Past tense of BE

English Grammar

The past tense of BE is WAS or WERE.

What is the difference between WAS and WERE? It depends on the subject (or who is talking)

• I was / He was / She was / It was
• We were / You were / They were

Pronunciation of WAS

UK: / wɒz / --- US: / wʌz /

You can hear the pronunciation in the video.

Pronunciation of WERE

UK: / wɜː(r) / --- US: / wɜːr /

You can hear the pronunciation in the video.

Example sentences with WAS

• The boy was tired.
• I was busy when you called me.
• How was your date?
• She was very tired after the long hike.
• He was the first to arrive at the party.
• The cake was delicious.
• He was the best student in his class.
• The movie was more exciting than I expected.
• She was late because of the subway delay.
• He was very helpful during the move.
• The room was filled with laughter.
• It was a cold winter day.
• She was the one who found the solution.
• He was happy to see his old friends again.

Example sentences with WERE

• They were happy.
• We were ready for the test.
• Why were you angry?
• They were very excited about the trip.
• We were late for the concert.
• You were right about the weather.
• The streets were crowded with shoppers.
• They were the best team in the league.
• We were all surprised by the outcome.
• You were the only one who believed in me.
• The flowers were in full bloom.
• We were too busy to answer the phone.

Next learning activities

See our List of past tense irregular verbs in English.

Watch our video about 101 Irregular Past Tense Verbs in English.

English Language Resource

We also have all of these verbs available as flash cards / charts that can be used in the ESL / ELA classroom. These can be purchased here: 101 Irregular Verbs - Past Tense in English - Flash Cards / Charts

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