Past Simple: Verb 'to be' (was/were)

In the present, we have three forms: am, is, and are. In the past, life gets easier. We only have two forms: was and were. You choose the form based on the subject. If you are talking about one person, you usually use was. If you are talking about more than one, you use were. It works like a simple switch. You flip the switch to move your sentence into yesterday. It is like changing the background of a photo. The person is the same, but the time is different. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes, so do not worry. Just remember the subject-verb pair. This grammar is the foundation for telling stories. It helps you share your history with others.

1. 1For I, he, she, and it, use was. Example: I was happy.
2. 2For you, we, and they, use were. Example: They were late.
3. 3To make it negative, add not. Use wasn't or weren't for short. Example: It wasn't cold.
4. 4To ask a question, put the verb first. Example: Were you at home?.
5. 5For short answers, use the subject and the verb. Example: Yes, I was or No, they weren't.
6. 6For there is/are, change to there was/were. Example: There was a cat.

You use was and were in many real-world situations. Imagine you are at a job interview. You might say, I was a manager at my last job. This shows your experience. Imagine you are ordering food and the soup is bad. You could tell the waiter, The soup was cold. It helps you give feedback. When asking for directions, you might say, The map was confusing. Use it to talk about the weather yesterday. It was very sunny on Sunday. Use it to talk about your childhood. I was a quiet child. Use it to describe locations. We were at the beach all day. It is perfect for describing feelings. She was tired after the long flight. It is like a grammar traffic light; it tells you the state of the world.

Do not use was or were with other action verbs in the Past Simple. This is a very common trap. Do not say I was go to the park. Instead, say I went to the park. Was and were are for states, not actions. If you see a verb like eat, run, or sleep, you do not need was. Also, do not use did with was. You should never say Did you were happy?. The verb to be is strong. It does not need the help of did. It makes its own questions and negatives. Think of be as a solo artist who does not need a band.

Many people say you was. This is common in some dialects, but it is incorrect in standard English. Always use you were, even for one person. Another mistake is using was for plural subjects. People might say The dogs was loud. Correct it to The dogs were loud. Forgetting the t in wasn't is also common. Make sure you pronounce that ending clearly. Some people try to use was with did. I didn't was there is wrong. The correct way is I wasn't there. It is a bit like wearing socks with sandals; it just does not match. Take your time to match the subject to the verb correctly.

Compare was/were with the present am/is/are. I am hungry is now. I was hungry is before. Compare it with the Past Simple of action verbs. For action verbs, we use did for questions. Did you see the movie?. But for be, we just swap the order. Were you at the movie?. Notice that was/were describes a situation. Action verbs describe a movement or a task. If you are talking about a permanent fact in the past, use was. If you are talking about a habit, you might use used to. But for a simple state at a specific time, was is your best friend.