“Be” is a basic verb used to talk about existence, identity, or condition (like am, is, are, was, were). It links the subject to a description or state.
“Be” is one of the oldest words in English, coming from Old English “beon” and “wesan,” which blended together. These go back to ancient Proto-Indo-European roots meaning “to exist” and “to grow.”
English actually uses several ancient roots just to make the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were all come from different pieces). That’s how important this idea of existence is in human language—it needed extra backup forms.
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