Past Simple of 'be'

You already know how to use am / is / are (present simple of be).
In this lesson, you will learn how to use was / were to talk about the past.

1. What Is the Past Simple of “Be”?

In the past simple, the verb be has two forms:

• was
• were

We use was / were to talk about past states, feelings, places, identities, and descriptions.

2. When Do You Use the Past Simple of “Be”?

You often use was/were with past time expressions, for example: yesterday, last week, last year, earlier today, before lunch, in 2022, or in a clause like when I was a child, etc.

2.1 Identity and Jobs in the Past

We use was / were to say who someone was or what their job was.

Examples:

• “I was a student.”
• “She was a teacher.”
• “They were doctors.”

Why?

The sentence talks about a person's identity or job at a time in the past.

2.2 Feelings and States in the Past

We use was / were to say how someone felt.

Examples:

• “I was tired yesterday.”
• “He was happy yesterday.”
• “We were nervous before the test.”

Why?

The feeling happened in the past.

2.3 Location in the Past

We use was / were to say where someone or something was.

Examples:

• “I was at home last night.”
• “She was at school yesterday.”
• “They were in the park yesterday.”

2.4 Descriptions in the Past

We use was / were to describe something in the past.

Examples:

• “The weather was cold.”
• “The room was clean.”
• “The movie was boring.”

3. Choosing the Correct Form: was / were

The form depends on the subject.

Use was with:

• I
• he
• she
• it

Examples:

• “I was tired.”
• “He was tired.”
• “She was tired.”
• “It was cold.”

Use were with:

• you
• we
• they

Examples:

• “You were tired.”
• “We were tired.”
• “They were tired.”

4. Positive Sentences with “Be” (Past Simple)

Structure:

Subject + was / were + information

Examples:

• “I was tired.”
• “He was tired.”
• “She was tired.”
• “It was cold.”
• “You were tired.”
• “We were tired.”
• “They were tired.”

In these examples, only was / were changes with the subject; the rest of the sentence can stay the same.

The information after was / were can be:

• a noun → “He was a teacher.”
• an adjective → “She was tired.”
• a place → “We were at home.”

5. Negative Sentences with “Be” (Past Simple)

To make a negative sentence, add not after was / were.

Structure:

Subject + was / were + not + information

Examples:

• “I was not tired.” → “I wasn't tired.”
• “He was not tired.” → “He wasn't tired.”
• “She was not tired.” → “She wasn't tired.”
• “It was not cold.” → “It wasn't cold.”
• “You were not tired.” → “You weren't tired.”
• “We were not tired.” → “We weren't tired.”
• “They were not tired.” → “They weren't tired.”

Short forms (very common):

• was not → wasn’t
• were not → weren’t

6. Questions with the Verb “Be” (Past Simple)

To make a question, change the word order.

Structure:

Was/Were + subject + adjective/noun/place?

Example: She was tired. → Was she tired?

Examples:

• “Was I tired?”
• “Was he tired?”
• “Was she tired?”
• “Was it cold?”
• “Were you tired?”
• “Were we tired?”
• “Were they tired?”

6.1 Short Answers

Yes answers:

• “Yes, I was.”
• “Yes, he/she/it was.”
• “Yes, you/we/they were.”

No answers:

• “No, I wasn’t.”
• “No, he/she/it wasn’t.”
• “No, you/we/they weren’t.”

7. Time Words Often Used with Past Simple “Be”

Here is a quick list to help you remember common past time expressions.

Common past time expressions:

• yesterday
• last night
• last week / last year
• earlier
• before
• in 2022
• when I was a child

Examples:

• “I was tired yesterday.”
• “They were here last week.”
• “She was happy when she was young.”

8. Past Simple “Be” vs Present Simple “Be” (Reminder)

Present (now):

• “I am tired.”
• “She is at home.”

Past (before):

• “I was tired yesterday.”
• “She was at home last night.”

One-sentence rule:

If you are talking about the past and the main verb is be, use was / were.

9. Easy Way to Remember

Think about time first:

• Now → am / is / are
• Before → was / were

Ask yourself:

• “Is this about the past?”

If the answer is yes, use was / were.