'Was / were' usage. English grammar explanations.
Was and were are the past tense forms of the verb "to be" in English. In other words, they are the past tense forms of 'am, is, are'.
I am tired today.
I was tired yesterday.
We are in Paris now.
We were in Paris last week.
Usage
"Was" is the singular form used with 'I, he, she, it' and with singular nouns.
"Were" is the plural form used with 'you, we, they' and plural nouns.
Affirmative
To form a positive sentence, 'was/were' comes after the subject.
I/He/She/It | was |
You/We/They | were |
I was late for school.
The cake was delicious.
It was a beautiful day.
He was a great teacher.
The movie was amazing.
I was at the park yesterday.
My dog was in the backyard.
The weather was cold last night.
I was tired after the long trip.
We were excited about the party.
The flowers were colorful and bright.
You were very polite to the guests.
My parents were in Italy last summer.
She was very happy with the results.
Negative
To form a negative sentence, 'was/were + not' comes after the subject.
I/He/She/It | was + not |
You/We/They | were + not |
I wasn’t at home last night.
The hotel wasn’t very clean.
The meeting wasn’t very long.
My phone wasn’t on the table.
The cat wasn’t under the bed.
The book wasn’t on the shelf.
I wasn’t hungry after lunch.
She wasn’t busy yesterday afternoon.
They weren’t at school last Friday.
The children weren’t in the living room.
You weren’t happy with the service.
The roads weren’t safe during the storm.
He wasn’t very friendly to the new student.
It wasn’t a good idea to go out in the rain.
We weren’t in the park because it was raining.
Question
To form a question sentence, 'was/were' comes before the subject.
Was | I/he/she/it |
Were | you/we/they |
Was the food tasty?
Was it cold last night?
Was the book in your bag?
Was she at school yesterday?
Were you at home last night?
Was he angry with you?
Were they late for the meeting?
Was the movie interesting?
Were the children in the park?
Was your phone on the table?
Were you at the library this morning?
Was she happy with the gift?
Were they at the airport on time?
Were the students ready for the exam?
Was your brother at home yesterday?
Were the chairs in the correct position?
Was your friend at the party?
Were you tired after the long trip?