Was / Were (A1)

Utilise was avec I, he, she, it.

I / he / she / it : was

I was at home.
He was tired.
It was cold.
Not "I were at home." — say "I was at home.". Avec I, la forme passée est was, pas were.
Essaie: Last weekend the market ___ very busy. (was / were / is) Réponse: was — The market = it, alors it prend was, pas were. ("Is" est au présent, et "last weekend" t’indique que c’est au passé.) Donc : the market was busy.

Utilise were avec you, we, et they.

You were late.
We were happy.
They were at school.
Not "They was at school." — say "They were at school.". Avec they, utilise were, was est réservé à I, he, she, it.
Essaie: Last weekend, Amina and Hiroshi ___ at Magaff Library. (were / was / are) Réponse: were — Amina and Hiroshi = they, donc la forme est were et non was : They were at Magaff Library.

Avant chaque verbe, demande-toi : qui ? I/he/she/it → was. you/we/they → were.

He was here. / They were here.
I was tired. / We were tired.
Not "He were here. / They was here." — say "He was here. / They were here.". C’est la personne qui décide : was pour I/he/she/it, were pour you/we/they.
Essaie: Mei: Was everyone at the park on Saturday? Lars: No. I ___ there, but my friends ___ at the gym! Complète ce que dit Lars. (was … were / were … was / was … was) Réponse: was … were — Lars dit I → was. His friends = they → were. Le sujet détermine la forme.

Ajoute not après was ou were : wasn't (I/he/she/it), weren't (you/we/they).

I wasn't hungry.
He wasn't there.
They weren't happy.
Not "I not was hungry." — say "I wasn't hungry.". Le not se place après was, pas avant.
Essaie: She ___ at home last night. (wasn't / weren't / not was) Réponse: wasn't — She prend was, donc la négation est wasn't (pas weren't), et not vient après : She wasn't at home.

Pour poser une question, mets Was ou Were devant la personne.

Was she at home?
Were you late?
Was it cold?
Not "You were late? (asking)" — say "Were you late?". Dans une question, were vient en premier, puis la personne.
Essaie: Camila: The children are inside now, and they look very cold. Hiroshi: ___ outside all morning? Complète la question de Hiroshi. (Were they / They were / They was) Réponse: Were they — Pour poser une question, Were vient en premier et les personnes après. Une des réponses met les personnes en premier : c’est comme ça qu’on DIT quelque chose, pas qu’on le demande. L’autre utilise was, qui sert pour I, he, she, it, pas pour they.
Essaie: Remember: who is it? Mei ___ at the cooking class. (was / were / are) Réponse: was — Mei = she → was. (C’est la règle essentielle : I/he/she/it → was, you/we/they → were.)

Incorrect	Correct	Pourquoi
I were at home.	I was at home.	Avec I, la forme passée est was, pas were.
They was at school.	They were at school.	Avec they, utilise were, was est réservé à I, he, she, it.
He were here. / They was here.	He was here. / They were here.	C’est la personne qui décide : was pour I/he/she/it, were pour you/we/they.
I not was hungry.	I wasn't hungry.	Le not se place après was, pas avant.
You were late? (asking)	Were you late?	Dans une question, were vient en premier, puis la personne.