Was / Were (A1 Grammar)

Was and were are past forms of am/is/are.

Quick tip: I/he/she/it→was, you/we/they→were. Negative: add not. Question: put was/were first.

I / he / she / it → was

Use was with I, he, she, it.

• I was at home.
• He was tired.
• It was cold.

you / we / they → were

Use were with you, we, they, and plurals.

• You were late.
• We were happy.
• They were at school.

Negatives: add not

Add not after was or were. Usually wasn't / weren't.

• I wasn't hungry.
• He wasn't there.
• They weren't happy.

Questions: flip the order

To ask a question, put was or were before the subject.

• Was she at home?
• Were you late?
• Was it cold?

Common mistakes

• Not "I were at home." — say "I was at home.". I takes was, not were.
• Not "They was tired." — say "They were tired.". you/we/they take were.
• Not "I not was hungry." — say "I wasn't hungry.". not comes after was.
• Not "You were late? (asking)" — say "Were you late?". in a question, were comes before the subject.

Practise it

I am→I was, you are→you were, he is→he was