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Teacher cue
A1 · English Grammar

Simple Past:
To Be

Yesterday, it was cold. We were at home.

was were
The choice

Was or were?

I / he / she / it
was
I was very tired after the journey.
you / we / they
were
We were at the beach all day.
More examples

She was a teacher for twenty years.

They were late for the meeting.

The forms

Positive, negative and question

Positive

I was hungry.
They were happy.

Negative

I wasn't hungry.
They weren't happy.

Question

Was she at home?
Were they ready?

Questions can start with a question word: Where was he? · How long were they in London?

💡 Good to know

Only two contractions to learn.

wasn't

I / he / she / it was not

weren't

you / we / they were not

In real sentences

See it in action

I wasn't hungry, so I went to bed early.
The film was really boring but the actors were great.
Were you at the party last night?
The instructions weren't very clear.
⚠ Watch out

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.

She not was at home.

She wasn't at home.

Now it's your turn

Let's
practice.

Say the answer out loud — then tap to check.

Practice 1
tap the blank to reveal

Was or were?

The food at the restaurant(be)absolutely delicious.
We(be / not)ready in time for the flight.
(be)the film good? I missed it.
She(be)a teacher for twenty years.
How long(be)they in London?
Practice 2
tap a sentence to reveal the error

Spot the mistake

The weather wereA terrible last weekend, soB we stayed at home andC watched three filmsD.

AThe weather were → The weather was

✓ weather is uncountable → was

I wasA tired yesterday butB my brothers wasn'tC tired at allD after the long trip.

Cwasn't → weren't

✓ plural subject → weren't

The foodA at the hotel wereB excellent, but the rooms wereC very small and ratherD noisy.

Bwere → was

✓ food is uncountable → was

Practice 3
tap to reveal a model answer

Complete the sentence

I wasn't hungry, so
Where was he
The instructions weren't very clear,
Were they at the party?
Speak & write

Your turn

Answer in a full sentence using was or were.

Where were you last weekend?
What was your favorite subject at school? Why?
Was your morning good or bad today? Why?
Who were you with yesterday evening?
Recap

Remember this

I / he / she / it
was / wasn't
you / we / they
were / weren't
Question
Was/Were + subject?
Common error
"they was" → were

Just two forms — was and were. That's it.

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