Betekenis van be In het Nederlands

• 0 used to say something about a person, thing, or state, to show a permanent or temporary quality, state, job, etc.:

  • He is rich.

  • It's cold today.

  • I'm Andy.

  • That's all for now.

  • What do you want to be (= what job do you want to do) when you grow up?

  • These books are (= cost) $3 each.

  • Being afraid of the dark, she always slept with the light on.

  • Never having been ill himself, he wasn't a sympathetic listener.

  • Be quiet!

  • [ + -ing verb ] The problem is deciding what to do.

  • [ + to infinitive ] The hardest part will be to find a replacement.

  • [ + that ] The general feeling is that she should be asked to leave.

  • It's not that I don't like her - it's just that we rarely agree on anything!

  • The food was already on the table.

  • Is anyone there?

  • The meeting is now (= will happen) next Tuesday.

  • There's a hair in my soup.

  • Is this plate pure gold?

• 1 used to say that someone should or must do something:

  • You're to sit in the corner and keep quiet.

  • Their mother said they were not to (= not allowed to) play near the river.

  • There's no money left - what are we to do?

• 2 used to show that something will happen in the future:

  • We are to (= we are going to) visit Australia in the spring.

  • She was never to see (= she never saw) her brother again.

  • If I were to refuse they'd be very annoyed.

  • formal Were I to refuse they'd be very annoyed.

• 3 used to say what can happen:

  • The exhibition of modern prints is currently to be seen at the City Gallery.

• 4 to exist or live:

  • formal Such terrible suffering should never be.

  • old use or literary By the time the letter reached them their sister had ceased to be (= had died).

• 5 used with the present participle of other verbs to describe actions that are or were still continuing:

  • I'm still eating.

  • She's studying to be a lawyer.

  • The audience clearly wasn't enjoying the show.

  • You're always complaining.

  • I'll be coming back (= I plan to come back) on Tuesday.

• 6 used with the past participle of other verbs to form the passive:

  • I'd like to go but I haven't been asked.

  • Troublemakers are encouraged to leave.

  • A body has been discovered by the police.

• 7 used to connect two things or a thing with something that it has as a quality or condition:

  • [ L ] It is cold today.

  • [ L ] My name is Andy.

  • [ L ] She is a doctor.

  • [ L ] How old are you?

  • [ L ] These books are (= cost) $12.99 each.

  • [ L ] Please be patient.

  • [ I always + adv/prep ] The food was on the table.

  • [ I always + adv/prep ] Tony is in trouble again.

• 8 to exist:

  • She apologized for the way things are around here.

  • There was no sound.

• 9 used with the present participle of other verbs to describe actions that are or were continuing:

  • You are being very selfish.

  • She was studying to be a lawyer.

  • It is raining.

  • I’ll be coming back (= I plan to come back).

• 10 used with the past participle of other verbs to form the passive:

  • He was asked to wait.

  • Please be seated.

  • The World Trade Center was built in the early 1970s.

• 11 used to show the possibility of a condition or of something happening in the future:

  • If I were afraid of you, why would I be here?

  • If you were allowed to have one wish, what would it be?

• 12 used to say what will happen:

  • [ + to infinitive ] The president is to decide this issue very soon.

• 13 used to tell people they must or should do something:

  • [ + to infinitive ] Their mother said they were to play nearby.