The verbs were were in English. Verb To Be in English

The verb be (to be) in the past simple tense has two forms: was(was/was) and were(were):
was- used with nounsin the singular ;
were - with nounsin plural .
Note that the pronoun you in English it is plural and therefore always agrees with plural verbs!

Declension table of the verb to be in the past simple tense:

I I / He he / She she / It it	was	(not)	ill last week.
We we /you you /they /they	were

To form a negative put a negative particle not after the verbs was or were.

I was ill. I was n "t at school yesterday.
I was ill. I wasn't at school yesterday.

When my children were little they were afraid of the dark
When my children were small, they were afraid of the dark. (afraid - adjective)

It was sunny but the sea was n "t warm enough to swim.
It was sunny but the sea was not warm enough to swim.

There were a lot of black clouds in the sky, but there was no wind.*
There were many black clouds in the sky, but there was (at all) no wind.

*When choosing there was or there were look at the noun that stands after these structures.

For, to ask a question, Verbs was and were need to put before the subject. (In a declarative sentence, the verbs was and were come after the subject):

was	I/he/she/it	ill?	yes, I was./No, I was n "t.
Were	we/you/they		yes, we were./No, we were n "t.

You were not at work last week. Where were you?
You weren't at work last week. Where have you been?
I was on holiday. My family and I were in Turkey.
I was on vacation. My family and I were in Turkey.

How was your job interview? Were are you nervous?
How (was) your job interview? Did you worry?
no, I was n "t. But there was a question I couldn't answer.
No. But there was a question that I could not answer.

was the last episode of "The Walking Dead" good?
Was the last episode of The Walking Dead good?
yes, it was. There were a lot of intense moments and the ending was very emotional.
Yes. There were a lot of tense moments and the ending was very emotional.

The use of the verbs was and were:
Was and were are the past forms of the verb to be. Just like in , was / were is a linking verb and it is necessary in a sentence if there is no semantic verb in it (read, cook, laugh ...) Verb be in English is needed in order to connect the meaning of different parts of speech (two nouns, a pronoun and a noun, a noun and an adjective ...).

What were your favorite cartoons when you were a child?
What were your favorite cartoons when you were a child?
When I was a child, my favorite cartoon was"Tom and Jerry".
When I was a kid, my favorite cartoon was Tom and Jerry.

It was 10 p.m. We were lost, cold and hungry.
It was 10 pm. We were lost, we were cold and hungry. (lost - adjective)

We couldn't make a phone call because the signal was too weak.
We couldn't call because the signal was too weak.

I'm sure you were not at home last night.
I'm sure you weren't at home last night.
The lights were out and all the windows were closed.
The lights were off and all the windows were closed.

The verb “to be” is one of the five hundred irregular verbs, therefore, when forming the simple past tense (Past Simple), the ending -ed is not added to it, as it happens with regular verbs. This verb is radically transformed, being replaced by words that are completely different in sound and spelling: was and were.

So, the verb "to be" in the past simple tense has two forms: was (which translates as was / was) and were (were). The first form is used with the pronouns I, He, She, It and singular nouns, while the second is used with plural nouns and the pronouns We, You, They.

When using the pronoun you, remember that in English it is plural and therefore always agrees with plural verbs!

Declension table of the verb "to be" in the past simple tense

affirmative form			negative form			Interrogative form
I		a writer late	I	was not	a writer late		I	a writer? late
We They	were	pupils	We They	were not	pupils	Were	We They	pupils?

The use of was, were in speech

These forms of the verb "to be" are used in the same meanings as the present forms am, is, are.

1. When specifying the name of a person.

• His name was John. - His name was John.
• Their names were Jane and Frida. Their names were Jane and Frieda.

2. When indicating age.

• Jim was 25 last year. Jim turned 25 last year.
• My grandparents were 75 last month. My grandparents turned 75 last month.

3. When indicating the location of a person or group of people.

• They were at the library last week. They were in the library last week.

4. When describing a person or object.

• She was tall and slender. - She was tall and slim.

5. When listing the qualities of a person.

• He was stupid but kind. He was stupid, but kind.

6. In stable expressions.

• They were interested in Literature 3 years ago. They were interested in literature 3 years ago.
• I was fond of music when I was a student. — I was fond of music when I was a student.
• My brother was good at Physics when he studied at school. — My brother was good at physics (= he was good at physics) when he was at school.

7. When describing the weather.

• It was warm and wet last winter. It was warm and damp last winter.
• It was hot and windy this summer. — It was hot and windy this summer.

There was/There were construction

In English, the verb "to be" is an integral part of the construction there is / there are, which in the past tense looks like this: there was / there were. It is not always easy to translate it into Russian, but its meaning is that it indicates the location of something or someone (somewhere, something was or existed).

If the sentence is about a noun in the singular, then the construction there was is used. To denote plural nouns, the expression there were is used.

• There was a book on the table / There was a book on the table.
• There were many birds in the sky / There were many birds in the sky.

Sometimes this phrase is translated as an impersonal sentence.

• There was a terrible cry. (There was an eerie cry).

Was/were as an auxiliary verb

There are cases when the verbs was / were in English lose their semantic meaning (to be) and perform the function of auxiliary verbs. For example, in the sentence I was watching this program at 7 o'clock yesterday / I watched this program yesterday at 7 o'clock, the verb was indicates that the narration is in Past Continuous (past long time). This tense is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb "to be" in the past tense and the present participle (Participle I).

affirmative form	negative form	Interrogative form
I was playing He/she/it was playing	I was not playing He/she/it was not playing	Was I playing? Was he/she/it playing?
We were playing You were playing They were playing	We were not playing You weren't playing They were not playing	Were we playing? Were you playing? Were they playing?

The verbs was/were also participate in the formation of the passive or passive voice (Passive Voice) in the past tense (Past Simple Passive). To form the passive voice in the past tense, the verb to be is needed in the pr. tense + participle II, the third form of the verb.

was/were + V3

Nowadays, English is a must for studying, because without knowing it, one can hardly count on getting a highly paid, interesting and very promising job. In addition, it is with the help of English that you can freely express yourself in any country in the world. Many, having begun to study this foreign language, do not finish the job because of the difficulties that arise on the way to such a cherished goal.

Learning English is not easy, because there are a lot of nuances. Now we will talk about how to use the verbs was - were correctly, and find out how they still differ from each other.

Verbs was - were - past form "to be"

Before starting a conversation about the use of the above verbs in English, it is recommended to find out what they are and where they come from. The verbs was - were formed from one irregular verb, which is "to be", and they are its past form. The verb to be itself is translated into our native language as “to be”, “to happen”, “to exist”. Thanks to William Shakespeare's signature phrase "To be or not to be", this irregular English verb is known even to those who are just about to start learning a foreign language.

As mentioned above, to be is an irregular verb, so its past forms are not formed by adding the ending "ed" in the second form (Past Simple), as well as the auxiliary verb had / have and the same ending "ed" in the third form (Past Participle). Irregular verbs are called that because there is no specific rule by which they are formed. Their past forms simply need to be learned, which is not so difficult as it might initially seem.

What is the difference between was and were?

Now it's time to talk about why, after all, the irregular verb to be in the past form, which is Past Simple, has two options at once and how they actually differ. The verb was is translated into Russian as “was”, “happened”, “existed”, while were is interpreted as “existed”, “were” or “happened”. The translation shows that these verbs differ primarily in number. The verb was in English should be used with a singular noun, while were is used with a plural noun.

Verbs was and were in Past Simple

Consider now the use of the verbs was - were in English. The first case when these verbs should be used is when constructing sentences in the Past Simple. This is the most understandable and common case, about which much should not be said. Sentences with the verb was or were will now be considered. For example, "I was at home last evening" translates to "I was at home last night," and "They were at the college yesterday" should be translated to "Yesterday they were in college."

Despite the fact that in Past Simple, by and large, there is nothing complicated, many beginners simply cannot understand when to use the verb was, and when to use were. In fact, this is also not difficult. With nouns or pronouns in the singular (I, it, he, she) you should use the verb was, while for the plural (you, were, they) you use the verb were. With the pronoun you, which depending on the situation can be translated as “you”, “you” in the plural and respectful treatment “You”, the verb were is always used.

There was/There were constructions

In English, there are stable phrases There is / There are, which in fact have no definite translation, but they are often used in sentences like “There are seven pupils in the classroom”, which should be interpreted as “There are seven students in the class” . Therefore, the past form of such turnovers is There was / There were. The sentence "There were seven pupils in the classroom" should already be translated as "There were seven students in the class." It should be noted that in this case, the use of the above construction depends primarily on the number of the subject.

The verbs was and were in Past Continuous Tense (Past Continuous)

In English, there is another interesting construction going to, which translates as "to get together to do something." In the past tense, it takes the form was. As an example, consider two sentences. The translation of the sentence "I am going to swim" will look like "I'm going to swim", while "I was going to swim yesterday" should be interpreted as "Yesterday I was going to swim." As in previous cases, the use of the verbs discussed in this article depends entirely on the number of the subject.

The verbs was and were in Conditional Sentences (conditional sentences)

By and large, in this article we have already considered the main cases in which the was-were verbs should be used, but if you want to go deeper into studying such a beautiful English language, then you should know something else.

English also has special constructions of conditional sentences. To make it clearer, let's look at an example. The sentence "If I were you, I would buy this T-shirt" can be translated into Russian as: "If I were you, I would buy this T-shirt." It should be said that such conditional sentences in most cases begin with the union if, translated as "if". For more detailed information about this construction, you should read the section of English grammar "Conditional Sentences (Conditional Sentences)".

Quite often, in such cases, to be acts as an auxiliary verb for the formation of more complex tenses. In turn, the verbs were and was are also auxiliary, and they should be used depending on the number of the subject. However, you should always keep in mind the construction If I were, which occurs in conditional sentences in the present tense and requires the presence of the verb were after the pronoun I. But in no case should it be confused with some similar constructions that are not conditional and contain the phrase I was. For example, "Sorry if I was late for this lesson", which translates to "I'm sorry if I was late for this lesson."

As you can see, mastering these subtle nuances of the English language is not as difficult as it seems at first. The use of verbs is limited to just a few simple rules that you just need to remember. The main thing is to understand when the right form of the verb to be should be used in the past tense.

Believe me, in the future, knowledge of the English language will certainly come in handy. And if you don’t work abroad or you still can’t get a highly paid and prestigious job in your country, then you still have to speak fluently in English while on vacation in some exotic and sunny country. Learn English, improve, and you will certainly succeed.

The day before yesterday, after a lesson, a student came up to me (by the way, at the upper-intermediate level) and said literally the following: “I don’t understand when in the past tense you need to say did, and sometimes was. Often this melts the brain and causes dry mouth. "

Vividly imagining the girl's melted brain and withered mouth, I decided that she needed help. Let's deal with these did and was.

Rule 1

If we need to say in the past timeaffirmative sentence, then we say the second form of the verb.

For example: I wrote a love letter to the president. I asked him to marry me. - I wrote love letter to the president. I asked for him to marry me.

Rule 2

If we need to say in the past tense interrogative or negative sentence, then we say did(or didn't)+ 1 verb form.

For example: Why did you drink my beer ? - I didn't drink your beer. It wasted. Why did you drink my beer? - I didn't drink it. It evaporated.

In this case the verb did - elapsed time marker. That is, he does not does not translate, but serves the sole purpose of showing elapsed time.

The verb do is the same as all other verbs. That is, if we want to put it in the past tense, then let's say it the second form is did (according to rule 1).

For example: I did yoga, ate a banana and went to Yvonne. - I made yoga, ate a banana and went to Yvonne's.

And if we want to say this very verb do in a question or negation? Look at rule 2. According to it, you need to speak did you do or didn't do.

For example: when did you do the Cosmopolitan test? - I didn't do it. I tore up the magazine. - When you did test from Cosmopolitan magazine? - I did not his. I tore the magazine to shreds.

Wherein in the phrase "did you do" the first did is marker, which does not does not translate, but the second do is full verb, which translates as "made".

There is one verb that behaves ugly, spitting on all the rules and selfishly ignoring various stupid markers. His name is Verb To Be.

Look again at Rule 2 and say in English: "I didn't buy," "I didn't eat," "I didn't wash," and "I didn't rip."

What happened? I didn't buy, I didn't eat, I didn't wash and I didn't tear up.

And it turns out that, by analogy, "I wasn't" would be I didn't be, right?

But you have to speak I wasn't. Because the verb to be is selfish.

And in the question, too, it is necessary to say not "did he be", but "was he".

For example:

was John at home when the police came? - He wasn't at home. He was in the garage. - John was at home when the police arrived? - He was not Houses. He was in the garage.

Here the verb was translated into Russian.

And sometimes was does not translate, but only shows that we are in the Past Continuous. This is the past tense, which refers to the question "what did you do" (and not "what did you do").

For example: Last evening I was eating crayfish pate and reading Walter Scott. - Last night I ate(what did) cancer pate and was reading(what did) Walter Scott.

So let's sum it up.

1) Did can mean "did". Then the interrogative form will be - "Did you do?" - "Did you do it?", and denial - "I didn't do" - "I didn't."

2) "Did" can be a past simple marker (past tense answering the question "what did you do?"). In this case, did does not translate in any way: "Did you buy?" - "You bought?"; "I didn't forget" - "I didn't forget."

3) Sometimes "was" (were)* means "was(and)". In this case, the question is "Were you / was he?" *, and the denial is "I wasn" t / you weren "t" *.

4) Sometimes "was" is a past continuous marker (past tense answering the question "what did you do?"). In this case, was is not translated in any way.

* I was
You were
He/she/it was
We were
they were

And now - exercise. Translate into English.

1. Were you at the dwarf theater yesterday? - Not.
2. Yesterday I did a lot of good deeds.
3. Podger was sleeping while the doctor was eating cancer pate.
4. When did Luiza arrive from Montenegro? - She didn't come.
5. Why did you do your homework?
6. Yesterday I was picking mushrooms, but I didn't forget to wish Pedro a happy birthday.
7. I was in a fitness club, but I did nothing there.

Keys to the exercise -

Confused about using Present Perfect and Past Simple? Some useful explanations on this topic!

Hello! I remember at the beginning of learning English, I was often worried about the difference between the use of Present Perfect (Present Completed) and Past Simple (Past Simple). He often made mistakes when speaking and could not understand in any way when it would be correct to use “I’ve been”, and when “I was”. As you know, both phrases are translated as "I was." If you are experiencing the same difficulties, then read this short article “The difference between i’ve been and i was” to the end and maybe everything will become a little clearer to you.

The use of "I was".

Friends, whenever you cannot decide between "I was" and "I have been", always quickly refresh your memory of the conditions under which these two tenses are used!

'Cause you know that we never use Present Perfect, if we know exactly when in the past we performed this or that action! That is, if you want to say "I was in London last summer", the phrase "last summer" is a marker that determines the time at which it would be best to say this phrase in English. Do you know exactly when I was in London? Yes, last summer! So the correct option would be:

I was in London last summer.

I've been to London last summer.

If in a conversation you just want to say that you have already been to London (once in the past, just as a fact), then Present Perfect Tense is eager to fight:

I've been to London.

More examples:

I was there two times.

(I have been there twice)

It is assumed that it is clear from the context when exactly in the past you were there twice. For example, you can discuss your summer holidays with a friend. In English, a lot depends on the situation.

I've been there two times.

(I have been there twice)

In this case, it is absolutely not clear from the topic of the conversation exactly when you were there. It could have been a week ago or right after you were born. In this case, you're just stating a fact - I've been there twice.

The use of "I've been."

So, from the first part of the article, it became clear that by using “I’ve been” we are in no way tied to any particular point in time in the past.

By the way, after "I've been" it would be correct to use the preposition "to", not "in":

I've been to London - I was in London.

I've been to Thailand - I was in Thailand.

I've been to Moscow - I was in Moscow.

There is another difference between using Past Simple and Present Perfect. Let's say there are two sentences:

I've been at home.

What is the difference? Again, in the first case, it is assumed that you were at home in the past (for example, yesterday), but you are no longer at home.

When using "I've been", it means that you were at home, let's say this morning, and now you are still at home.

She was the best student in the class.

She has been the best student in the class.

In the first case, she was the best student in the class. But now she is no longer studying, or is no longer the best.

In the second case, she was the best student in the class, and still is.

Once again I want to emphasize that in English a lot depends on the context, on the topic of conversation, on the situation. The ability to feel the time difference in a particular situation and helps to use the correct time. All this comes with experience and practice. If you have problems with this now, just keep studying, and very soon everything will become clear to you, and you will no longer get confused in English tenses. Now you know the difference between ive been and i was

Keep learning English and have a great week!

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