Was’ vs. ‘were’ are two forms of the verb ‘be’ that you’ll often see. But which one should you use. This article will help clarify that. In short: You’ll use ‘was’ when using the first and third person singular of the past indefinite tense and ‘were’ when using all the other pronouns. You can also use ‘were’ with the subjunctive mood. Table of Contents With the Past Indefinite The Verb “To Be” Auxiliary Verb ‘Was’ Vs. ‘Were’ With Concluding Thoughts on With the Past Indefinite The past indefinite is a verb tense that you use to talk about something that happened in the past. It is also called the “past simple.” When conjugating a verb in any tense, the form of the verb will change depending on the pronoun used. Here are the pronouns used in English: First-person singular.
The Subjunctive Mood
I Second person singular an irregular verb. There are only two ways to conjugate it in the past indefinite tense: ‘was’ and ‘were.’ You’ll use ‘was’ with the first and third Japan WhatsApp Number Data person singular. Here are some examples: I was at the supermarket. I don’t know where he was. She was a little naive. I found my phone; it was on the table. And use ‘were’ with all the others: Why were you sad? We were just about to have dinner. They were busy all afternoon, blowing up balloons for the party. When were you a bus driver? Auxiliary Verb The verb “to be” is also used as an auxiliary verb (or helping verb), meaning its only function is to assist another verb. In the case of ‘was’ and ‘were,’ it helps to show that another verb happened in the past, thereby forming the past continuous.
As you might have noticed
Take the following sentence as an example: She was writing a book. We could use the continuous verb “writing” in the present, past, or future. The only way we know this sentence happened in the past is because the auxiliary verb “to be” is used in the past tense “was.” The same rule applies when “be” is an auxiliary verb as it does when it’s. The main verb: use ‘was’ with the first and third AO Lists person singular and ‘were’ with the others. Here are some more examples of ‘was’ and ‘were’ being use to form the We were hoping to arrive by 9 pm. They said they were running to catch the train. I felt like I was really making a difference. What were you lying about? ‘Was’ Vs. ‘Were’ With the Subjunctive Mood .
