πŸ‘©β€πŸ« 2.3. Learn: 'Was' & 'Were'

1 Watch & learn

  • to use "to be" in Past Simple tense, with "was" & "were"

2 Take the quiz and check your understanding


How do we say “to be” in Past tense? With "was & were"


Let’s begin with WHEN do we use "to be" in past simple.


We use it to talk about a past event:

"I was in peru last week"


Or a past status:

"I was a member of the Rotary club"


  • It could be something that happened 
  • yesterday, 
  • last week, 
  • last year, 
  • a 1000 years ago.
  • and could be something that happened even a minute ago!


How do we say “to be” in Past tense? With "was & were, Simplifying English

We usually add time expressions such as yesterday, last week .. but not always!


And here is the sentence structure once again


positive form

I was

you were

he/she/it was

you (all) were

they were


question form

was I?

were you?

was she?

were we?

were you (all)?

were they?


negative form

I wasn't

you weren't

he/she/it wasn't

we weren't

you (all) weren't

they weren't


{was not = wasn't

were not = weren't}


How do we say “to be” in Past tense? With "was & were: Complete Sentence Structure


Now let’s see some examples.


1) ______ you late for yoga?

Yes, I _____ very late!


2) _____ are you in the meeting this morning? 

No, I ____ . But my boss was! Oh no!


3) ______ the employee is happy with the salary increase?

Yes, they _____ very happy!


4) ______ there many ice cream flavours?

Yes! There _____ many! They _______ all delicious!


5) ____ it rainy?

No, it _____. It ____ sunny.


ANSWERS


1) Were you late for yoga?

Yes, I was very late!


2) Were are you in the meeting this morning? 

No, I wasn’t. But my boss was! Oh no!


3) Were the employee is happy with the salary increase?

Yes, they were very happy!


4) Were there many ice cream flavours?

Yes! There were many! They were all delicious!


5) Was it rainy?

No, it wasn't. It was sunny.


And that’s how we use to be in past tense! Don't forget to watch the video and practice with me!

Complete and Continue