Contents
The simple past tense of the verb to be:
This page will present the simple past tense of the verb to be:
- its form
- and its use.
The affirmative form:
| I, he, she, it | was. |
|---|---|
| you, we, they | were. |
Examples:
- I was in London in 1999.
- Pam was in London in 1999, too.
- We were together.
- She was my girlfriend.
The interrogative form:
| Was | I, he, she, it? |
|---|---|
| Were | you, we, they? |
Examples:
- Were you in London last year?
- Was Pam with you?
- Were you together?
The negative form:
| I, he, she, it | was not. |
|---|---|
| wasn’t. | |
| You, we, they | were not. |
| weren’t. |
Examples:
- I wasn’t in Paris in 1999.
- Pam wasn’t in Paris in 1999.
- We weren’t in Paris.
Use of the simple past
The simple past is used principally to describe events in the past.
Remember:
1. wasn’t is the short form of was not. You can say either:
- I was not in Paris, or
- I wasn’t in Paris.
2. weren’t is the short form of were not. You can say either:
- we were not in Paris, or
- we weren’t in Paris.