Past simple: was / were

Was and were are the past simple forms of the verb to be. You use them to talk about how things were in the past — where you were, how you felt, what the weather was like, or how old someone was. They're some of the most common words in English, so getting them right makes a big difference.

The good news: there are only two forms to learn, and the choice between them depends entirely on the subject.

When do we use was and were?

Use was and were to talk about people, things, places, situations and conditions in the past — in short, whenever the main verb is to be:

• Place: I was at home yesterday.
• Feelings: She was really happy.
• Age: She was five years old then.
• Weather: It was cold last night.
• Description: The film was boring.

Was or were? Choose by the subject

The basic rule is simple: use was with singular subjects and were with plural subjects.

There's just one exception: you always takes were, whether it means one person or many — exactly as it always takes are in the present (you are → you were).

So, written out: I, he, she, it → was, and you, we, they → were.

Making negatives

To make a negative, just add not after was or were. In everyday English we almost always use the short forms wasn't and weren't.

• I wasn't hungry. (was not)
• They weren't at school. (were not)
• It wasn't easy.
• We weren't ready.

Asking questions

To ask a question, put was or were before the subject:

• Was she at the party?
• Were you tired?
• Where were they last night?
• Why was he late?

For short answers, repeat was or were:

• "Were you happy?" — "Yes, I was." / "No, I wasn't."
• "Was it good?" — "Yes, it was." / "No, it wasn't."

There was and there were

Use there was for one thing (singular) and there were for more than one (plural):

• There was a problem with the car. (one problem)
• There were lots of people there. (many people)
• There wasn't any milk in the fridge.
• There weren't any tickets left.

Uncountable things — like water, traffic or money — also take was, even when there's a lot of them:

• There was some water on the floor.
• There was a lot of traffic this morning.

In casual speech you may hear There was lots of people… with a plural, but in careful English use There were for plurals.

Common past time expressions

Was and were often appear with words that point to a finished time:

yesterday · last night · last week · last year · two days ago · when I was a child

• I was busy yesterday.
• They were here last week.
• She was shy when she was a child.

Common mistakes

• ❌ You was late. → ✅ You were late. (you always takes were)
• ❌ We was happy. → ✅ We were happy.
• ❌ There were a car outside. → ✅ There was a car outside. (one car → was)
• ❌ Was you at home? → ✅ Were you at home?

Quick check

Choose was or were:

1. The weather ____ beautiful yesterday.
2. My parents ____ born in Italy.
3. ____ you at the meeting?
4. There ____ three messages for you.

Key takeaways

• Was and were are the past simple of to be — use them to talk about people, things, places, situations and conditions in the past.
• I / he / she / it → was, and you / we / they → were.
• Negatives: wasn't and weren't. Questions: put was / were first.
• There was for one thing, there were for more than one.