A1 · Grammar

Was and were (past of be)

After this page you can talk about the past with was and were, ask questions and give short answers, use there was / there were and say when and where you were born.

Rules

was and were

I was tired yesterday.
The train was late this morning.
We were in Leeds last week.
Tom and Priya were at the cinema on Saturday.

In the past, am and is become was. Are becomes were. There is no short form like I'm.

to be: now → past

I am → I was
he is · she is · it is → he was · she was · it was
you are → you were
we are · they are → we were · they were

Past time words

yesterday · yesterday morning · yesterday evening
last night · last week · last month · last year · last Monday
two days ago · a week ago · ten years ago
in 2019 · in May · on Friday · at 8:00

ago comes after the time: three days ago. last has no the: last week.

I, he, she, it → was · you, we, they → were

last night (not: the last night) · two days ago (not: ago two days)

Negatives: wasn't and weren't

I wasn't at the meeting.
The hotel wasn't expensive.
My parents weren't at home last night.
The shops were not open on Sunday.

For a negative, put not after was or were. The short forms are wasn't and weren't.

Negative: long form · short form

I was not · I wasn't
he, she, it was not · he wasn't · she wasn't · it wasn't
you, we, they were not · you weren't · we weren't · they weren't

was + not = wasn't · were + not = weren't

She wasn't here. (not: She weren't here.)

Questions and short answers

Were you at work yesterday? – Yes, I was.
Was the film good? – No, it wasn't.
Were your friends at the party? – Yes, they were.
Where were you last night?

In a question, was or were comes first. Then comes the subject. A short answer is Yes or No + a pronoun + was or were.

Sentence → question → short answer

You were late. → Were you late? → Yes, I was. · No, I wasn't.
Anna was ill. → Was Anna ill? → Yes, she was. · No, she wasn't.
They were in Bristol. → Were they in Bristol? → Yes, they were. · No, they weren't.

A question word goes before was or were: Where were you? How was your weekend?

Were you …? – Yes, I was. The answer is about I.

How was your holiday? – a very normal question on Monday.

there was and there were

There was a long queue at the bank.
There were twenty people at the meeting.
There wasn't a taxi at the station.
Were there many tourists in Edinburgh?

There is becomes there was. There are becomes there were. In a question, was or were comes before there.

Now → past

there is a … → there was a …
there are two … → there were two …
there isn't … → there wasn't … · there aren't … → there weren't …
Is there …? → Was there …? · Are there …? → Were there …?

one thing → there was · two or more → there were

Short answer: Yes, there was. No, there weren't.

I was born in …

I was born in Cardiff.
Marek was born in 1990.
My twins were born on 3 March.
Where were you born? – In Leeds.

For your birth, English uses the past of to be + born. Use in + a place, a year or a month. Use on + a date.

I was born in 1995. (not: I am born, not: I born)

When were you born? · Where were you born?

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