Explanation
The verb "be" has three forms: "be", "being", and "been". "Be" is the base form, but in normal present sentences it becomes "am", "is", or "are".
"Being" is the -ing form, and it goes with "am/is/are" in continuous sentences, like "The children are being noisy." Here "are" is the helper, "being" shows the continuous form, and "noisy" describes the temporary behavior.
"Been" is the past participle, and it goes with "have/has/had", as in "I have been busy all day." In that sentence, "have" shows the present perfect, "been" is the special form of "be", "busy" is the adjective, and "all day" tells the time.
Japanese often uses one verb form for these meanings, but English changes the verb form to show tense and aspect.
動詞 "be" には、"be"、"being"、"been" の3つの形があります。"be" はもとの形ですが、ふつうの現在の文では "am"、"is"、"are" になります。
"being" は -ing 形で、"am/is/are" と一緒に進行中の意味を作ります。たとえば "The children are being noisy." では、"are" が助動詞、"being" が進行形を作る形、"noisy" が一時的な様子を表しています。
"been" は過去分詞で、"have/has/had" と一緒に使います。たとえば "I have been busy all day." では、"have" が現在完了、"been" が "be" の特別な形、"busy" が形容詞、"all day" が時間を表します。日本語は1つの形で言えることが多いですが、英語は動詞の形を変えて時や続き方を表します。
Examples
- I am happy today. 今日はうれしいです。
- Are you at home now? 今、家にいますか？
- She is being quiet today. 彼女は今日はおとなしいです。
- We are not being rude. 私たちは失礼な態度をとっていません。
- I have been busy all day. 今日はずっと忙しいです。
- Have you been to Osaka? 大阪に行ったことがありますか？
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often forget the past participle and say "I have be to Osaka." The correct form is "I have been to Osaka." After "have/has," use "been" here, not "be" or "being".
日本語学習者は過去分詞を忘れて、"I have be to Osaka." のように言いがちです。正しくは "I have been to Osaka." です。"have/has" の後ろでは "be" ではなく "been" を使います。