When Do We Use Was and Were?
Was and were are the past of am, is and are. Use them for a time that is over: yesterday, last night, 2020.
NOWam / is / are
The sentence is about now.
Lan is in Đà Lạt now.
YESTERDAY · WASI / he / she / it
The sentence is about a time that is over.
Lan was in Huế yesterday.
YESTERDAY · WEREyou / we / they
Her parents were there too.
Am and is become was. Are becomes were.
Yesterday is not enough. Change the verb too.
Two words for every lesson: the subject is who or what the sentence is about (I, my mum, the bus). The base verb is the verb with nothing added (go, eat, be).
TRY IT
- Question 1
"I blank very busy yesterday."
The four forms
POSITIVE
Swas / wereadjective / noun / place
The film was great.
Was: I, he, she, it. Were: you, we, they.
NEGATIVE
Swas / werenot...
We weren't at home last night.
Was not → wasn't. Were not → weren't.
QUESTION
Was / WereS...?
Were they at school on Monday?
Was or were goes first. No did.
SHORT ANSWER
Yes, Swas / were· No, Swasn't / weren't
Was the bus late? — Yes, it was.
Answer with was or were.
Use were with you, even for one person: Thanks, Hoa. You were a big help.
If someone asks Were you…?, answer Yes, I was or No, I wasn't.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"The shops blank open last Sunday."
- Question 2
"Were you cold?" — "No, I blank."
When to use was and were
Feelings and states
We were hungry after the football match.
How someone felt.
Common adjectives: tired · happy · ill · bored · hungry
Places
Where were you at eight o'clock?
Where someone was.
Common phrases: at home · at work · in Hà Nội · on the bus
Descriptions
The hotel was small but clean.
What something was like.
Common adjectives: big · old · cheap · sunny · noisy
Past time words: yesterday, last night, last week, in 2020, two days ago. Ago comes after the time: five minutes ago.
Am, Is, Are or Was, Were?
| NOW | IN THE PAST | |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | She isn't at school. | She wasn't at school on Friday. |
| Question | Are you OK? | Were you OK last night? |
TRY IT
- Question 1
"My glasses blank on the table now."
Common mistakes
Incorrect:She is sick yesterday.
Correct:She was sick yesterday.
Yesterday is past. Use was.
Incorrect:Did you were happy at your new school?
Correct:Were you happy at your new school?
No did. Were goes first on its own.
Incorrect:You was right, Huy.
Correct:You were right, Huy.
Use were with you, even for one person.
Incorrect:Were you at the concert? — Yes, I were.
Correct:Were you at the concert? — Yes, I was.
The answer starts with I. I goes with was.
Incorrect:I was at the bank ago two hours.
Correct:I was at the bank two hours ago.
Ago comes after the time.
Incorrect:We were at a wedding yesterday night.
Correct:We were at a wedding last night.
Yesterday morning, afternoon, evening. But last night.
Quick check · 5 questions
Choose the correct form:
The weather was terrible on our trip last month.
- A. was — Correct
- B. were
Answer: A. was
It = the weather.
Choose the correct form:
Tuấn, you were very funny in the school play.
- A. were — Correct
- B. was
Answer: A. were
Even for one person.
Choose the correct negative:
My parents weren't at home on Saturday. They were at my aunt's house.
- A. weren't — Correct
- B. wasn't
- C. not were
Answer: A. weren't
Not comes after were, never before it.
Choose the correct question:
Were your friends at the beach?
- A. Were your friends at the beach? — Correct
- B. Did your friends were at the beach?
- C. Were at the beach your friends?
Answer: A. Were your friends at the beach?
No did. The place goes last.
Choose the correct phrase:
I was in Singapore three years ago.
- A. three years ago — Correct
- B. ago three years
- C. before three years
Answer: A. three years ago
Time first, then ago.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
