are

Are is a core English verb form derived from the verb to be. In modern usage it represents the present tense used with you, we, and they (as in you are, we are, they are), and it is the standard present-tense form for all plural subjects. It contrasts with am (first person singular) and is (third person singular).

As a copular verb it links the subject to adjectives or nouns: “The rooms are ready.” It also serves as an auxiliary for continuous tenses and passive voice: “They are studying,” “The reports are being prepared.”

Questions and negation: Forms include “Are you coming?” and the contraction “aren’t” for “are not” (e.g., “They aren’t coming”). In standard English, the subjunctive uses “were” (as in “If I were taller”), not “are.”

Etymology: Are comes from the Old English and earlier Germanic forms of be; it shares the same Proto-Indo-European root as is, am, be, been, being, were, and related forms in other Germanic languages (for example German sind, Dutch zijn, Swedish är).

Area unit: In metric measurement, an are is a unit of area equal to 100 square meters. It is still encountered in land measurement and real estate in some jurisdictions, though largely superseded by the hectare (100 ares). The symbol sometimes used is “a.”