To Be in the Simple Past
The past simple of to be has two forms: was and were. Use was with I, he, she, and it. Use were with you, we, and they.
I / He / She / It → was | You / We / They → were
Positive Sentences
I was very tired after the journey.
She was a teacher for twenty years.
The film was really boring.
We were at the beach all day.
They were late for the meeting.
Negative Sentences
Add not after the verb. Common contractions: wasn't, weren't.
I wasn't hungry, so I went to bed early.
He wasn't at home when I called.
They weren't ready in time.
The instructions weren't very clear.
Questions
Move was or were before the subject to form a question.
Was the food good?
Were you at the party last night?
Where was he yesterday?
How long were they in London?
⚠ Common mistakes:
✗ They was very happy. → ✓ They were very happy.
✗ Was you at school? → ✓ Were you at school?
✗ It were a great concert. → ✓ It was a great concert.