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Be
(redirected from been there for)

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
Be
The symbol for the element beryllium.

BE
abbr.
1. Bachelor of Education
2. Bachelor of Engineering
3. Board of Education

be  (b)
v. First and third person singular past indicative was (wz, wz; wz when unstressed), second person singular and plural and first and third person plural past indicative were (wûr), past subjunctive were, past participle been (bn), present participle be·ing (bng), first person singular present indicative am (m), second person singular and plural and first and third person plural present indicative are (är), third person singular present indicative is (z), present subjunctive be
v.intr.
1. To exist in actuality; have life or reality: I think, therefore I am.
2.
a. To occupy a specified position: The food is on the table.
b. To remain in a certain state or situation undisturbed, untouched, or unmolested: Let the children be.
3. To take place; occur: The test was yesterday.
4. To go or come: Have you ever been to Italy? Have you been home recently?
5. Used as a copula in such senses as:
a. To equal in identity: "To be a Christian was to be a Roman" (James Bryce).
b. To have a specified significance: A is excellent, C is passing. Let n be the unknown quantity.
c. To belong to a specified class or group: The human being is a primate.
d. To have or show a specified quality or characteristic: She is witty. All humans are mortal.
e. To seem to consist or be made of: The yard is all snow. He is all bluff and no bite.
6. To belong; befall: Peace be unto you. Woe is me.
v.aux.
1. Used with the past participle of a transitive verb to form the passive voice: The mayoral election is held annually.
2. Used with the present participle of a verb to express a continuing action: We are working to improve housing conditions.
3. Used with the infinitive of a verb to express intention, obligation, or future action: She was to call before she left. You are to make the necessary changes.
4. Archaic Used with the past participle of certain intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense: "Where be those roses gone which sweetened so our eyes?" (Philip Sidney).

[Middle English ben, from Old English bon; see bheu- in Indo-European roots. See am, is, etc. for links to other Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: Traditional grammar requires the nominative form of the pronoun in the predicate of the verb be: It is I (not me); That must be they (not them), and so forth. Nearly every speaker of Modern English finds this rule difficult to follow. Even if everyone could follow it, in informal contexts the nominative pronoun often sounds pedantic and even ridiculous, especially when the verb is contracted, as in It's we. But constructions like It is me have been condemned in the classroom and in writing handbooks for so long that there seems little likelihood that they will ever be entirely acceptable in formal writing. · The traditional rule creates additional problems when the pronoun following be also functions as the object of a verb or preposition in a relative clause, as in It is not them/they that we have in mind when we talk about "crime in the streets" nowadays, where the plural pronoun serves as both the predicate of is and the object of have. In this example, 57 percent of the Usage Panel prefers the nominative form they, 33 percent prefer the objective them, and 10 percent accept both versions. Writers can usually revise their sentences to avoid this problem: They are not the ones we have in mind, We have someone else in mind, and so on. See Usage Notes at I1, we.
Our Living Language In place of the inflected forms of be, such as is and are, used in Standard English, African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and some varieties of Southern American English may use zero copula or an invariant be, as in He be working, instead of the Standard English He is usually working. As an identifying feature of the vernacular of many African Americans, invariant be in recent years has been frequently seized on by writers and commentators trying to imitate or parody Black speech. However, most imitators use it simply as a substitute for is, as in John be sitting in that chair now, without realizing that within AAVE, invariant be is used primarily for habitual or extended actions set in the present. Among African Americans the form is most commonly used by working-class speakers and young persons. Since the 1980s, younger speakers have tended to restrict the use of the form to progressive verb forms (as in He be walking), whereas their parents use it with progressives, adjectives (as in He be nice), and expressions referring to a location (as in He be at home). Younger speakers also use invariant be more exclusively to indicate habitual action, whereas older speakers more commonly omit be forms (as in He walking) or use present tense verb forms (such as He walks), sometimes with adverbs like often or usually, to indicate habituality. · The source of invariant habitual be in AAVE is still disputed. Some linguists suggest that it represents influence from finite be in the 17th- to 19th-century English of British settlers, especially those from the southwest of England. Other linguists feel that contemporaneous Irish or Scotch-Irish immigrants may have played a larger role, since their dialects mark habitual verb forms with be and do be, as in "They be shooting and fishing out at the Forestry Lakes" (archival recordings of the Royal Irish Academy) and "Up half the night he does be" (James Joyce). Other linguists believe that it may have evolved from the does be construction indicating habitual action used by Gullah speakers from coastal South Carolina and Georgia and by Caribbean Creole immigants. Still other linguists suggest that invariant be is a mid- to late-20th-century innovation within AAVE, essentially a response to the wide range of meanings that the English progressive tense can express. See Notes at all, like2, zero copula.

Be
the chemical symbol for
(Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) beryllium

BE
abbreviation for
1. (Business / Commerce) bill of exchange
2. (Social Science / Education) (in the US) Board of Education
3. (Social Science / Education) Bachelor of Education
4. (Social Science / Education) Bachelor of Engineering

be1
vb pres. sing. 1st pers am ; 2nd pers are ; 3rd pers is pres. pl are past sing 1st pers was ; 2nd pers were ; 3rd pers was past pl were pres. part being past part been (intr)
1. to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; live I think, therefore I am not all that is can be understood
2. (used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; go have you been to Spain?
3. to take place; occur my birthday was last Thursday
4. (copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity (John is a man; John is a musician) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute (honey is sweet; Susan is angry). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time (Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday)
5. (takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tense the man is running
6. (takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive ones a good film is being shown on television tonight I am done
7. (takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligation the president is to arrive at 9.30 you are not to leave before I say so
8. (takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or come the last train is gone
be that as it may the facts concerning (something) are of no importance
[Old English bēon; related to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, Greek phuein to bring forth, Sanskrit bhavati he is]

be2
(Electronics & Computer Science / Computer Science)
the Internet domain name for Belgium

Be
The symbol for beryllium.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.Be - a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element
metal, metallic element - any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
beryl - the chief source of beryllium; colored transparent varieties are valued as gems
chrysoberyl - a rare hard yellow green mineral consisting of beryllium aluminate in crystal form; used as a gemstone
gadolinite, ytterbite - a mineral that is a source of rare earths; consists of silicates of iron and beryllium and cerium and yttrium and erbium
Verb1.be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
look - have a certain outward or facial expression; "How does she look?"; "The child looks unhappy"; "She looked pale after the surgery"
suffer, hurt - feel pain or be in pain
be well - be healthy; feel good; "She has not been well lately"
suffer - feel unwell or uncomfortable; "She is suffering from the hot weather"
feel - be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state; "My cold is gone--I feel fine today"; "She felt tired after the long hike"; "She felt sad after her loss"
remain, stay, rest - stay the same; remain in a certain state; "The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it"; "rest assured"; "stay alone"; "He remained unmoved by her tears"; "The bad weather continued for another week"
continue - exist over a prolonged period of time; "The bad weather continued for two more weeks"
coruscate, sparkle, scintillate - be lively or brilliant or exhibit virtuosity; "The musical performance sparkled"; "A scintillating conversation"; "his playing coruscated throughout the concert hall"
befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher"
rank - take or have a position relative to others; "This painting ranks among the best in the Western World"
point - be positionable in a specified manner; "The gun points with ease"
need, want, require - have need of; "This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner"
compact, pack - have the property of being packable or of compacting easily; "This powder compacts easily"; "Such odd-shaped items do not pack well"
rest - not move; be in a resting position
cut - allow incision or separation; "This bread cuts easily"
seethe, boil - be in an agitated emotional state; "The customer was seething with anger"
moon about, moon around, mope - be apathetic, gloomy, or dazed
appear, seem, look - give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect; "She seems to be sleeping"; "This appears to be a very difficult problem"; "This project looks fishy"; "They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time"
seem, appear - seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad"
owe - be in debt; "She owes me $200"; "I still owe for the car"; "The thesis owes much to his adviser"
belong - be owned by; be in the possession of; "This book belongs to me"
cover - be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost of; "Is this enough to cover the check?"
represent - be representative or typical for; "This period is represented by Beethoven"
account - be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something; "Passing grades account for half of the grades given in this exam"
cut across - be contrary to ordinary procedure or limitations; "Opinions on bombing the Serbs cut across party lines"
begin, start - have a beginning characterized in some specified way; "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony"
begin - have a beginning, of a temporal event; "WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour begins next month"
stand - be in some specified state or condition; "I stand corrected"
define, delimit, delimitate, delineate, specify - determine the essential quality of
go - be or continue to be in a certain condition; "The children went hungry that day"
make sense, add up - be reasonable or logical or comprehensible
comprise, consist - be composed of; "The land he conquered comprised several provinces"; "What does this dish consist of?"
prove, turn out, turn up - be shown or be found to be; "She proved to be right"; "The medicine turned out to save her life"; "She turned up HIV positive"
account for - be the reason or explanation for; "The recession accounts for the slow retail business"
remain - be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence, etc.; "There remains the question of who pulled the trigger"; "Carter remains the only President in recent history under whose Presidency the U.S. did not fight a war"
2.be - be identical to; be someone or something; "The president of the company is John Smith"; "This is my house"
3.be - occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?"
stretch, stretch along - occupy a large, elongated area; "The park stretched beneath the train line"
attend, go to - be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.; "She attends class regularly"; "I rarely attend services at my church"; "did you go to the meeting?"
fill, occupy - occupy the whole of; "The liquid fills the container"
inhabit, live, populate, dwell - inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of; "People lived in Africa millions of years ago"; "The people inhabited the islands that are now deserted"; "this kind of fish dwells near the bottom of the ocean"; "deer are populating the woods"
inhabit - be present in; "sweet memories inhabit this house"
keep one's distance, keep one's eyes off, keep one's hands off, stand back, stay away - stay clear of, avoid; "Keep your hands off my wife!"; "Keep your distance from this man--he is dangerous"
extend to, reach, touch - to extend as far as; "The sunlight reached the wall"; "Can he reach?" "The chair must not touch the wall"
extend, run, lead, pass, go - stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; "Service runs all the way to Cranbury"; "His knowledge doesn't go very far"; "My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"; "The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets"
lead, go - lead, extend, or afford access; "This door goes to the basement"; "The road runs South"
cover, extend, continue - span an interval of distance, space or time; "The war extended over five years"; "The period covered the turn of the century"; "My land extends over the hills on the horizon"; "This farm covers some 200 acres"; "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"
poke out, reach out, extend - reach outward in space; "The awning extends several feet over the sidewalk"
lie - be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
sit - be located or situated somewhere; "The White House sits on Pennsylvania Avenue"
sit around, sit - be around, often idly or without specific purpose; "The object sat in the corner"; "We sat around chatting for another hour"
face - be opposite; "the facing page"; "the two sofas face each other"
straddle - sit or stand astride of
follow - be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"
center on - have as a center; "The region centers on Charleston"
rest, lie - have a place in relation to something else; "The fate of Bosnia lies in the hands of the West"; "The responsibility rests with the Allies"
belong, go - be in the right place or situation; "Where do these books belong?"; "Let's put health care where it belongs--under the control of the government"; "Where do these books go?"
come - exist or occur in a certain point in a series; "Next came the student from France"
4.be - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?"
come - be found or available; "These shoes come in three colors; The furniture comes unassembled"
preexist - exist beforehand or prior to a certain point in time; "Did this condition pre-exist?"
kick about, kick around, knock about - be around; be alive or active; "Does the old man still kick around?"
coexist - exist together
indwell - to exist as an inner activating spirit, force, or principle
prevail, obtain, hold - be valid, applicable, or true; "This theory still holds"
consist, lie in, dwell, lie - originate (in); "The problems dwell in the social injustices in this country"
endanger, imperil, jeopardise, jeopardize, menace, peril, threaten - pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops"
flow - be abundantly present; "The champagne flowed at the wedding"
distribute - be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses; "Values distribute"
inhabit, dwell - exist or be situated within; "Strange notions inhabited her mind"
5.be - happen, occur, take place; "I lost my wallet; this was during the visit to my parents' house"; "There were two hundred people at his funeral"; "There was a lot of noise in the kitchen"
6.be - be identical or equivalent to; "One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!"
correspond, equate - be equivalent or parallel, in mathematics
correspond, gibe, jibe, match, tally, agree, fit, check - be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics; "The two stories don't agree in many details"; "The handwriting checks with the signature on the check"; "The suspect's fingerprints don't match those on the gun"
represent, stand for, correspond - take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to; "Because of the sound changes in the course of history, an 'h' in Greek stands for an 's' in Latin"
translate - be equivalent in effect; "the growth in income translates into greater purchasing power"
7.be - form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army"
make - constitute the essence of; "Clothes make the man"
compose - form the substance of; "Greed and ambition composed his personality"
form, constitute, make - to compose or represent:"This wall forms the background of the stage setting"; "The branches made a roof"; "This makes a fine introduction"
straddle, range - range or extend over; occupy a certain area; "The plants straddle the entire state"
fall into, fall under - be included in or classified as; "This falls under the rubric 'various'"
pose, present - introduce; "This poses an interesting question"
supplement - serve as a supplement to; "Vitamins supplemented his meager diet"
8.be - work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher"
vet - work as a veterinarian; "She vetted for the farms in the area for many years"
cox - act as the coxswain, in a boat race
9.be - represent, as of a character on stage; "Derek Jacobi was Hamlet"
stand for, symbolize, typify, symbolise, represent - express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol; "What does the Statue of Liberty symbolize?"
body, personify - invest with or as with a body; give body to
exemplify, represent - be characteristic of; "This compositional style is exemplified by this fugue"
10.be - spend or use time; "I may be an hour"
take, use up, occupy - require (time or space); "It took three hours to get to work this morning"; "This event occupied a very short time"
11.be - have life, be alive; "Our great leader is no more"; "My grandfather lived until the end of war"
live on, survive, last, live, endure, hold out, hold up, go - continue to live through hardship or adversity; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?"
12.be - to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form; "let her be"
remain, stay, rest - stay the same; remain in a certain state; "The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it"; "rest assured"; "stay alone"; "He remained unmoved by her tears"; "The bad weather continued for another week"
13.be - be priced at; "These shoes cost $100"
be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
knock back, put back, set back - cost a certain amount; "My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000"

be
verb
1. exist, be present, be extant There are two kinds of company pension.
2. be alive, live, exist, survive, breathe, last, be present, continue, endure, be living, be extant, happen It hurt so badly he wished to cease to be.
3. take place, happen, occur, arise, come about, transpire (informal), befall, come to pass The film's premiere is next week.
4. remain, last, stand, continue, stay, endure, prevail, persist, abide, bide How long have you been here?
5. be situated, be set, be placed, be located, be installed, be positioned The church is on the other side of the town.
6. attend, go to, be at, be there, be present, frequent, haunt He's at university now.
7. cost, come to, sell at, set (someone) back (informal), command a price of How much is this?
8. amount to, become, come to, total, equal, add up to Eight plus eight is sixteen.
Translations
BE N ABBR (Fin) =bill of exchangeL/C
be [biː] (am, is, are (present) (was, were (pt)) (been (pp)))
A. INTRANSITIVE VERB
1. (linking nouns, noun phrases, pronouns) → ser
he's a pianistes pianista
he wants to be a doctorquiere ser médico
Monday's a holidayel lunes es fiesta
two and two are fourdos y dos son cuatro
it's me!¡soy yo!
it was mefui yo
who wants to be Hamlet?¿quién quiere hacer de or ser Hamlet?
you be the patient and I'll be the doctortú eres el enfermo y yo seré el médico
if I were youyo en tu lugar ..., yo que tú ...
2. (possession) → ser
she's his sisteres su hermana
it's minees mío
3. (characteristics seen as inherent) → ser
the sky is blueel cielo es azul
it's (made of) plastices de plástico
they're Englishson ingleses
he's talles alto
it's round/enormouses redondo/enorme
she is boringes aburrida
I used to be poor but now I'm richantes era pobre pero ahora soy rico
if I were richsi fuera rico
I'm from the southsoy del sur
the book is in Frenchel libro es en francés
Use estar with past participles used as adjectives describing the results of an action or process:
it's brokenestá roto
he's deadestá muerto
4. (changeable or temporary state) → estar
it's dirtyestá sucio
she's bored/illestá aburrida/enferma
how are you?¿cómo estás?, ¿qué tal estás?
how are you now?¿qué tal te encuentras ahora?
I'm very well, thanksestoy muy bien, gracias
In certain expressions where English uses be + adjective to describe feelings (be cold/hot/hungry/thirsty), Spanish uses tener with a noun:
I'm cold/hottengo frío/calor
my feet are coldtengo los pies fríos
I'm hungry/thirstytengo hambre/sed
be good!¡pórtate bien!
you're latellegas tarde
see also afraid, sleepy, right
5. (age) "how old is she?" - "she's nine"-¿cuántos años tiene? -tiene nueve años
she will be two tomorrowmañana cumple dos años
when I'm oldcuando sea viejo
when I was youngcuando era joven
6. (= take place) → ser
the meeting's todayla reunión es hoy
the service will be at St Ninian's Churchel oficio será en la iglesia de San Ninian
7. (= be situated) → estar
Edinburgh is in ScotlandEdimburgo está en Escocia
it's on the tableestá sobre or en la mesa
where is the Town Hall?¿dónde está or queda el ayuntamiento?
it's 5 km to the villageel pueblo está or queda a 5 kilómetros
he won't be here tomorrowmañana no estará aquí
we've been here for ageshace mucho tiempo que estamos aquí, llevamos aquí mucho tiempo, estamos aquí desde hace mucho tiempo
here you are, (take it)aquí tienes, (tómalo)
there's the churchahí está la iglesia
8. (impersonal use)
8.1. (referring to weather) → hacer
it's hot/coldhace calor/frío
it's too hothace demasiado calor
it's finehace buen tiempo
see also windy, sunny, foggy
8.2. (referring to time, date etc) → ser
it's eight o'clockson las ocho
it's morning in New York nowen Nueva York ahora es por la mañana
wake up, it's morningdespierta, es de día
what's the date (today)?¿qué fecha es hoy?
it's the 3rd of Mayes 3 de mayo
it's Thursday todayhoy es jueves
but note the following alternatives with estar:
it's the 3rd of Mayestamos a 3 de mayo
it's Thursday todayhoy estamos a jueves
8.3. (asking and giving opinion) → ser
is it certain that ...?¿es verdad or cierto que ...?
it is easy to make a mistakees fácil cometer un fallo
is it fair that she should be punished while ...?¿es justo que se la castigue mientras que ...?
it is possible that he'll comees posible que venga, puede(ser)que venga
it is impossible to study all the timees imposible estar siempre estudiando
it is unbelievable thates increíble que ...
BUT it's not clear whether ... → no está claro si ...
it would be wrong for us to do thatno estaría bien que nosotros hiciésemos eso
8.4. (emphatic) → ser
it's me who does all the worksoy yo quien hace todo el trabajo
it was Peter who phonedfue Peter quien llamó
why is it that she's so successful?¿cómo es que tiene tanto éxito?, ¿por qué tiene tanto éxito?
it was then thatfue entonces cuando ...
9. (= exist) → haber
there is/arehay
what is (there) in that room?¿qué hay en esa habitación?
there is nothing more beautifulno hay nada más bello
is there anyone at home?¿hay alguien en casa?
there were six road accidents here last yearel año pasado hubo seis accidentes de tráfico aquí
there must be an explanationdebe de haber una explicación
there being no alternative solutional no haber or no habiendo otra solución ...
let there be light!¡hágase la luz!
BUT there are three of us → somos tres
there were three of themeran tres
after the shop there's the bus stationdespués de la tienda está la estación de autobuses THERE
10. (= cost) how much was it?¿cuánto costó?
the book is £20el libro vale or cuesta 20 libras
how much is it?¿cuánto es?; (when paying) → ¿qué le debo?(frm)
11. (= visit) has the postman been?¿ha venido el cartero?
he has been and gonevino y se fue
I have been to see my aunthe ido a ver a mi tía
have you ever been to Glasgow?¿has estado en Glasgow alguna vez?
I've been to Chinahe estado en China
12. (in noun compounds) → futuro
mother to befutura madre or mamá f
my wife to bemi futura esposa
13. (in set expressions) to be or not to beser o no ser
been and you've been and done it now!¡buena la has hecho!
that dog of yours has been and dug up my flowers!¡tu perro ha ido y me ha destrozado las flores!
you're busy enough as it isestás bastante ocupado ya con lo que tienes, ya tienes suficiente trabajo
as things aretal como están las cosas
be that as it maysea como fuere
if it hadn't been for if it hadn't been for you or > had it not been for you, we would have lost (frm) → si no hubiera sido por ti or de no haber sido por ti, habríamos perdido
let me be!¡déjame en paz!
if that's what you want to do, then so be itsi eso es lo que quieres hacer, adelante
what is it to you?¿a ti qué te importa?
what's it to be? (in bar etc) → ¿qué va a ser?, ¿qué vas a tomar?
B. AUXILIARY VERB
1. (forming passive) → ser
the house was destroyed by an earthquakela casa fue destruida por un terremoto
The passive is not used as often in Spanish as in English, active and reflexive constructions often being preferred:
the box had been openedhabían abierto la caja
these cars are produced in Spainestos coches se fabrican en España
it is said thatdicen que ...se dice que ...
he was killed by a terroristlo mató un terrorista
she was killed in a car crashmurió en un accidente de coche, resultó muerta en un accidente de coche(frm)
what's to be done?¿qué hay que hacer?
it's a film not to be missedes una película que no hay que perderse
we searched everywhere for him, but he was nowhere to be seenlo buscamos por todas partes pero no lo encontramos en ningún sitio
2. (forming continuous) → estar
it's rainingestá lloviendo
what are you doing?¿qué estás haciendo?, ¿qué haces?
don't distract me when I'm drivingno me distraigas cuando estoy conduciendo
he's always grumblingsiempre está quejándose
he was studying until the early hoursestuvo estudiando hasta la madrugada
Use the present simple to talk about planned future events and the ir a construction to talk about intention:
they're coming tomorrowvienen mañana
"it's a pity you aren't coming with us" - "but I am coming!"-¡qué pena que no vengas con nosotros! -¡sí que voy!
will you be seeing her tomorrow?¿la verás or la vas a ver mañana?
will you be needing more?¿vas a necesitar más?
I shall be seeing himvoy a verlo
I'll be seeing youhasta luego, nos vemos(esp LAm)
The imperfect tense can be used for continuous action in the past:
he was driving too fastconducía demasiado rápido
see also for, since
3. (verb substitute)
3.1. he's older than you arees mayor que tú
he isn't as happy as he wasno está tan contento como antes
"he's going to complain about you" - "oh, is he?"-va a quejarse de ti -¿ah, sí?
"I'm worried" - "so am I"-estoy preocupado -yo también
"I'm not ready" - "neither am I"-no estoy listo -yo tampoco
"you're tired" - "no, I'm not"-estás cansado -no, ¡qué va!
"you're not eating enough" - "yes I am"-no comes lo suficiente -que sí
"they're getting married" - "oh, are they?" (showing surprise) → -se casan -¿ah, sí? or -¡no me digas!
"he isn't very happy" - "oh, isn't he?"-no está muy contento -¿ah, no?
"he's always late, isn't he?" - "yes, he is"-siempre llega tarde, ¿verdad? -(pues)sí
"is it what you expected?" - "no, it isn't"-¿es esto lo que esperabas? -(pues)no
"she's pretty" - "no, she isn't"-es guapa -¡qué va!
3.2. (in question tags) he's handsome, isn't he?es guapo, ¿verdad?, es guapo, ¿no?, es guapo, ¿no es cierto?
it was fun, wasn't it?fue divertido, ¿verdad?, fue divertido, ¿no?
she wasn't happy, was she?no era feliz, ¿verdad?
so he's back again, is he?así que ha vuelto, ¿eh?
you're not ill, are you?¿no estarás enfermo?
C. MODAL VERB (with infinitive construction)
1. (= must, have to) you're to put on your shoestienes que ponerte los zapatos
he's not to open itno debe abrirlo, que no lo abra
I am to do ithe de hacerlo yosoy yo el que debe hacerlo
I am not to speak to himno tengo permiso para hablar con él
I wasn't to tell you his nameno podía or debía decirte su nombre
2. (= should) → deber
he is to be congratulated on his workdebemos felicitarlo por su trabajo
am I to understand that ...?¿debo entender que ...?
she wrote "My Life", not to be confused with Bernstein's book of the same nameescribió "Mi Vida", que no debe confundirse con la obra de Bernstein que lleva el mismo título
he was to have come yesterdaytenía que or debía haber venido ayer
he is to be pitiedes digno de lástima
3. (= will) the talks are to start tomorrowlas conversaciones darán comienzo mañana
her house is to be soldsu casa se pondrá a la venta
they are to be married in the summerse casarán en el verano
4. (= can) these birds are to be found all over the worldestos pájaros se encuentran por todo el mundo
little traffic was to be seenhabía poco tráfico
you weren't to knowno tenías por qué saberlo
5. (expressing destiny) this was to have serious repercussionsesto iba a tener serias repercusiones
they were never to returnjamás regresaron
it was not to beno quiso el destino que así fuera
6. (in conditional sentences) you must work harder if you are to succeeddebes esforzarte más si quieres triunfar
if it was or were to snowsi nevase or nevara ...
if I were to leave the job, would you replace me?si yo dejara el puesto, ¿me sustituirías?
BE

"Ser" or "estar"?

You can use "ser":
 when defining or identifying by linking two nouns or noun phrases:
Paris is the capital of France París es la capital de Francia He was the most hated man in the village Era el hombre más odiado del pueblo
 to describe essential or inherent characteristics (e.g. colour, material, nationality, race, shape, size ):
His mother is German Su madre es alemana She was blonde Era rubia
 with most impersonal expressions not involving past participles:
It is important to be on time Es importante llegar a tiempo
NOTE Está claro que is an exception:
It is obvious you don't understand Está claro que no lo entiendes
 when telling the time or talking about time or age:
It is ten o'clock Son las diez It's very late. Let's go home Es muy tarde. Vamos a casa He lived in the country when he was young Vivió en el campo cuando era joven
 to indicate possession or duty:
It's mine Es mío This is your responsibility Este asunto es responsabilidad tuya
 with events in the sense of "take place":
The 1992 Olympic Games were in Barcelona Los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 fueron en Barcelona "Where is the exam?" - "It's in Room 1" "¿Dónde es el examen?" - "Es en el Aula Número 1"
! Compare this usage with that of estar (see below) to talk about location of places, objects and people.

You can use "estar":
 to talk about location of places, objects and people:
"Where is Zaragoza?" - "It's in Spain" "¿Dónde está Zaragoza?" - "Está en España" Your glasses are on the bedside table Tus gafas están en la mesilla de noche
! But use ser with events in the sense of "take place" (see above).
 to talk about changeable state, condition or mood:
The teacher is ill La profesora está enferma The coffee's cold El café está frío How happy I am! ¡Qué contento estoy!
! Feliz, however, which is seen as more permanent than contento, is used mainly with ser.
 to form progressive tenses:
We're having lunch. Is it ok if I call you later? Estamos comiendo. Te llamaré luego, ¿vale?
Both "ser" and "estar" can be used with past participles
 Use ser in passive constructions:
This play was written by Lorca Esta obra fue escrita por Lorca He was shot dead (by a terrorist group) Fue asesinado a tiros (por un grupo terrorista)
! The passive is not used as often in Spanish as it is in English.
 Use estar with past participles to describe the results of a previous action or event:
We threw them away because they were broken Los tiramos a la basura porque estaban rotos He's dead Está muerto
 Compare the use of ser + ((PAST PARTICIPLE)) which describes action and estar + ((PAST PARTICIPLE)) which describes result in the following:
The window was broken by the firemen La ventana fue rota por los bomberos The window was broken La ventana estaba rota It was painted around 1925 Fue pintado hacia 1925 The floor is painted a dark colour El suelo está pintado de color oscuro
 Ser and estar are both used in impersonal expressions with past participles. As above, the use of ser implies action while the use of estar implies result:
It is understood that the work was never finished Es sabido que el trabajo nunca se llegó a terminar It is a proven fact that vaccinations save many lives Está demostrado que las vacunas salvan muchas vidas
"Ser" and "estar" with adjectives
 Some adjectives can be used with both ser and estar but the meaning changes completely depending on the verb:
Es listo He's clever ¿Estás listo? Are you ready? La química es aburrida Chemistry is boring Estoy aburrido I'm bored
 Other adjectives can also be used with both verbs but the use of ser describes a characteristic while the use of estar implies a change:
Es muy guapo He's very handsome Estás muy guapa con ese vestido You look great in that dress! Es delgado He's slim ¡Estás muy delgada! You're (looking) very slim

be [ˈbiː](STRONG) [bi] [was, were] (pt) [been] (pp)
aux vb
(with present participle, forming continuous tenses)
What are you doing? → Que faites-vous?
They're coming tomorrow → Ils viennent demain.
I've been waiting for you for 2 hours → Je t'attends depuis 2 heures.
(with past participle, forming passives)être
to be killed → être tué(e)
He was nowhere to be seen → On ne le voyait nulle part.
(in tag questions)
It was funny, wasn't it? → C'était drôle, n'est-ce pas?
She's not coming, is she? → Elle ne vient pas, c'est ça?
(+to +infinitive)
The house is to be sold → La maison doit être vendue.
He's not to open it → Il ne doit pas l'ouvrir.
He was to have come yesterday → Il devait venir hier.
am I to understand that ... ? → dois-je comprendre que ... ?
(possibility, supposition) if I were you, I ... → à votre place, je ..., si j'étais vous, je ...
if it wasn't for you ... → sans vous, ...
copulative vb
(gen)être
I'm English → Je suis anglais(e).
I'm tired → Je suis fatigué(e).
You're late → Tu es en retard.
We are all happy → Nous sommes tous heureux.
They are in Paris at the moment → Ils sont à Paris en ce moment.
She's a doctor → Elle est médecin.
He's a student → Il est étudiant.
I'm cold
BUT J'ai froid.
I'm hungry
BUT J'ai faim.
(= total) 2 and 2 are 4 → 2 et 2 font 4
(when speaking of health)aller
How are you? → Comment allez-vous?
He's fine now → Il va bien maintenant.
He's very ill
BUT Il est très malade.
I've been ill
BUT J'ai été malade.
to be not o.s.
He's not himself → Il n'est vraiment pas en forme.
(when speaking of age)avoir
How old are you? → Quel âge as-tu?, Quel âge avez-vous?
I'm fourteen → J'ai quatorze ans.
I'm sixteen years old → J'ai seize ans.
(= cost) → coûter
How much was the meal? → Combien a coûté le repas?
That'll be £5, please
BUT Ça fera 5 livres, s'il vous plaît.
vi
(= exist, occur) → être, exister
the prettiest girl that ever was → la fille la plus jolie qui ait jamais existé
be that as it may → quoi qu'il en soit
so be it → soit
(referring to place)être, se trouver
Edinburgh is in Scotland → Édimbourg est en Écosse., Édimbourg se trouve en Écosse.
I won't be here tomorrow
BUT Je ne serai pas là demain.
(referring to movement)aller
Where have you been? → Où êtes-vous allé?
Have you been to Greece before? → Est-ce que tu es déjà allé en Grèce?
I've never been to Paris → Je ne suis jamais allé à Paris.
impers vb
(referring to time, distance)être
it's 5 o'clock → il est 5 heures
it's the 28th of April → c'est le 28 avril
It's the 28th of October today
BUT Nous sommes le vingt-huit octobre.
it's 10 km to the village → le village est à 10 km
(referring to the weather)faire
It's too hot → Il fait trop chaud.
it's a nice day → il fait beau
it's windy → il y a du vent
it's cold → il fait froid
It's too cold → Il fait trop froid.
(emphatic) it's me → c'est moi
It's the postman → C'est le facteur.

be pres <am, is, are>, pret <was, were>, ptp <been>
COPULATIVE VERB
with adjective, noun, pronoun → sein; to be critical ofkritisch sein or sich kritisch äußern über (+acc); be sensible!sei vernünftig; who’s that? — it’s me/that’s Marywer ist das? — ich bins/das ist Mary; if I were youwenn ich Sie or an Ihrer Stelle wäre; he is a soldier/a Germaner ist Soldat/Deutscher; he wants to be a doctorer möchte Arzt werden
Note that the article is used in German only when the noun is qualified by an adjective.

he’s a good student/a true Englishmaner ist ein guter Student/ein echter Engländer
referring to physical, mental state how are you?wie gehts?; I’m better nowes geht mir jetzt besser; she’s not at all welles geht ihr gar nicht gut; to be hungry/thirstyHunger/Durst haben, hungrig/durstig sein; I am hot/cold/frozenmir ist heiß/kalt/eiskalt; they were horrifiedsie waren entsetzt
age → sein; he’s fiveer ist fünf; how old is she?wie alt ist sie?; he’ll be three next monther wird nächsten Monat drei (Jahre alt)
= costkosten; how much is that?wie viel or was kostet das?
Math → sein; two times two is or are fourzwei mal zwei ist or sind or gibt vier
with possessive → gehören (+dat); that book is your brother’s/hisdas Buch gehört Ihrem Bruder/ihm, das ist das Buch Ihres Bruders/das ist sein Buch
in exclamations was he pleased to hear it!er war vielleicht froh, das zu hören!; but wasn’t she glad when …hat sie sich vielleicht gefreut, als …
Brit inf how are you for a beer?hast du Lust auf ein Bier?
AUXILIARY VERB
in continuous tenses
Note how German uses the simple tense:

what are you doing?was machst du da?; she’s always complainingsie beklagt sich dauernd; they’re coming tomorrowsie kommen morgen
Note how German uses the present tense:

I have been waiting for you for half an hourich warte schon seit einer halben Stunde auf Sie; will you be seeing her tomorrow?sehen or treffen Sie sie morgen?; you will be hearing from usSie hören von uns, Sie werden von uns hören
Note the use of bei + infinitive:

we’re just drinking coffeewir sind (gerade) beim Kaffeetrinken; I’ve just been packing my caseich war gerade beim Kofferpacken; I was packing my case when …ich war gerade beim Kofferpacken, als …
in passive constructions → werden; he was run overer ist überfahren worden, er wurde überfahren; the box had been openeddie Schachtel war geöffnet worden; it is/was being repairedes wird/wurde gerade repariert; I will not be intimidatedich lasse mich nicht einschüchtern
? to be/not to be …
they are shortly to be marriedsie werden bald heiraten; they were to have been married last weeksie hätten letzte Woche heiraten sollen; the car is to be solddas Auto soll verkauft werden; she was to be/was to have been dismissed but …sie sollte entlassen werden, aber …/sie hätte entlassen werden sollen, aber …
he is to be pitied/not to be envieder ist zu bedauern/nicht zu beneiden; not to be confused withnicht zu verwechseln mit; what is to be done?was ist zu tun?, was soll geschehen?
I am to look after herich soll mich um sie kümmern; I am not to be disturbedich möchte nicht gestört werden; he is not to open iter soll es nicht öffnen; I wasn’t to tell you his nameich sollte or durfte Ihnen nicht sagen, wie er heißt; (but I did) → ich hätte Ihnen eigentlich nicht sagen sollen or dürfen, wie er heißt
she was never to returnsie sollte nie zurückkehren
he was not to be persuadeder war nicht zu überreden, er ließ sich nicht überreden; if it were or was to snowfalls or wenn es schneien sollte; and were I or if I were to tell him?und wenn ich es ihm sagen würde?
in tag questions/short answers he’s always late, isn’t he? — yes he iser kommt doch immer zu spät, nicht? — ja, das stimmt; he’s never late, is he? — yes he iser kommt nie zu spät, oder? — oh, doch; you’re not ill, are you? — yes I am/no I’m notSie sind doch nicht (etwa) krank? — doch!/nein; it’s all done, is it? — yes it is/no it isn’tes ist also alles erledigt? — ja/nein
INTRANSITIVE VERB
sein; (= remain)bleiben; I’m going to Berlin — how long will you be there?ich gehe nach Berlin — wie lange wirst du dort bleiben?; he is there at the moment but he won’t be much longerim Augenblick ist er dort, aber nicht mehr lange; we’ve been here a long timewir sind schon lange hier; the powers that bedie zuständigen Stellen; let me/him belass mich/ihn (in Ruhe); be that as it maywie dem auch sei; to be or not to beSein oder Nichtsein
= be situatedsein; (town, forest, papers)liegen, sein; (car, tower, chair)stehen, sein
= visit, call I’ve been to Parisich war schon (ein)mal in Paris; the milkman has already beender Milchmann war schon da; he has been and goneer war da und ist wieder gegangen; now you’ve been and done it (inf)jetzt hast du aber was angerichtet! (inf); I’ve just been and (gone and) broken it!jetzt hab ichs tatsächlich kaputt gemacht (inf)
= like to have who’s for coffee/tee/biscuits?wer möchte (gerne)Kaffee/Tee/Kekse?
? here/there is… here is a book/are two bookshier ist ein Buch/sind zwei Bücher; here/there you are (= you’ve arrived)da sind Sie ja; (= take this)hier/da, bitte; (= here/there it is)hier/da ist es/sind sie doch; there he was sitting at the tableda saß er nun am Tisch; nearby there are two churchesin der Nähe sind or stehen zwei Kirchen
IMPERSONAL VERB
sein; it is dark/morninges ist dunkel/Morgen; tomorrow is Friday/the 14th of Junemorgen ist Freitag/der 14. Juni, morgen haben wir Freitag/den 14. Juni; it is 5 km to the nearest townes sind 5 km bis zur nächsten Stadt
? it was us/you etc who… it was us or we (form) who found itWIR haben das gefunden, wir waren diejenigen, die das gefunden haben; it was me or I (form) who said it firstICH habe es zuerst gesagt, ich war derjenige, der es zuerst gesagt hat
? were it not … were it not for the fact that I am a teacher, I would …wenn ich kein Lehrer wäre, dann würde ich …; were it not for my friendship with himwenn ich nicht mit ihm befreundet wäre; were it not for him, if it weren’t or wasn’t for himwenn er nicht wäre; and even if it were not sound selbst wenn das or dem nicht so wäre
? had it not been for… had it not been or if it hadn’t been for himwenn er nicht gewesen wäre

be
v be [biː]
1 used with a present participle to form the progressive or continuous tenses I'm reading; I am being followed; What were you saying?. Ek lees. Ek word gevolg. Wat het jy gesê? يَسْتَعْمَل لِبِناء الفِعْل المُضارِع المُسْتَمـر спомагателен глагол за профължителни времена forma slovesa BE používaná k vytvoření průběhového času være i færd med sein είμαι estar + gerundio (kestev tegevus olevikus) نشانه دستوری استمرار فعل minä luen être יֵש, הָיָה, הָיוּ וכו' होना biti van, létezik berfungsi untuk menyatakan kalimat sedang vera stare ~である [be doing]…하고 있는 중이다 sedang zijn være i ferd med, holde med być, zostać estar a (+ inf) быть biti biti oöversatt hjälpverb ใช้กับรูปกริยา present participle แสดงการกระทำที่กำลังเกิดขึ้นในปัจจุบัน 與現在分詞連用,構成進行式 у сполученні з present participle служить для утворення форми progressive чи continuous ہوں đang
2 used with a present participle to form a type of future tense I'm going to London. Ek gaan Londen toe يُسْتَعْمَل لِبِناء فِعْل المُسْتَقْبَل спомагателен глагол за образуване на вид бъдеще време forma slovesa BE používaná k vytvoření jednoho z budoucích časů skulle im Begriff sein zu ir a + infinitivo kavatsema نشانه دستوری برای اشاره به آینده؛ قرار است tulen lukemaan aller יִהיֶה, יִהיוּ וכו' לִיְצִירַת עָתִיד biti akan ég er að fara, ég ætla að fara andare ~しようとしている [be doing]…할 예정[작정]이다 akan skal/skulle ir (+inf) обозначает будущее время hoću skall el. oöversatt hjälpverb: jag åker till London ใช้กับรูปกริยา present participle แสดงการกระทำที่จะเกิดขึ้นในอนาคต 與現在分詞連用,構成未來式 у сполученні з present participle служить для утворення форми future ہوں định; sẽ
3 used with a past participle to form the passive voice He was shot. Hy is geskiet يستعمل لبناء صيغة يُسْتَعْمَل لِبِناء صيغَة المَجْهول спомагателен глагол за образуване на пасивни конструкции být blive; være wurde ser (passiiv) نشانه دستوری مجهول؛ شدن hän luki être הָיָה, הַיתָה וכו' לִיצִירַת עָבַר bio je berfungsi membentuk kalimat pasif vera essere; farsi ~される [be done] …되다, 되고 있다 būti telah worden, zijn er, blir/var, ble ser a fi быть byť biti jesam vara, bli ใช้กับรูปกริยา past participle แสดงกรรมวาจก (與過去分詞連用,構成被動語態) у сполученні з past participle служить для утворення форми passive تھا đã
4 used with an infinitive to express several ideas, eg necessity (When am I to leave?), purpose (The letter is to tell us he's coming), a possible future happening (If he were to lose, I'd win) etc. dيُسْتَعْمَل مع المَصْدَر للتَّعْبير عن عِدّة أفكار مثل: ضَروره، هَدَف، مُستَقْبَل مُحْتَمَل за идеи mít, muset skulle sollte, werden deber + infinitivo; tener como propósito pidama قرار است milloin minun kuuluu lukea devoir; aller פּועַל עֶזֶר להֲבָּעַת רָעָיוֹנוֹת biti diikuti infinitive menyatakan akan eiga; mun dovere ~すべきである [be to 부정사] 의무, 목적, 미래 등을 나타냄 turėti, lemta būti seandainya moeten, dienen, etc. skal/skulle (komme til å) a urma (să) должен (был) mať, musieť morati (naj bi) bi skall, skulle ใช้กับรูปกริยา infinitive แสดงความคิดหลากหลาย เช่น ความจำเป็น วัตถุประสงค์ สิ่งที่อาจเกิดในอนาคต (與動詞加to的不定詞連用,表示必要、目的、未來可能發生等 у сполученні з інфінітивом означає повинність ہے ہوں sắp; phải
5 used in giving or asking for information about something or someone I am Mr Smith; Is he alive?; She wants to be an actress; The money will be ours; They are being silly. يُسْتَعْمَل لِطَلَب مَعْلومات съм být være; blive sein ser, estar olema هستن؛ بودن Hän haluaa lukea être פּועַל עֶזֶר לִיצִירַת שֶאֱלוֹת biti berfungsi membetuk kalimat tanya atau memberi informasi vera essere ~である 사물이나 사람에 관한 정보를 제공하거나 요청하는 데 사용됨 būti būt menjadi zijn være; bli a fi быть byť biti biti vara, bli ใช้ขอหรือให้ข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับบางสิ่งหรือบางคน 用於提供或查詢訊息 бути, бувати ہونا dùng để nói về ai đó
n being
1 existence When did the Roman Empire come into being? وُجود съществуване existence, život opstå das (Da-)Sein ύπαρξη, δημιουργία existencia olemasolu وجود؛ هستی olemassaolo existence לִהיוֹת अस्तित्व postojanje lét(ezés) keberadaan, ada tilvera origine 存在 존재 egzistavimas eksistence; esamība wujud bestaan tilværelse, det å være/bli til istnienie existência existenţă, naştere, fiinţă существование vznik bivanje, obstajanje postojanje tillvaro, existens การมีอยู่ varlık 存在 буття, існування موجود ہونا sự tồn tại
2 any living person or thing beings from outer space. كائِن، مَخْلوق същество bytost, člověk, tvor væsen das Wesen ον ser olend جاندار olento créature יצוּר प्राणी biće lény makhluk vera essere, creatura 生き物 존재하는 것 būtybė būtne; radījums hidupan wezen vesen stwór, istota ser fiinţă, cretură (живое) существо bytosť, tvor bitje biće varelse, väsen[] สิ่งมีชีวิต yaratık 生物 істота جاندار شخص یا شے sinh vật
the be-all and end-all
the final aim apart from which nothing is of any real importance This job isn't the be-all and end-all of existence. أهَم شَيئ في الدُّنياا крайна цел celý smysl, podstata, první a poslední alfa og omega das Ein und Alles το άλφα και το ωμέγα serlo todo ülim eesmärk مهمترین چیز؛ عامل عمده lopullinen tarkoitus le but suprême de הַגוֹרֵם הַחָשוּב בְּיוֹתֵר कोई वास्तविक महत्व का नहीं होना sveukupnost végső cél tujuan utama endanlegt takmark (la) cosa più importante, (l')essenziale 最も重要なもの 궁극적인 것 pagrindinis ir vienintelis tikslas gals un sākums bukan segala-galanya de alfa en de omega alfa og omega istota, jedyny cel tudo scopul suprem суть; конец и начало всего začiatok a koniec všetkého končni cilj sve i svja huvudsaken, det enda som gäller สิ่งที่สำคัญที่สุด en önemli şey 最終目標 найголовніше موجودگی cốt lõi

Be يَكْون být være sein είμαι ser olla être biti essere いる 존재하다 zijn være być ser быть vara เป็น อยู่ คือ olmak


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