Past Simple of 'be'

1. When Do We Use Was and Were?

We use was and were to talk about things that were true in the past.

We use them for...	Example
Identity or jobs	She was a teacher.
Feelings	I was tired yesterday.
Places	They were at home.
Descriptions	The weather was cold.

2. Choosing Was or Were

Choosing the correct verb is easy.

First, look at the subject.

Subject	Use
I	was
He / She / It	was
You	were
We / They	were
singular noun: My brother	was
plural noun: My friends	were
joined subjects: Mia and Leo	were

3. Building Sentences

You can use was or were in positive sentences, negative sentences, and questions.

Sentence type	Pattern	Example
Positive	Subject + was/were + information	She was tired.
Negative	Subject + was not / were not + information	She was not tired.
Contracted negative	Subject + wasn’t / weren’t + information	She wasn’t tired.
Question	Was/Were + subject + information?	Was she tired?

Short answers

Question	Yes	No
Was she tired?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn't.
Were they happy?	Yes, they were.	No, they weren't.

Wh-questions

Wh-word + was/were + subject + information?

• "Where were you yesterday?"
• "Why was she late?"
• "Who was at the party?"

Contractions in Natural Speech

In speaking and informal writing, we usually contract the negative forms:

• was not → wasn’t: I wasn’t sure.
• were not → weren’t: We weren’t ready.

The positive forms was and were do not have standard contractions.

4. There was and there were

Use there was for one thing and there were for more than one thing:

• "There was a café near the station."
• "There were two cafés near the station."

5. Time Words That Signal the Past

These time expressions often tell you that you need was or were.

Time word	Example
yesterday	I was tired yesterday.
last night	We were at home last night.
last week	They were here last week.
last year	She was a student last year.
in 2022	He was in Spain in 2022.

6. Present or Past?

A simple question can help you choose the correct verb:

Is the sentence about now or about the past?

Present	Past
I am tired.	I was tired yesterday.
She is at home.	She was at home last night.
They are happy.	They were happy after the game.

The verb changes because the time changes.

7. Short Story Practice

Notice how was goes with singular subjects such as the weather, Mia, and Leo. Were goes with the plural subjects Mia and Leo and they. The story also uses the natural contraction wasn’t.

8. Common mistakes

9. Quick Summary

Before you write was or were, ask yourself two questions:

1. Is the sentence about the past?

Yes → use was or were. No → use am / is / are.

2. What is the subject?

Subject	Verb
I, he, she, it	was
you, we, they	were