FluencyLab
GrammarHub
Use was and were to talk about past states and situations, including where people were, how they felt, and what something was like.
Overview
Use was and were to talk about past states and situations, including where people were, how they felt, and what something was like.
Form and rules
Use was with I/he/she/it and singular nouns. Use were with you/we/they and plural nouns.
Make negatives with was not/wasn't and were not/weren't.
Make questions by putting Was/Were before the subject: Was he tired? Were they at home?
Use was/were for past descriptions, ages, locations, feelings, and situations. Do not use did with be.
Common past-time expressions include yesterday, last night, last week, and in 2020.
A closer look
Was and were are the past forms of be. Use them for past identity, age, location, feelings, weather, and descriptions.
Questions invert the verb and subject: Was she...? Were they...? Short answers use Yes, I was / No, I wasn't and Yes, they were / No, they weren't.
Examples
I was at home yesterday.
The shops were busy.
She wasn't hungry.
Were you at work this morning?
No, we weren't.
Common mistakes
You, we, and they take were.
Past questions with be use was/were directly, not did.
Ready to practise?
The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.