was and were

Question

hi,my problem is that whats the different between was and were please help me because this grammar drive me up the wall,and please tell me with different example thanks

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

The verb "to be" is the most important in English.
Present
I am
You are
He/she/it is
We are
They are

Past
I was
You were
He/she/it was
We were
They were

There is something called the subjunctive, so sometimes we say something like "If I were" or "If he were" but for now, focus on these main forms.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswas and were

Use 'was' with a singular subject.

I was tired. She was happy. He was late. Jack was sad. Laura was not here. It was very important.
________

Use 'were' with a plural subject. (Remember that in English 'you' is grammatically plural even if it refers to only one person.)

We were there. You were not ready. They were carpenters. Jack and Laura were not at the party.
________

Some speakers, but not all, regularly use 'were' instead of 'was' in an if-clause, no matter what the subject is. I recommend that you learn to make that replacement, but you can save this lesson for later in your study of English.

if he were there; if the boss were late; if you were here; if we were at school.

Anonymousthis grammar drives me up the wall

It shouldn't be, as long as
1. you know the difference between 'one' and 'more than one', and
2. you can recognize the word 'you' as the subject of a sentence, and
3. you can recognize the word 'if' at the beginning of an if-clause.

CJ

was and were

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