The Verb to be in Past Simple Tense
Using the past simple in English – for example, “I was home” or “Where were you last night?” – is quite simple.
To say these sentences, you need to use the simple past tense of the verb “to be.”
- I was home.
- Where were you last night?
Would you like to know how to use the past tense form of “to be” in English? Read on!
You have probably already read the article about using the verb “to be” in its present tense form.
If you haven’t, read it now, and then return to this article.
How to Form the Past Tense of the English Verb “to be”
Look at the table below:
The rules are as follows:
I, he, she, it – was
You, we, they – were
For first person singular and third person singular, use the word was. In all other cases, use were.
For example:
- She was a student.
- They were doctors.
In order to ask a question, was/were needs to be at the beginning of the sentence:
- Was she a student?
- Were they doctors?
In negative sentences, add the adverb not and put it before the word was/were.
Remember that most of the time the contraction (shortened form) is used in negative sentences: wasn’t = was not/weren’t = were not.
- He wasn’t at the cinema with us.
- We weren’t at home on Sunday.
- I wasn’t hungry.
Now I invite you to watch this video of American pop singer Beyoncé, and take note of all the sentences where you hear was/were.
Also, think about what the words mean.
Check yourself:
“I Was Here”
I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time
Know there was something that, meant something that I left behind
When I leave this world, I’ll leave no regrets
Leave something to remember, so they won’t forget
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I want to say I lived each day, until I died
And know that I meant something in, somebody’s life
The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave
That I made a difference, and this world will see
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I just want them to know
That I gave my all, did my best
Brought someone some happiness
Left this world a little better just because
I was here
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I wanna leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I lived (I lived), I loved
I was here
I did (I did), I’ve done
I was here
I lived (I lived), I loved (I loved)
I was here (oh)
I did, I’ve done
I was here
Well, we have gotten to know the verb to be in past simple tense.
Enjoy learning English!
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Good luck!
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