Was / Were (A1)

Use was com 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.". Com I, a forma passada é was, não were.
Experimente: Last weekend the market ___ very busy. (was / were / is) Resposta: was — The market = it, por isso recebe was, não were. ("Is" é presente, e "last weekend" indica que é passado.) Então: the market was busy.

Use were com you, we e they.

You were late.
We were happy.
They were at school.
Not "They was at school." — say "They were at school.". Com they, use were, was é só para I, he, she, it.
Experimente: Last weekend, Amina and Hiroshi ___ at Magaff Library. (were / was / are) Resposta: were — Amina and Hiroshi = they, então a forma é were, não was: They were at Magaff Library.

Antes de cada um, pergunte-se: quem? 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.". Quem é decide: was para I/he/she/it, were para you/we/they.
Experimente: Mei: Was everyone at the park on Saturday? Lars: No. I ___ there, but my friends ___ at the gym! Complete o que o Lars diz. (was … were / were … was / was … was) Resposta: was … were — Lars diz I → was. His friends = they → were. O sujeito decide cada um.

Adicione not depois de 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.". O not vem depois de was, não antes.
Experimente: She ___ at home last night. (wasn't / weren't / not was) Resposta: wasn't — She recebe was, então a negativa é wasn't (não weren't), e not vem depois: She wasn't at home.

Para perguntar, coloque Was ou Were antes da pessoa.

Was she at home?
Were you late?
Was it cold?
Not "You were late? (asking)" — say "Were you late?". Numa pergunta, o were vem primeiro, depois a pessoa.
Experimente: Camila: The children are inside now, and they look very cold. Hiroshi: ___ outside all morning? Complete a pergunta do Hiroshi. (Were they / They were / They was) Resposta: Were they — Para perguntar, o Were vem primeiro e as pessoas vêm depois. Uma das respostas coloca as pessoas primeiro, que é o jeito de CONTAR algo a alguém, não de perguntar. A outra usa was, que é para I, he, she, it, não para they.
Experimente: Remember: who is it? Mei ___ at the cooking class. (was / were / are) Resposta: was — Mei = she → was. (Essa é a escolha central: I/he/she/it → was, you/we/they → were.)

Incorreto	Correto	Por quê
I were at home.	I was at home.	Com I, a forma passada é was, não were.
They was at school.	They were at school.	Com they, use were, was é só para I, he, she, it.
He were here. / They was here.	He was here. / They were here.	Quem é decide: was para I/he/she/it, were para you/we/they.
I not was hungry.	I wasn't hungry.	O not vem depois de was, não antes.
You were late? (asking)	Were you late?	Numa pergunta, o were vem primeiro, depois a pessoa.