Was and were

Was and were are the past forms of be. Use was with I, he, she, it, and one singular noun: I was tired. The shop was closed. Use were with you, we, they, and plural nouns: You were right. The children were outside.

Put not after the verb for negatives: was not and were not. The contractions wasn't and weren't are normal in conversation. For questions, move was or were before the subject: Was she at home? Were they ready?

Use a finished past-time expression when it helps: yesterday, last night, in 2024, or two hours ago. Short answers repeat the verb: Yes, he was. No, they weren't.