Past Simple: was / were
Past of the verb to be.
In English, the verb 'to be' has two past-tense forms: was and were. Use was with I, he, she, and it — any first- or third-person singular subject (I was tired. She was at home. It was cold.). Use were with you, we, and they — second-person and all plural subjects (You were late. We were happy. They were at school.). To make a negative sentence, simply add not after the verb: I was not (wasn't) hungry. They were not (weren't) ready. For questions, move was or were to the front of the sentence before the subject: Was he busy? Were they at the park? Short answers repeat only the auxiliary: Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't. Yes, they were. / No, they weren't. Common past time expressions that go with was/were include: yesterday, last night, last week, last year, in 2010, ago, and when I was young. These same time markers tell you to use the past tense, not the present. For example: Yesterday I was at school and my friends were in the library.
Key terms
| Subject | Past of 'to be' | Affirmative example | Negative (contraction) | Question form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | I was at school. | I wasn't hungry. | Was I late? |
| he / she / it | was | She was happy. It was cold. | He wasn't ready. | Was it open? |
| you | were | You were late. | You weren't ready. | Were you tired? |
| we | were | We were happy. | We weren't early. | Were we right? |
| they | were | They were at the park. | They weren't home. | Were they busy? |
Use 'was' for I / he / she / it. Use 'were' for you / we / they.
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Negative (singular) | was + not → wasn't | I wasn't at home. She wasn't ready. |
| Negative (plural / you) | were + not → weren't | They weren't hungry. You weren't late. |
| Yes/No question (singular) | Was + subject + …? | Was he busy? Was the café open? |
| Yes/No question (plural / you) | Were + subject + …? | Were they at school? Were you tired? |
| Short answer (positive) | Yes, + subject + was/were. | Yes, she was. Yes, they were. |
| Short answer (negative) | No, + subject + wasn't/weren't. | No, he wasn't. No, we weren't. |
To make a negative, add 'not' after was/were. To make a question, move was/were before the subject.
| Time expression | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| yesterday | Yesterday I was at school. |
| last night | It was cold last night. |
| last week | She was happy last week. |
| last year | My brother was ten last year. |
| in 2010 | He was a good student in 2010. |
| ago | Two years ago they were in Baku. |
These time expressions always signal past tense. Use 'was' or 'were', never 'is/are/am'.
- 1Start: Statement: 'Your friends were at the party last night.'
- 2Step 1: Move 'were' to the front: Were your friends at the party last night?
- 3Step 2: Answer positively: Yes, they were. (Do NOT say 'Yes, were they.' — the subject comes after 'Yes/No'.)
- 4Step 3: Answer negatively: No, they weren't. (Short form of 'were not'.)
- 1Identify the subject: 'My sister and I' — this is two people joined by 'and', so the subject is plural.
- 2Choose the verb: Plural subject → use 'were'. My sister and I were at the cinema.
- 3Check: singular vs plural: Singular: 'My sister was at the cinema.' (one person) vs Plural: 'My sister and I were at the cinema.' (two people)
Do NOT say 'They was hungry.' — 'they' is plural, so always use 'were': 'They were hungry.' The same rule applies to 'we': 'We were tired.' (not 'We was tired.')
Do NOT say 'He weren't at school.' — 'weren't' (were not) goes with you/we/they, not he/she/it. The correct form is 'He wasn't at school.'
Do not use 'Did' to make questions with 'was' and 'were'. 'Did' is used with action verbs, not with the verb 'to be'. Say 'Were your friends at the party?' — NOT 'Did your friends were at the party?'
Past time expressions (yesterday, last night, last week, in 2010, ago) are your signal to use 'was' or 'were', never 'is', 'are', or 'am'. For example: 'It was cold last night.' (not 'It is cold last night.')
Rules
- 1Use 'was' with I, he, she, it (singular subjects): I was happy. She was at home.
- 2Use 'were' with you, we, they (second-person and plural): They were tired. We were late.
- 3For negatives, add 'not' after was/were: He wasn't (was not) hungry. We weren't (were not) ready.
- 4For yes/no questions, put was/were before the subject: Was she there? Were you at school?
- 5Use past time expressions (yesterday, last week, in 2010) to signal the past tense with was/were.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard
10 random questions per test