was / were (be — past)
was / were (be — past) means “Past of 'be': was/were for states, feelings and places in the past”. Was/were is the past of am/is/are. Formation: I/he/she/it was · you/we/they were
Past of 'be': was/were for states, feelings and places in the past
A1Formation
I/he/she/it was · you/we/they were
Explanation
Was/were is the past of am/is/are. Use was with I/he/she/it and were with you/we/they: I was tired. They were at home. Negative: was not (wasn't) / were not (weren't). Question: Was she busy? Were you there?
Examples
Note
Time words often show the past: yesterday, last night, two years ago. Ordinary verbs (play, go) do not use was/were — see the past simple.
FAQ
was / were (be — past) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Past of 'be': was/were for states, feelings and places in the past. Was/were is the past of am/is/are. Use was with I/he/she/it and were with you/we/they: I was tired. They were at home. Negative: was not (wasn't) / were not (weren't). Question: Was she busy? Were you there?
was / were (be — past) — how do you form it?
I/he/she/it was · you/we/they were
was / were (be — past) — any usage notes?
Time words often show the past: yesterday, last night, two years ago. Ordinary verbs (play, go) do not use was/were — see the past simple.