Are

How to spell are

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce are

What does are mean?

1. verbThe present-tense form of the verb 'be' used with 'you', 'we', and 'they', and with plural subjects.

Are in a sentence

• The reports are due on my desk by Friday.

• They are waiting in the lobby for the interview.

Where does are come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This little word is one of the oldest in the language, descending from Old English, where the verb 'to be' was famously irregular and pieced together from several different roots. The form 'are' grew out of the Old English 'earun' or 'aron', the plural present tense, which itself traces back to a Germanic and ultimately Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to be' or 'to exist'. Over the medieval period this northern form, reinforced by Old Norse influence in the north of England, gradually spread south and pushed out rival forms such as 'sind' and 'beoth'. By early modern English 'are' had settled as the standard plural and second-person form alongside 'am' and 'is'. Its tiny size and the silent feel of its final letter make it sound exactly like 'our' for many speakers, which is the spelling trap to watch.

How the word is built

• are (present plural and second-person singular form of the verb 'be'; not built from separable parts)