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Dictionary Results For "be" [?]/[OPML]
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See Appendix:Variations of "be"

English

{{rank|had|you|not|19|be|at|by|on}}

Pronunciation


Etymology 1

Originated before 900 from < , from + , infinitive suffix. Irregular forms inherited from the compound verb {{term|beon-wesan|bēon-wesan|lang=ang}}.

Verb

{{infl|en|verb|#Inflection|highly irregular}}

  1. To occupy a place.
  2. : The cup is on the table.
  3. To occur, to take place.
  4. : When will the meeting be?
  5. (without predicate) To exist.
  6. (without predicate) elliptical form of for "be here", "go to and return from" or similar.
  7. : The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come.
  8. : I have been to Spain many times.
  9. Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same.
  10. : Ignorance is bliss.
  11. {{italbrac|transitive|copular|mathematics}} Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same.
  12. : 3 times 5 is fifteen.
  13. Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal.
  14. : François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995.
  15. Used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes it.
  16. : The sky is blue.
  17. Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
  18. : The sky is a deep blue today.
  19. In the Context of Used to form the passive voice.
  20. : The dog was drowned by the boy.
  21. In the Context of Used to form the continuous forms of various tenses.
  22. : The woman is walking.
  23. : I shall be writing to you soon.
  24. : We liked to chat while we were eating.
  25. Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs. Often still used for to go
  26. : They are not yet come back. (wikisource:The_Tragedy_of_Macbeth/Act_I#SCENE_IV._Forres._The_palace.|Macbeth by w:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare) (instead of They have not yet come back.)
  27. : He is gone.
  28. In the Context of Used to form future tenses, especially the future subjunctive.
  29. : I am to leave tomorrow.
  30. : I would drive you, were I to obtain a car.
  31. Used to indicate age.
  32. : This building is three hundred years old.
  33. : He looks twelve, but is actually thirteen, and will turn fourteen next week.
  34. Used to indicate height.
  35. : He was five-eight.
  36. Used to indicate time of day, day of the week, or date.
  37. : It’s almost eight.
  38. : Today is the second, so I guess next Tuesday must be the tenth.
  39. Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.
  40. : It’s hot in Arizona, but it’s not usually humid.
  41. : Why is it so dark in here?
  42. Used to indicate temperature.
  43. : It’s in the eighties outside, and next week it’s expected to be in the nineties!


Inflection

{| class="prettytable" |- ! Infinitive | to be |- ! Imperative | be |- ! Present participle | being |- ! Past participle | been |} {| class="prettytable" |- ! ! Present indicative ! Past indicative ! Present subjunctive ! Past subjunctive |- ! First-person singular | am | was | be | were |- ! Second-person singular | are, art (archaic) | were, wast (archaic) | be, beest (obsolete) | were, wert (archaic) |- ! Third-person singular | is | was | be | were |- ! First-person plural | are | were | be | were |- ! Second-person plural | are | were | be | were |- ! Third-person plural | are | were | be | were |}

Translations

Warning! This verb is fraught with irregularities of both form and usage in many languages. Use translations with caution.

  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian: biti#Croatian|biti; nalaziti se (refl.)
  • Czech:
  • Danish:
  • Dutch:
  • Esperanto: {{t+|eo|esti|xs=Esperanto}}
  • Estonian:
  • Finnish:
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|είμαι|sc=Grek}} (eímai)
  • Hungarian:
  • Irish: {{t-|ga|bí|xs=Irish}}
  • Italian:
  • Korean:
  • Lao: {{t-|lo|ຢູ່|tr=juu|sc=Laoo|xs=Lao}}
  • Lithuanian: {{t+|lt|būti|xs=Lithuanian}}
  • Old Church Slavonic: бъіти (byti)
  • Polish:
  • Romanian:
  • Russian: быть (byt’) , находиться (naχodít’s’a)
  • Slovene:
  • Spanish:
  • Swedish: , , ,
  • Croatian:
  • Danish: finde sted, ske
  • Dutch: ,
  • Esperanto: {{t-|eo|okazi|xs=Esperanto}}
  • Finnish:
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|γίνομαι|sc=Grek}} (gínomai)
  • Italian:
  • Korean: ,
  • Lithuanian: {{t+|lt|būti|xs=Lithuanian}}
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian: biti#Croatian|biti; postojati
  • Danish: være, være til
  • Dutch: ,
  • Esperanto: {{t-|eo|ekzisti|xs=Esperanto}}
  • Finnish: olla (olemassa)
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|υπάρχω|sc=Grek}} (ypárcho)
  • Irish: {{t-|ga|bí|xs=Irish}}
  • Italian:
  • Korean: ,
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish: være, være her
  • Dutch:
  • Finnish:
  • French: ,
  • German:
  • Italian: ,
  • Lithuanian: {{t+|lt|būti|xs=Lithuanian}}
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish:
  • Esperanto: {{t+|eo|esti|xs=Esperanto}}
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|είμαι|sc=Grek}} (eímai)
  • Italian:
  • Korean:
  • Lao: {{t-|lo|ແມ່ນ|sc=Laoo|xs=Lao}}
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish: være, være lig med
  • Dutch: gelijk zijn
  • Esperanto: {{t-|eo|egali|xs=Esperanto}}
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t|el|ίσον|sc=Grek}} (íson), {{t+|el|κάνω|sc=Grek}} (káno)
  • Korean:
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish:
  • Dutch:
  • Esperanto: {{t+|eo|esti|xs=Esperanto}}
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|είμαι|sc=Grek}} (eímai)
  • Italian:
  • Korean:
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish:
  • Esperanto: {{t+|eo|esti|xs=Esperanto}}
  • Finnish:
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|είμαι|sc=Grek}} (eímai)
  • Irish: {{t-|ga|bí|xs=Irish}}
  • Italian:
  • Korean: (adjective conjugates with no additional word)
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish:
  • Esperanto: {{t+|eo|esti|xs=Esperanto}}
  • Finnish:
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: {{t+|el|είμαι|sc=Grek}} (eímai)
  • Italian:
  • Korean:
  • Bosnian:
  • Croatian:
  • Danish:
  • Esperanto: (passive form of the verb) -{{t-|eo|iĝi|xs=Esperanto}}
  • Finnish: active tense used
  • French:
  • German:
  • Greek: usually translated using the passive form of the active verb
  • Irish: specific form of each verb must be used
  • Italian:
  • Korean: (passive form of the verb) -, –, -, -, -, -, -, -
  • Danish: not translated
  • Dutch: zijn usually + aan het ~
  • Esperanto: {{t+|eo|esti|xs=Esperanto}} [...nta]
  • Finnish: olla (sometimes, normally active tense)
  • French: not translated; use the equivalent simple tense, or the imperfect in the past
  • German:
  • Greek: use imperfective verb form of the appropriate tense
  • Irish: {{t-|ga|bí|xs=Irish}}
  • Italian:
  • Korean: -, -, -, -, -
  • Polish:
  • Romanian: not translated; use the equivalent simple tense, or the imperfect in the past
  • Spanish: [...ndo]

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of .

be

  1. In the Context of The country code for Belgium.


Etymology 3

Abbreviation of .

be

  1. The ISO 639 alpha-2 language code for Belarusian.


References

Category:100 English basic words Category:Behaviour Category:English auxiliary verbs Category:English irregular verbs Category:English two-letter words Category:English verbs

----

Albanian

Noun

  1. oath


----

Amuzgo

Adjective

  1. red


----

Balinese

Noun

  1. fish
  2. meat, fish, tofu, egg (everything that is eaten with rice exept vegetables)


----

Catalan

Noun

  1. Noun of the letter b.


  1. sheep, ram, ewe, lamb


Category:ca:Animals

----

Hungarian

Adverb

  1. in


See also


----

Lithuanian

Particle

  1. (shows absence of something) without
  2. besides; but, except


----

Lojban

Particle

{{infl|jbo|particle|Cmavo}}

  1. Connects the following sumti to the previous sumti as an internal sumti (subordinate clause); by default as the x2 argument
  2. : le klama#Lojban|klama be la paris.
  3. :: the one going to Paris
  4. : le klama be fo la paris.
  5. :: the one travelling via Paris


Related terms


----

Norwegian

Verb

{{no-verb|be|ber|ba, bad|bedt}}

  1. To pray.
  2. To ask something of someone.


----

Old Prussian

Conjunction

  1. and
  2. : wāiklis be mērgā - a boy and a girl


Preposition

  1. without


----

Scots

Etymology

{{term|beon-wesan|bēon-wesan|lang=ang}}.

Verb

{{infl|sco|verb|head=tae be}}

  1. To #English|be.


Conjugation

In most dialects:

In South Scots:

----

Swedish

{{sv-verb-irreg|be|ber|bad|bett|be|bedjande|bedd}}

Pronunciation

  • An audio transcript can be found at Sv-be.ogg


Alternative spellings

  • bedja (now only in religious and archaic contexts)


Verb

  1. To ask for, request someone else to do something.
  2. To pray.
  3. To beg, to plead with someone for help or for a favor.


ar:be br:be de:be et:be el:be es:be fa:be fr:be gl:be ko:be hy:be hi:be io:be it:be kk:be ku:be lo:be la:be lt:be li:be hu:be nl:be ja:be no:be pl:be pt:be ro:be ru:be sq:be simple:be sl:be fi:be sv:be ta:be te:be vi:be tr:be uk:be zh:be

GNU Project's publication of CIDE, the Collaborative International Dictionary of English Be \Be\ (b[=e]), v. i. [imp. Was (w[o^]z); p. p. Been
(b[i^]n); p. pr. & vb. n. Being.] [OE. been, beon, AS.
be['o]n to be, be['o]m I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I
am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. bu-ti, O. Slav.
by-ti, to be, L. fu-i I have been, fu-turus about to be,
fo-re to be about to be, and perh. to fieri to become, Gr.
fy^nai to be born, to be, Skr. bh[=u] to be. This verb is
defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from
other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with
be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc., are
considered grammatically as parts of the verb "to be", which,
with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive
verb. [root]97. Cf. Future, Physic.]
1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have
existence.
[1913 Webster]

To be contents his natural desire. --Pope.
[1913 Webster]

To be, or not to be: that is the question. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]

2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, -- whether as a
reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the
subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a
certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or
as identical with what is specified, -- a word or words
for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be
here; to be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a
hero; to be a nonentity; three and two are five;
annihilation is the cessation of existence; that is the
man.
[1913 Webster]

3. To take place; to happen; as, the meeting was on Thursday.
[1913 Webster]

4. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to.
[1913 Webster]

The field is the world. --Matt. xiii.
38.
[1913 Webster]

The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the
seven churches. --Rev. i. 20.
[1913 Webster]

Note: The verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is
used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as,
John has been struck by James. It is also used with the
past participle of many intransitive verbs to express a
state of the subject. But have is now more commonly
used as the auxiliary, though expressing a different
sense; as, "Ye have come too late -- but ye are come. "
"The minstrel boy to the war is gone." The present and
imperfect tenses form, with the infinitive, a
particular future tense, which expresses necessity,
duty, or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we
are to pay our just debts; the deed is to be signed
to-morrow.
[1913 Webster]

Note: Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. "I
have been to Paris." --Sydney Smith. "Have you been to
Franchard ?" --R. L. Stevenson.
[1913 Webster]

Note: Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the
indicative present. "Ye ben light of the world."
--Wyclif, Matt. v. 14. Afterwards be was used, as in
our Bible: "They that be with us are more than they
that be with them." --2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also the
old infinitive: "To ben of such power." --R. of
Gloucester. Be is used as a form of the present
subjunctive: "But if it be a question of words and
names." --Acts xviii. 15. But the indicative forms, is
and are, with if, are more commonly used.
[1913 Webster]

Be it so, a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it
to be so; or of permission, signifying let it be so.
--Shak.

If so be, in case.

To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you?
I am from Chicago.

To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone. "Let
be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade." --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]

Syn: To be, Exist.

Usage: The verb to be, except in a few rare cases, like that
of Shakespeare's "To be, or not to be", is used simply
as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate;
as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to
exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but
points to things that stand forth, or have a
substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all
corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not,
therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used as
a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers
for the sake of variety; as in the phrase "there
exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes." We may,
indeed, say, "a friendship has long existed between
them," instead of saying, "there has long been a
friendship between them;" but in this case, exist is
not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense
to mark the friendship as having been long in
existence.
[1913 Webster]
GNU Project's publication of CIDE, the Collaborative International Dictionary of English Be- \Be-\ [AS. be, and in accented form b[imac], akin to OS. be
and b[imac], OHG. bi, pi, and p[imac], MHG. be and b[imac],
G. be and bei, Goth. bi, and perh. Gr. 'amfi` about (cf. AS.
bese['o]n to look about). [root]203. Cf. By, Amb-.]
A prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs,
it serves:
(a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir.
(b) To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to
fall upon); bespeak (to speak for).
(c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as,
beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around).
[1913 Webster]

Note: It is joined with certain substantives, and a few
adjectives, to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend,
benight, besot; belate (to make late); belittle (to
make little). It also occurs in certain nouns, adverbs,
and prepositions, often with something of the force of
the preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe),
behalf, bequest (bequeath); because, before, beneath,
beside, between.
In some words the original force of be is obscured or
lost; as, in become, begin, behave, behoove, belong.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet be
n : a light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element
[syn: beryllium, glucinium, atomic number 4]
v 1: have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective
or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a
good answer"
2: be identical to; be someone or something; "The president of
the company is John Smith"; "This is my house"
3: occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is
my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is
behind this behavior?"
4: have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" [syn: exist]
5: 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 identical or equivalent to; "One dollar equals 1,000
rubles these days!" [syn: equal] [ant: differ]
7: 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" [syn: constitute,
represent, make up, comprise]
8: work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a
specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our
resident philosopher" [syn: follow]
9: represent, as of a character on stage; "Derek Jacobi was
Hamlet" [syn: embody, personify]
10: spend or use time; "I may be an hour"
11: have life, be alive; "Our great leader is no more"; "My
grandfather lived until the end of war" [syn: live]
12: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used
only in infinitive form; "let her be"
13: be priced at; "These shoes cost $100" [syn: cost]
Moby Dictionary
abide , be extant , be found , be in existence , be met with ,
be present , be the case , be there , breathe , come , continue , endure ,
exist , go on , happen to be , have being , have place , hold , live ,
move , obtain , occur , persist , prevail , remain , stand , subsist


FOLDOC be

The country code for Belgium.

(1999-01-27)


BEE. The name of a well known insect. 2. Bees are considered ferae naturae while unreclaimed; and they are not more subjects of property while in their natural state, than the birds which have their nests on the tree of an individual. 3 Binn. R. 546 5 Sm. & Marsh. 333. This agrees with the Roman law. Inst. 2 1, 14; Dig. 41, 1, 5, 2; 7 Johns. Rep. 16; 2 Bl. Com. 392 Bro. Ab. Propertie, 37; Coop. Justin. 458. 3. In New York it has been decided that bees in a tree belong, to the owner of the soil, while unreclaimed. When they have been reclaimed, and the owner can identify them, they belong to him, and not to the owner of the soil. 15 Wend. R. 550. See 1 Cowen, R. 243.
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