AreEdit

Are

Are is a core word in English, serving as a present-tense form of the verb to be for certain subjects and, in its other use, as a named unit of area in the metric system. In everyday English, it appears in statements like “you are here” and “they are ready,” in questions such as “are you coming?” and in negations like “they are not.” Beyond grammar, are also encountered in historical texts as part of the larger story of how the language marks tense, agreement, and predication. In addition, are denotes a non-SI unit of area that has played a role in land measurement, especially in historical and rural contexts.

Etymology and linguistic role The word is best understood as part of the family of forms that mark the present tense for plural subjects and for the pronoun you in English. In earlier stages of the language, other forms existed for the second person singular, such as thou art, and over time the modern form are came to be used with you (singular and plural) and with we and they. The development of are reflects broader shifts in English grammar toward a simpler, more regular system of agreement between subject and predicate. In other Germanic languages, cognate forms appear as similar linking verbs that also express existence or predication, illustrating shared ancestry in the family tree of the language.

Grammar and usage - Function: Are acts as a linking verb in predication, connecting a subject to an adjective, noun, or predicate phrase: “the students are ready,” “these documents are important.” It also supports question and negation forms: “Are you ready?” “They are not here.” - Agreement: Are is used with plural subjects (e.g., we, you, they) and with the pronoun you in both singular and plural contexts. For singular third-person subjects, the form is is (e.g., he is, she is, it is). - Negation and contractions: The negative form is are not, written as aren’t in informal speech and contractions (e.g., “you aren’t,” “they aren’t”). The contracted form is widely used in everyday speech and writing. - Tense and aspect: As a present-tense form, are accompanies a wide range of time-relative clauses and complement structures, including future-in-the-puture constructions and conditional phrases when embedded in larger sentences. - Variation and style: In formal writing, the same grammatical rules apply, but style guides may note preference for full forms in careful prose and reserve contractions for more informal registers.

Are as a unit of area In addition to its role in language, are names a specific metric unit of area. An are equals 100 square meters (100 m²). It is a historic unit that originated in the context of land measurement and has seen more common usage in the past, particularly in European countries with agricultural land records and rural planning. The hectare, a larger unit used for land area in most modern contexts, is defined as 100 ares (10,000 m²). While the are is not a primary unit in contemporary science or most global commerce, it remains part of the historical record of measurement and still appears in some land records, rural surveys, and discussions of land scale in various languages and regions.

The are sits within the broader system of measurement as a non-SI unit that is accepted for use with the SI system in some contexts. Its usage has declined in favor of hectares, square meters, and other modern units, but it can still appear in older land surveys, rural descriptions, and educational discussions of measurement history. The relationship between the are and the hectare is straightforward: 1 hectare = 100 ares, so a ten-hectare field is 1,000 ares.

Usage in discourse and translation Because are is both a grammatical workhorse of English and a historical unit of measurement, it shows up in a variety of contexts. In linguistic discussions, it is examined as a representative case of subject–predicate agreement and a gateway to understanding the evolution of English verb conjugation, including how the system accommodates different pronouns and numbers. In discussions of land use and surveying, the are is referenced when describing plots, fields, and rural properties that historically employed this unit. When translating between languages with different measurement conventions, the concept of an are helps travelers and readers understand historical land descriptions, even when modern terminology has shifted to hectares or square meters.

See also - to be and present tense in English - Old English and the history of English grammar - English language and its grammatical features - plural and singular in grammar - contraction in English - hectare and square meter as related units of area - unit of area and the system of measurement - land surveying and historical land measurement practices