There is no word-for-word translation for "be". Instead, use several equivalents in sentences, such as HAVE, WILL, BECOME, and so on. Meaning: exist; have. Sign from HAVE. Sign BECOME. E.g. "I want to be an English-ASL interpreter." Be aware that there is no "be" verbs such as "is", "are", etc. in ASL (and even some spoken languages).

Sign: be Synonyms: Handshape: Right Hand: Left Hand: Location: Orientation: Movement: Non-Manual Marker: Interpretations: Inflections:

Sign language video of the sign TO BE

The "be" verbs (e.g. "is", "are", etc) doesn't explicitly exist in American Sign Language (ASL). Every language has its own "to be" grammatical rules.

How to sign: the English word "be," used in ASL to emphasize the exact English phrasing "my favorite song is Let it Be, by the Beatles", "the past participle of 'be' is 'been'";

ASL is a visual language used by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community in the United States. In ASL, every word or concept has a unique sign, including the word “be.” This guide will provide you with formal and informal ways to express “be” in ASL and will offer useful tips, examples, and variations. Formal Way:

Search and compare thousands of words and phrases in American Sign Language (ASL). The largest collection of video signs online.

Signing Savvy is a sign language dictionary containing several thousand high resolution videos of American Sign Language (ASL) signs, fingerspelled words, and other common signs used within the United States and Canada. And Much More! Signing Savvy is an ideal resource to use while you learn sign language.

I'm including the signs for "be" and "verb" here because I teach an ASL Linguistics class and occasionally refer to the concepts of "be verbs." I also feel it is important to point out that even though ASL isn't English, it does have ways to talk about English. BE: VERB:

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