When it is written and when it is written table. Verbs was, were

English is a must-learn these days, because without knowing it you can hardly count on getting a well-paid, interesting and very promising job. Moreover, it is with the help English language You can speak freely in any country in the world. Many, having begun to study this foreign language, do not complete the task because of the difficulties that arise on the way to such a cherished goal.

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

Verbs was - were - past form of "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 are 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 stated 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 way because there are no a certain rule, thanks to which they are formed. Their past forms simply need to be learned, which is not as difficult as it might initially seem.

What is the difference between was and were?

Now it’s time to talk about why the irregular verb to be in the past form, which is the Past Simple, has two variants 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”. From the translation it is clear 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 noun in plural.

The verbs was and were in the Past Simple

Let us now consider the use of the verbs was - were in English. The first time 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” is translated as “I was at home last evening,” and “They were at the college yesterday” should be translated as “Yesterday they were at 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 in what cases they should use were. In fact, there is nothing complicated about this either. With nouns or pronouns in singular(I, it, he, she) should use the verb was, while for the plural (you, were, they) use verb were. With the pronoun you, which, depending on the situation, can be translated as “you”, “you” in the plural and the respectful address “You”, the verb were is always used.

Constructions There was/There were

In English there are stable rpm There is/ There are, which essentially do not have a specific 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.” Hence, past form of such phrases 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 is worth noting that in this case, the use of the above construction depends primarily on the number of the subject.

Verbs was and were in Past Continuous Tense (past continuous tense)

There is another interesting thing in English going design to, which translates as “getting ready 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 am 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

By and large, in this article we have already examined the main cases in which the verbs were-were should be used, but if you want to study such a beautiful English language more deeply, then you should know something else.

English also has special constructions conditional offers. To make it more clear, 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 conjunction if, translated as “if”. For more detailed information about this design, please read the section English grammar“Conditional Sentences.”

Quite often in such cases, to be acts as an auxiliary verb to form 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 “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 initially seems. The use of verbs is limited to just a few simple rules that simply need to be remembered. The main thing is to understand when it should be used required form the verb to be in the past tense.

Believe me, knowledge of English will certainly be useful to you in the future. And if you don’t work abroad or are never able to get a well-paid and prestigious job in your country, you will still have to speak fluently in English while on vacation in some exotic and sunny country. Learn English, improve, and you will certainly succeed.

Verb to be in Past Simple

In the present tense ( Present Simple) the verb to be has 3 forms: am (singular), is (singular), are (plural), in the past (Past Simple) 2 forms: was (singular), were (plural) ).

Past Simple tense circumstances:

1. Yesterday - yesterday

2. Last week (last year, last month)- last week (last year, last month)

3. Last autumn (last spring) - last fall (last spring)

4. 2 years ago - 2 years ago

5. in 1997 - in 1997

6. When I was young - when I was young (when my grandmother was young - when my grandmother was young, being young - being young, in his youth)

7. In childhood - in childhood.

When the verbs were, were ( in what situations)?

- in the same semantic cases as the verbs am, is, are (see memo):

1. When we call person's name:

Her name was Jane. - Her name was Jane.

Their names were Jack and Fred. - Their names were Jack and Fred.

2. When we call age:

Jane was 21 last year. - Jane turned 21 last year.

My parents were 45 last month. - My parents turned 45 last month.

3. When we call location person or group of people.

They were at the party last week. - They were at a party last week.

4. When we describe a person or object.

He was tall and slender. - He was tall and slender.

5. When we list a person’s qualities.

He was smart and generous. - He was smart and generous.

6. In stable expressions:

They were interested in Music 5 years ago. - They were interested in music (like academic subject) 5 years ago.

I was fond of basketball when I was young. - I was fond of basketball when I was young.

My sister was good at History when she studied at school. - My sister was a good history student (= she was good at history) when she was at school.

7. Pr Anddescription of the weather conditions.

It was warm and slippery last week. - Last week it was warm and slippery.

It was cold and windy this autumn. - This autumn it was cold and windy.

When do we use was, were (with what pronouns)?

Linking verb was we use with all singular pronouns(I, he, she, it) and singular nouns numbers, for example: I was a student (I was a student). John was a student. (John was a student)

Linking verb were we use with all plural pronouns(you, we, they) and plural nouns, for example: They were students (They were students). Our parents were students many years ago (Our parents were students many years ago).

!!!: With a pronoun you we always use a plural linking verb: in the present tense are, in the past were, regardless of how you is translated in the sentence “you” or “you”, since the pronoun you has in English. language only plural form. For example: You were a good specialist. (You/You were/were a good specialist).

At the same time, when we address you, meaning a whole group of people, we use the plural noun after the linking verb: You were good students.(You were good students ).

Formation of a sentence with the verb to be:

Affirmative Offer	Negative offer	Interrogative offer
I was a writer.	I was not a writer.	Was I'm a writer?
She was a writer.	She was not a writer.	Was she a writer?
We were writers. They	We were not writers. They	Were we writers? They

Accepted abbreviations

I wasn't = I wasn't (worried)

He was = He’s (khiz) He was not = He "s not = He wasn"t (heightened)

She was = She’s (shiz) She was not = She’s not = She wasn’t (worried)

You were= You’re (yue) You were not = You weren’t (vent)

We were= We’re (vie) We were not = We weren’t (vent)

They were= They're (ve(th)e) They were not = They weren't"t (vent)

The common English verb to be is one of the irregular verbs and its conjugation and application differs from the conjugation of regular verbs. In time, the verb to be has two forms: was and were (this is where the notorious “was” comes from were the rule"). We will tell you which form to use where and when in this article. The basic rule to remember about use was and were: the form was is used with singular nouns, and the form were will be used with plural nouns.

Form was

The verb to be in the Past Simple will usually have the form was with the pronouns I, it, he and she i.e. with singular pronouns. The verb was is used only when there are no other verbs in the sentence, otherwise the auxiliary verb did will be written.

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Irregular English verbs: table, rules and examples

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She was an happy child— She was a happy child.
She was prettier than me- She was more beautiful than me.
He was a terrible actor- He was a terrible actor.
He was a boy, she was a girl— He was a boy and she was a girl.
I was the ugliest man in a room“I was the ugliest person in the room.”
I was made for loving you, baby“I was made to love you, baby.”
It was a perfect first date— It was an amazing first date.
It was a very good year— It was a very good year.

Shape were

The verb to be in the Past Simple will usually have the form were with the pronouns you, we, they i.e. with plural pronouns. The verb were is used only when there are no other verbs in the sentence, otherwise it will be written did.

You were so right to say that“You were so right to say that.”
You were meant for me- T was meant for me.
They were so tired after school— They were so tired after school.
They were all dead“They were all dead.”
We were best friends- We were best friends.
We were reading the whole evening- We read all evening.

Exceptions

There are exceptions to any rule, and the use of the verbs was/were was not without them. We have highlighted for you some of the most common exceptions:

1. In the stable construction If I were, the singular pronoun I and the verb were will be used.

   If I were her, I would like this dog- If I were her, I would like this dog.
   If I were here I would dance a pasodoble- If I were here, I would dance the paso doble.

2. In sentences with the construction I wish (when the fulfillment of a wish is unattainable), the phrase I were will be written.

   I wish I were Batman- It's a pity that I'm not Batman.
   I wish I were smart- It's a pity that I'm not smart.

Was/were in negative sentences

There are two ways to get a negative sentence with the verb was/were: by adding no to the sentence or by adding negative particle not, after which you will need to add an auxiliary word (any, much, etc.)

There was no gift for her“There was no gift for her.”
Were there boxes on the bureau?– Were there boxes on the bureau?

Was/were in interrogative sentences

To get an interrogative sentence with the verb was/were, you need to put the verb before the subject.

Was she a doctor?— Was she a doctor?
Was it breathtakingly?— Was it exciting?
Were you honest with me?-Were you honest with me?
Were we fun?— Did we have fun?
Where was she yesterday?-Where was she yesterday?
Were they yelling?— Did they fight?

Video about the use of the verbs was and were:

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

So, the verb “to be” in the past simple tense has two forms: was (which is translated 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 for the verb “to be” in the past simple tense

Affirmative form			Negative form			Question 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?

Use of was, were in speech

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

1. When specifying a person's name.

• 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 grand parents 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 slender.

5. When listing a person’s qualities.

• 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 student. — I was interested in music when I was a student.
• My brother was good at Physics when he studied at school. — My brother was a good physics student (= he was good at physics) when he was at school.

7. When describing the weather.

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

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 into Russian, but its meaning is that it denotes the location of something or someone (somewhere, something was or existed).

If in offer we're talking about about a singular noun, then it is used construction there was. 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. (A terrible scream was heard).

Was/were as an auxiliary verb

There are times when the verbs was/were in English lose their meaning. semantic meaning(to be) and perform the function of auxiliary verbs. For example, in 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 the Past Continuous (past long time). This tense is formed using the auxiliary verb “to be” in the past tense and the present participle (Participle I).

Affirmative form	Negative form	Question form
I was playing He / she / it was playing	I wasn't 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 weren't 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, you need the verb to be in the past tense + participle II, the third form of the verb.

was/were + V3

WAS and WERE are forms of the irregular verb to be in the Past Simple, that is, in the past tense. Remembering the conjugation is quite easy. In the singular, WAS is used, and in the plural, WERE. With the pronoun YOU, which can be translated as you and as you, you should use WERE.

HE, SHE, IT - WAS

Was for the first person (I, we), for the rest were

Of course, there is no special America with the use of verb forms was / were won't open: form was is used in the singular, and the form were- in plural tense Past Indefinite.

This could close the discussion. But we won't close it. We listen to the song and get inspired by its grammatical aspect:

Beyonc - If I Were A Boy

Why is there a form here? were next to the first person singular pronoun? Blatant ignorance? African American slang?

No, the most strict rules of English grammar. We have before us conditional sentences of the 2nd type

which describe improbable or impossible assumptions relevant to the present time. Beyoncé sweat: If I were a guy, then... (I would do this and that), but she was not a guy and never will be. That is, such proposals do not describe a situation that is possible under certain conditions, but completely unrealistic assumptions.

In such cases, the form were should be used regardless of grammatical number, and the second part should be followed by modal verb (should / would / could), in speech after pronouns often shortened to d, and only then the infinitive of the verb describing the action itself.

This is what happens in the song in question:

I would turn off my phone

Tell everyone its broken

So theyd think that I was sleeping alone

An explanation of the features of constructing such sentences, as well as interactive exercises, can be found Here.

Not all English speakers remember this rule. The English language has its own bells and whistles - indicators of illiteracy, that is. And the ability to correctly construct conditional sentences of type 2 is one of them.

Fans of the detective series Inspector Morse may have heard in the episode

Virtual Ghost - Ghost in the Machine,

how Morse chastises Lewis for an error in constructing just such a sentence, at 16 minutes:

Chief Inspector Morse: You are not a bloody mason, are you?

Detective Sergeant Lewis: No such luck - I might have been a Chief Inspector by now if I was.

Chief Inspector Morse: Were, Lewis, if you were. Youll never get on if you cant master your subjunctives.

You can see how the Russian translators handled the matter here. By the way, they did not reflect the play on words in the original: mason and mason - mason.

• Morse: You're not a mason, Lewis, are you?
• Lewis: Bad luck - I would have already risen to Chief Inspector if I had been (that is, if he had been a member of the Masonic Lodge).
• Morse: If only, Lewis, if only I were. You will never advance if you do not master (construction of) conditional sentences (conditional mood).

• It's very simple. Was refers to the singular, were - to the plural. At the same time, with the pronoun you, no matter what number it is in, the verb to be is used in the plural, that is, were.

  was-singular, were-plural, do not forget that in modern English there is no singular pronoun for the 2nd person.

  It is very easy to remember that the past tense form of the verb to be varies depending on the number of the pronoun or noun to which the verb refers. The form WAS refers to the singular, WERE - to the plural. It is worth dwelling on the pronoun YOU, in combination with which the verb in the form WERE is used.

  You need to know English. After all, how many new things can be learned by knowing the English language - its rules and pronunciations. Regarding the words was and were, they are used in the following cases:

  was - used in singular

  were - used in plural

• Was or Were

  Here is a table of conjugations for the verb to be in the simple past tense.

  On this page you will find detailed information about the conjugation of the verb to be in other tenses. And there are also test exercises that you can perform.

If with nouns:

• In the singular the verb was is used. For example, My mother was...
• The verb used in the plural is were. For example, My sisters were...

If with pronouns:

• With I, he, she, it, was is used.
• C we, you, they are used.

Exercises can be done in grammar textbooks, good textbook Raymond Murphy has it, for beginners - red.

Regarding the exercises, I can advise you to look for tables that will help you consolidate the theoretical material and learn it. Something like this:



or this:



The more visual and colorful the material, the faster man will remember him.

Was or Were are used from a pronoun. IF the pronoun is singular, then the form Was is used. If the pronoun is plural, then Were is written in the sentence. You just need to remember this.

The verb to be occurs very often in English and has many different forms. In the past tense the verb is used in the singular as WAS, and in the plural as WERE. You can read in detail about this verb and other rules of the English language here.