The word are is the plural present tense of the verb to be. This is among the most irregular of the English language's irregular verbs. I am, he is, they are, we are, in the present; in the past it...
Most verbs are regular verbs and to make the past tenses you add -ed. walk / walked, talk / talked, organise / organised. Some verbs are irregular this means you don;t add -ed to make the past tense...