Is Are An Irregular Verb? | Forms And Grammar Rules

If you teach or learn English, you have probably wondered about small questions that keep coming back. One of those questions is simple to write but tricky to explain: is are an irregular verb? The word looks short and friendly, yet the rules behind it reach into some of the most special parts of English grammar.

This guide walks through what makes a verb irregular, how the verb be works, and where are fits inside that system. By the end, you will know exactly how to label “are” in grammar notes, tests, and lessons, and you will have clear patterns you can show to students or use in your own writing.

Why Learners Ask If Are Is An Irregular Verb

Many learners first meet the word are in simple sentences such as “You are here” or “They are happy.” At that stage, the main worry is word order. Later, once regular and irregular verbs appear in class, one more doubt shows up: is are an irregular verb? There is a good reason for that doubt, because “are” behaves differently from normal present tense forms.

Regular verbs follow a shape that feels predictable. The base form stays the same, and endings like -s or -ed carry the grammar work. The verb be does something else. It changes its shape in ways that do not fit the regular pattern: am, is, are, was, were, being, been. That set already hints that every form of be, including are, belongs on the irregular side.

What Makes A Verb Irregular In English

Before we decide where “are” belongs, it helps to state clearly what “irregular verb” means. In English teaching, a verb is usually called irregular when its past forms and sometimes its third person singular form do not follow the simple “add -ed” pattern. Learners often study these verbs in separate tables.

Regular verbs look like this: walk – walked – walked, work – worked – worked. Irregular verbs change: go – went – gone, eat – ate – eaten. The base verb be fits that second group, and it stands out even among other irregular verbs, because it changes both for tense and for subject.

Irregular Verb Patterns Compared With Regular Verbs

The table below sets be beside other verbs so you can see how “are” fits in. It keeps things simple, with just the base form and common past or third person forms.

Verb Type	Forms	Pattern
Regular	walk – walked – walked	Base + “-ed” for past and past participle
Regular	play – played – played	Base + “-ed” for past and past participle
Irregular	go – went – gone	Change of vowel and new past participle
Irregular	eat – ate – eaten	Change of vowel and “-en” ending
Irregular	have – had – had	Different past form, same past participle
Highly Irregular	be – am / is / are – was / were – been	Shape changes for tense and for subject
Irregular List Entry	be – was / were – been	Shown in irregular verb tables

Notice how be behaves. It does not just switch from be to beed. Instead it uses was and were in the past, and three separate present forms: am, is, and are. This wide range of shapes is the main reason grammar references treat be as irregular.

Is Are An Irregular Verb? Forms And Patterns

In strict grammar terms, “are” is a present tense form of the verb be. The base verb be is classed as irregular in standard references, so every form in its family counts as an irregular form. Reference works such as the Collins Easy Learning Grammar explain that be is irregular and list its eight forms, including are, in a single set of shapes used across tenses and subjects (Collins “how do you use the verb be” page).

A table of irregular verbs from Cambridge English Grammar Today also shows be in the irregular list and gives its main forms: am, is, are, was, were, been (Cambridge irregular verb table). That placement tells you how exam writers and textbook authors treat “are”: not as a separate regular verb, but as a current tense piece of an irregular base verb.

So when a learner asks, “Teacher, is are an irregular verb?”, the short classroom answer is yes. You can add that we tag irregularity at the level of the base verb be. Once a verb enters that group, all its shapes, including are, belong inside the irregular family.

The Eight Forms Of Be And Where Are Fits

To see exactly where “are” fits, it helps to lay out the full set of be forms:

• be – base form, used with modals such as “can be” or “will be”
• am – present form used with “I”
• is – present form used with singular third person
• are – present form used with “you”, “we”, and “they”
• was – past form used with “I”, “he”, “she”, “it”
• were – past form used with “you”, “we”, “they”
• being – present participle, often used in continuous and passive forms
• been – past participle, used in perfect and passive forms

Regular verbs do not split their present forms this way. They keep one base shape and add -s only for the third person singular. Be is irregular because it changes much more deeply, and “are” is part of that special pattern.

Understanding Whether Are Counts As An Irregular Verb In English

There is still a small twist. Some grammar books talk about “irregular verbs” only when they describe past forms. In those books, “are” does not appear in the table by itself, because the list focuses on be – was / were – been. Even in that approach, though, the label still comes from the base verb be, and “are” stays inside that verb’s full set of shapes.

For tests and practical teaching, the most helpful line is this: “are” is a present tense form of the irregular verb be. If a task asks learners to pick irregular verbs in a sentence, and the only form of be in that sentence is “are”, it still counts as a hit.

Are As A Main Verb

In many short sentences, “are” works as the main verb and links the subject to a noun or adjective. Look at these examples:

• You are ready.
• They are friends.
• My keys are on the table.

In each case, “are” links the subject to the rest of the sentence. It does not describe an action like run or build. It describes a state or relation. That link function is typical for be and appears in every tense, so “are” follows the same pattern.

Are As An Auxiliary Verb

“Are” also appears as an auxiliary verb in continuous and passive structures. In that role, it stands beside another verb and helps show tense or voice. Here are some brief examples:

• They are studying for the exam.
• The windows are being cleaned.
• New rules are announced every year.

In these sentences, the main action sits in studying, cleaned, or announced. The word “are” still shows irregular behaviour, though, because it changes with the subject and does not follow a regular -s or -ed pattern.

How Are Works With Subjects And Tense

English learners often mix “are” with “is” or “am”, so a clear map of subject–verb pairs helps. As a present tense form, “are” appears with:

• You – singular or plural (“You are late.”)
• We – first person plural (“We are ready.”)
• They – third person plural (“They are outside.”)

It also appears with many plural noun subjects: “The students are in class”, “The houses are old”. Singular subjects such as “he”, “she”, or “it” use “is” instead, and “I” uses “am”. This split again shows how irregular the be system is when compared with regular present tense verbs.

Other Tense Forms Related To Are

The present simple with “are” often links to other forms of be. Compare these short pairs:

• They are at home today. / They were at home yesterday.
• We are proud of this project. / We have been proud of it for years.
• You are being honest. / You have been honest all week.

In each pair, the subject stays the same, but the verb form shifts across the eight shapes of be. The change from “are” to “were” or “been” has nothing to do with adding a regular ending. The whole verb shape moves, which is another mark of irregular behaviour.

Quick Reference For Using Are In Sentences

This second table gives a handy view of how “are” appears in common patterns. You can copy it straight into lesson notes or use it as a reference when you write.

Subject	Example Sentence With “Are”	Role Of “Are”
You (singular)	You are on time.	Present simple, main verb
You (plural)	You are great classmates.	Present simple, main verb
We	We are ready to start.	Present simple, main verb
They	They are watching a movie.	Auxiliary in present continuous
Plural noun	The lights are bright.	Present simple, main verb
Passive voice	The tickets are sold online.	Auxiliary in present passive
With “being”	The doors are being painted.	Auxiliary plus “being” in passive continuous

Whenever you see “are” used this way, you are looking at a present tense form of be. It carries the same irregular history as was, were, and been, even though learners may not notice that link right away.

Common Mistakes With Are And Irregular Verbs

Because “are” feels easy to say, learners sometimes treat it like a regular add-on. One mistake is to pair “are” with the wrong subject, such as “He are late” or “It are raining.” These sentences sound wrong to fluent speakers, because the irregular pattern of be expects “is” or “am” in those places.

Another mistake shows up on grammar tests. A question might ask, “Underline the irregular verb in this sentence: They are excited about the trip.” Learners sometimes skip “are” because they only think of irregular verbs as past forms like went or took. In teaching notes, it helps to point out that “are” belongs to the irregular verb be, even when it stands in the present.

A third issue appears in writing tasks. Learners sometimes write sentence after sentence with “are” and forget about variety: “They are doing this, they are doing that.” In those cases, you can show how be can act as an auxiliary so that other, more descriptive verbs carry the main action. That advice fits regular and irregular verbs alike, and it sharpens the style of the paragraph.

Main Points About Are As An Irregular Verb

We can now return once more to the original question: Is Are An Irregular Verb? The clear answer is yes, in the sense that “are” is a present tense form of the irregular verb be. It belongs with irregular verbs in grammar tables and exam questions, even though some lists only show the base form and past forms.

At the same time, it helps learners if you keep the label simple. Say that English has one special verb, be, which changes its shape more than any other common verb. “Are” is one of those shapes. Once learners see that pattern and use tables like the ones above, the small question “is are an irregular verb?” turns into a quick, confident answer.