Was and Were
Practice the two past forms of 'be' — was with I/he/she/it, were with you/we/they — in statements, negatives, and questions, including 'there was/there were'.
-
I ___ at home all weekend.
Show answer
was
Use 'was' with I, he, she, it.
-
They ___ very happy with the result.
Show answer
were
Use 'were' with you, we, they.
-
___ you at home yesterday afternoon?
Show answer
Were
Questions with 'be' in the past use 'was/were' — 'Were you ...?'.
-
There ___ a lot of people at the concert.
Show answer
were
'People' is plural, so use 'were' — 'there were a lot of people'.
-
There ___ a strange noise outside the window.
Show answer
was
'A strange noise' is singular, so use 'was'.
-
Where ___ you and your sister last night?
Show answer
were
'You and your sister' is plural, so use 'were' — and 'where + were' (no 'did').
Was and Were: The Two Past Forms of Be
The verb be is the only verb in English with two distinct past forms. Use was with the subjects I, he, she, and it; use were with you, we, and they. Unlike every other English verb, 'be' forms its negative and question directly, without the auxiliary 'did': the negative is 'wasn't/weren't', and questions invert the subject and 'was/were' — 'Were you at home?', never 'Did you were at home?'.
Statements and Questions
They were very happy with the result. (they → were)
Were you at home yesterday afternoon? (question, no 'did')
There Was / There Were
With the existential structure 'there + be', the choice between 'was' and 'were' depends on the grammatical number of the noun that follows, not on 'there' itself.
There were a lot of people at the concert. ('people' is plural)
Common Mistakes
✗ There was a lot of people at the concert. → ✓ There were a lot of people. ('people' is plural)
✗ Where did you and your sister last night? → ✓ Where were you and your sister last night?
Last updated: · Satori Editorial