence with ‘are’ depending on the context; this depends on your point and the type of sentence, particularly whether it serves as the main verb or completes a thought.

We can see so many sentences in which the verb ‘are’ is the last word in a sentence.

Examples of ending a sentence with ‘are’

1. I have no idea where the books are!
2. I’m not participating in the dance competition, but my friends are.
3. She knows how important you both are.
4. She thinks these items are where they are.
5. How did you assume where they are?

Grammar rules for using are

There are no rules as to what words can begin or end sentences in English. Any word that makes sense can start or end any sentence.

There are quite a few cases where a sentence ends with ‘are’ and is grammatically correct.

1. We use ‘are’ at the end of a sentence when we answer a question in brief.

Examples

• Are you both siblings’ professors?

We answer the above question in brief as: Yes, we are.

• Are you sure they are meeting you?

The answer to the above question in brief is: Of course, they are.

2. We can also use ‘are’ at the end of a sentence to construct an exclamatory sentence.

Examples

1. What beautiful tree branches are!
2. How neatly arranged those things are!
3. What lovely flowers those are!
4. What clever boys these are!

However, there are some things to keep in mind when doing so.

First, if ‘are’ is part of a verb phrase, then it is acting as a present tense verb.

For example, the sentence ‘They are arranging an event for the police’ is correct because ‘are’ is a part of the verb phrase ‘are arranging’.

In informal writing, using sentences ending with ‘are’ is common, but in formal writing, it is better to rephrase for clarity depending on context.