When do you use 'was' and 'were'?

Use 'was' with I, he, she, it: 'I was tired', 'She was happy'. Use 'were' with you, we, they: 'They were late', 'We were at home'.

How do you make questions with 'was' and 'were'?

Put was/were before the subject: 'Was she at the party?' 'Were you happy?' For negatives: 'I wasn't there' or 'They weren't ready'.

What is the difference between 'was' and 'were' in conditionals?

In formal English and conditionals, 'were' is used for all subjects: 'If I were you...' 'I wish I were taller.' In casual speech, 'was' is often used instead.

How do I give short answers to questions with 'was' and 'were'?

Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't. Yes, she was. / No, she wasn't. Yes, they were. / No, they weren't. Example: 'Were you busy?' 'Yes, I was.'

How do I use 'was/were' with adjectives and nouns?

Use them like 'am/is/are' in the past. With adjectives: 'I was happy.' 'They were tired.' With nouns: 'She was a teacher.' 'We were students.'

Do we use 'was/were' for age in the past?

Yes. 'I was 10 years old in 2010.' 'He was a baby.' 'They were young.' This is the past form of 'am/is/are' for age.

What is the past form of 'there is/are'?

It is 'there was' (singular) and 'there were' (plural). 'There was a cat in the garden.' 'There were many people at the concert.'

How do I talk about the weather in the past?

Use 'It was' + adjective. 'It was sunny yesterday.' 'It was cold last week.' 'It was rainy and windy.' This is the past of 'It is sunny.'

CEFR A1

Was/Were

Learn how to talk about past states and situations. Practice using was and were to describe how things were in the past.

Learn Was/Were (Past Tense of 'To Be')

What You Will Learn

Was and were are the past tense forms of 'to be'. Learn how to use them to talk about past states, feelings, locations, and situations.

Learn the difference between am/is/are (present) and was/were (past)

Master when to use was and when to use were

Learn common time expressions: yesterday, last week, last year, in 2020

Practice with common situations: describing past feelings, locations, and states

What Are Was and Were?

WAS is the past form of IS/AM. Use with I, he, she, it for past states and situations.

I was tired.She was at home.It was cold yesterday.He was a teacher.

Negative & questions

Negative: wasn't (was not). 'She wasn't happy.' Question: move to front. 'Was she happy?' Short answers: 'Yes, she was.' / 'No, she wasn't.'

Was and were are the past tense forms of the verb 'to be'. Use them to talk about how things were in the past.

Present vs Past

Present: I am happy. (now)

Past: I was happy yesterday. (past)

Present: They are at school. (now)

Past: They were at school yesterday. (past)

Key Difference

✓ Use am/is/are for now (present)

✓ Use was/were for before now (past)

✓ Look for time words: yesterday, last week, in 2020

✓ Was/were describe states, not actions

Simple Rule!

Use was with I/he/she/it. Use were with you/we/they.

✓ "I was happy." (I + was)

✓ "You were late." (you + were)

✓ "They were here." (they + were)

A Day at Grandma's House

Last Saturday, I was at my grandma's house. She was very happy to see me.

My cousins were there too. We were all in the garden together.

The weather was beautiful. It was warm and sunny. The flowers were colorful.

Grandma's cookies were delicious! We were so full after lunch.

Notice how 'was' is used with I, she, it (the weather), and 'were' is used with my cousins, we, the flowers, and the cookies.

Complete Was/Were Chart

Use this chart to remember the past tense forms of 'to be'.

Subject	Present (Now)	Past (Before)	Example (Past)
I	am	was	I was happy.
You	are	were	You were late.
He	is	was	He was at home.
She	is	was	She was tired.
It	is	was	It was cold.
We	are	were	We were students.
They	are	were	They were here.

Important Notes

✓ Was is used with I, he, she, it

✓ Were is used with you, we, they

✓ Use wasn't for negative: I wasn't happy.

✓ Use weren't for negative: They weren't here.

✓ For questions: Was I? Were you?

Quick Practice

Choose was or were:

1. I __________ at school yesterday.

2. They __________ happy last night.

3. She __________ tired after work.

💡 Check your answers

1. I was at school yesterday.

2. They were happy last night.

3. She was tired after work.

When to Use Was/Were

Was and were are used in these common situations to talk about the past.

Past Locations

Where you were

"I was at home yesterday."

"They were at the park last weekend."

"She was in London last year."

With time expressions

"We were at school last Monday."

"He was at work yesterday morning."

Past Feelings & States

How you felt

"I was happy yesterday."

"She was tired after work."

"They were excited about the trip."

Past conditions

"The weather was beautiful last week."

"The food was delicious."

"The movie was interesting."

Past Personal Information

Age, jobs, status

"I was 20 years old last year."

"He was a student in 2020."

"We were friends when we were children."

Past situations

"They were married for 10 years."

"She was ill last month."

Want to try a Was/Were quiz?

Practice with multiple choice questions

Common Time Expressions with Was/Were

These time words tell us when something happened in the past.

Specific Times

Yesterday

"I was busy yesterday."

"They were here yesterday."

Last week/month/year

"She was on vacation last week."

"We were students last year."

"Where were you yesterday?" "I was at the library."

General Past

When I was young

"I was shy when I was young."

"We were neighbors when we were children."

In + year

"He was born in 1990."

"They were in school in 2015."

"What were you like when you were a child?" "I was very active."

Time Periods

Ago

"Two days ago, I was sick."

"A week ago, they were here."

Before

"Before the meeting, she was nervous."

"Before lunch, we were hungry."

"How was the weather last summer?" "It was very hot."

Ready to test your Was/Were knowledge?

Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises

Common Mistakes

❌ I were happy yesterday.

✓ I was happy yesterday.

Use 'was' with I, not 'were'

❌ He were at home last night.

✓ He was at home last night.

Use 'was' with he/she/it, not 'were'

❌ They was students last year.

✓ They were students last year.

Use 'were' with they, not 'was'

❌ We was tired after work.

✓ We were tired after work.

Use 'were' with we, not 'was'

❌ It were cold yesterday.

✓ It was cold yesterday.

Use 'was' with it, not 'were'

❌ You was late for class.

✓ You were late for class.

Use 'were' with you, not 'was'

Master Was/Were sentence building!

Drag and drop words to form correct sentences

Negative & Question Forms

Learn how to make negative sentences and questions with was/were.

Negative Forms

Was not = wasn't

✓ I wasn't happy yesterday.

✓ He wasn't at home.

✓ It wasn't cold last week.

Were not = weren't

✓ You weren't late.

✓ We weren't tired.

✓ They weren't students.

Question Forms

Was...?

✓ Was I late? Yes, you were.

✓ Was she happy? No, she wasn't.

✓ Was it cold? Yes, it was.

Were...?

✓ Were you at home? Yes, I was.

✓ Were they here? No, they weren't.

✓ Were we wrong? No, we weren't.

Practice Exercise

Make questions or negatives:

1. They / not / happy → "They __________ happy."

2. she / at home? → "__________ she at home?"

3. I / not / tired → "I __________ tired."

💡 Check your answers

1. "They weren't happy."

2. "Was she at home?"

3. "I wasn't tired."

Practice Tips

Remember: Use was with I/he/she/it. Use were with you/we/they.

Practice with time words: yesterday, last week, in 2020, when I was young

Use questions: "Where were you yesterday?" "How was your weekend?"

For negatives: wasn't = was not, weren't = were not

Practice with the speaking exercises to improve pronunciation of was/were

Speaking Practice

To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!

I was at home yesterday.

You were late for class.

He was happy last night.

She was tired after work.

It was cold yesterday.

We were at the park.

They were students in 2020.

The weather was beautiful last week.

Your exercises are loading!

Continue Your Learning Journey

Keep building your English skills with these carefully selected next steps

Help Other People Just Like You Improve Their English!

Share Free Daily English With Them Today!