Why are AM, IS, ARE needed in English? When to write was, and when were

English is a must-learn these days, because without knowing it you can hardly count on getting a well-paid, interesting and very promising job. In addition, it is with the help of the English language that you can communicate freely in any country in the world. Many, having started to study this foreign language, do not complete the task due to the difficulties that arise on the way to such a cherished goal.

Learning English is not an easy task, because there are a lot of nuances. Now we will talk about how to correctly use the verbs was - were, and find out how they differ from each other.

Verbs was - were - past form of "to be"

Before we start talking about the use of the above verbs in English, it is recommended to find out what they are and where they come from. The verbs was - were are formed from one irregular verb, which is “to be”, and they are its past form. The very verb to be is our native language translated as “to be”, “to happen”, “to exist”. Thanks to William Shakespeare's signature phrase "To be or not to be" this incorrect English verb known even to those who are just about to start learning a foreign language.

As mentioned above, to be is an irregular verb, so its past forms are not formed by adding the ending “ed” in the second form (Past Simple), as well as the auxiliary verb had/have and the same ending “ed” in the third form (Past Participle). Irregular verbs are called that way because there is no specific rule by which they are formed. Their past forms simply need to be learned, which is not as difficult as it might initially seem.

What is the difference between was and were?

Now it’s time to talk about why the irregular verb to be in the past form, which is the Past Simple, has two variants at once and how they actually differ. The verb was is translated into Russian as “was”, “happened”, “existed”, while were is interpreted as “existed”, “were” or “happened”. From the translation it is clear that these verbs differ primarily in number. The verb was in English should be used with a singular noun, while were is used with a plural noun.

The verbs was and were in the Past Simple

Let us now consider the use of the verbs was - were in English. The first case when these verbs should be used is when constructing sentences in the Past Simple. This is the most understandable and common case, about which much should not be said. Sentences with the verb was or were will now be considered. For example, “I was at home last evening” is translated as “I was at home last evening,” and “They were at the college yesterday” should be translated as “Yesterday they were at college.”

Despite the fact that there is nothing complicated in the Past Simple, many beginners simply cannot understand when to use the verb was, and in what cases they should use were. In fact, there is nothing complicated about this either. With singular nouns or pronouns (I, it, he, she) the verb was should be used, while for the plural (you, were, they) the verb were. With the pronoun you, which, depending on the situation, can be translated as “you”, “you” in the plural and the respectful address “You”, the verb were is always used.

There was/There were constructions

In English there are stable expressions There is/There are, which essentially do not have a specific translation, but they are often used in sentences like “There are seven pupils in the classroom”, which should be interpreted as “There are seven students in the class” . Hence, past form of such phrases is There was/There were. The sentence “There were seven pupils in the classroom” should already be translated as “There were seven students in the class.” It is worth noting that in this case, the use of the above construction depends primarily on the number of the subject.

Verbs was and were in Past Continuous Tense (past continuous tense)

In English there is another interesting construction going to, which translates as “getting ready to do something.” In the past tense it takes the form was. As an example, consider two sentences. The translation of the sentence “I am going to swim” will look like “I am going to swim,” while “I was going to swim yesterday” should be interpreted as “Yesterday I was going to swim.” As in previous cases, the use of the verbs discussed in this article depends entirely on the number of the subject.

The verbs was and were in Conditional Sentences

By and large, in this article we have already examined the main cases in which the verbs were-were should be used, but if you want to study such a beautiful English language more deeply, then you should know something else.

English also has special constructions of conditional sentences. To make it more clear, let's look at an example. The sentence “If I were you, I would buy this T-shirt” can be translated into Russian as: “If I were you, I would buy this T-shirt.” It should be said that such conditional sentences in most cases begin with the conjunction if, translated as “if”. For more detailed information about this design, please read the section English grammar“Conditional Sentences.”

Quite often in such cases, to be acts as an auxiliary verb to form more complex tenses. In turn, the verbs were and was are also auxiliary, and they should be used depending on the number of the subject. However, you should always keep in mind the construction If I were, which occurs in conditional sentences in the present tense and requires the presence of the verb were after the pronoun I. But in no case should it be confused with some similar constructions that are not conditional and contain the phrase I was. For example, “Sorry if I was late for this lesson,” which translates to “Sorry if I was late for this lesson.”

As you can see, mastering these subtle nuances of the English language is not as difficult as it initially seems. The use of verbs is limited to just a few simple rules that simply need to be remembered. The main thing is to understand when the correct form of the verb to be should be used in the past tense.

Believe me, knowledge of English will certainly be useful to you in the future. And if you don’t work abroad or are never able to get a well-paid and prestigious job in your country, you will still have to speak fluently in English while on vacation in some exotic and sunny country. Learn English, improve, and you will certainly succeed.

Let's learn to distinguish was And were– past forms of the verb of being.

Was

Was consistent with singular, that is, it is placed after I, he, she, it and their substitutes. It denotes everything inanimate and sexless.

Iwasshopping – I was shopping

He was eating pizza – Heatepizza

She was laughing - Shelaughed

Itwasbeautiful – It was beautiful

wasn't (= wasn't)

A separate form is allowed in emphasis (strong emotional denial) and officialdom.

I wasn’t happy – I was unhappy

He wasn’t sad - He wasn’t sad

Wassb…?

In questions with was it is placed first. Remember that general questions end with a rising tone.

Washehappy? – Was he happy?

Wasshesad? – Was she sad?

Wasis it raining? – Walkedrain?

Were

Were consistent with plural, that is, it is placed after we, you, they and their substitutes.

Wewerehappy - We were happy

They were singing – Theysang

You were watching the video – Youwatchedmovies

They were growling - They growled

weren't (= weren't)

A separate form is allowed in emphasis and officialdom.

Weweren'tthappy - We weren't happy

They weren’t singing – TheyNotsang

You weren’t watching the video – You didn’t watch the video

They weren’t growling - They didn’t growl

Were sb...?

In questions with were it is placed first.

Werewehappy? - Were we happy?

Wereare they singing? - Theysang?

Wereare you singing? - Yousang?

English Joke

The good wife, after she and her husband had retired for the night, discussed for a long time with much eloquence. When she was interrupted by a snore from her spouse, she thumped the sleeper into wakefulness, and then remarked:

“John, do you know what I think of a man who will go to sleep while his own wife is a-talkin’ to him?”

“Well, now, I believe as how I do, Martha,” was the drowsily uttered response. “But don’t let that stop you. Go right ahead, an’ git it off your mind.”

You've probably come across the verb to be more than once in the form being. To be honest, at first this word “being” bothered me terribly. There is already too much that is incomprehensible in the English language, and now there is this. Although, if you think about it, every verb has four forms: present tense, past tense, past participle and long-term form. Therefore everything is logical.

Be- present tense form. Past tense - was, were. Past participle - been(for the formation of perfect tenses). And the long-term form is being. Now all that remains is to figure out exactly when we use being .

Let's take the easiest to understand examples - descriptions of people.

Use being And be: feel the difference

The boy is naughty. This boy is naughty. (This is a trait of his character, he always behaves like this).
The boy is being naughty. (In this particular situation, this boy is behaving badly.)

You are rude. You're rude. (This is your character trait, you always treat people rudely).
You are being rude. (In this situation, you behaved rudely and impolitely. Although, perhaps, you are a completely well-mannered person).

I was careful when I drove. (I am an attentive person, I try to be attentive when I drive a car).
I was being careful when I drove. (I'm not usually that attentive on the road, but maybe I saw a traffic police officer on the road and that changed my behavior).

Jack is stupid. Jack is stupid.
Jack is being stupid. (Jack is smart enough, but he did one stupid thing)

Stacy is lazy. Stacy is lazy.
Stacy is being lazy. (Stacy may be a workaholic and loves to work, but on this day (moment) she was tired and decided to do nothing).

Thus being + adjective characterizes someone's behavior or actions. A few more examples:

Why are you being so silly? Why are you acting so stupid?

You are being cruel when you hurt others with your words or actions.

Of course, being can be used not only in the present tense with am, are or is, but also in the past tense with was, were.

When I said that dress doesn’t look good on you, I was just being honest. When I said the dress didn't suit you, I was just being honest (with you).

Note that when adjectives describe feelings and emotional states, the continuous form is not used:

I was upset when I heard that I had failed the test. (Not"I was being upset")

I am delighted to hear that you have won the first prize. (Not"I am being delighted")

Use being to form the passive voice

Being is also used with the past participle to form the passive form:

My sister is cooking dinner. (Assets)
Dinner is being cooked by my sister. (Passive)

I’m quite sure that somebody is following me. (Assets)
I’m quite sure that I am being followed. (Passive)

My car is being repaired. My car is being repaired.

Other uses being

Besides, being used with verbs followed by a gerund (verb + ing):

I love being with my family. I love spending time (being) with my family.

I hate being alone.

Stop being lazy and help me wash the dishes.

And we also put being after prepositions, such as here:

I was in the hospital for a month after being in a car accident. I was in the hospital for a month after a car accident.

That’s the problem with being late all the time – people stop trusting you. This is the problem with constant lateness - people stop believing you.

The best part of being a teacher is interacting with the students. The best thing about being a teacher is interacting with students.

She got an award for being the best salesperson in the company. She received an award for being the best salesperson in the company.

Don’t even think about using be or been in such cases! Just being!

Finally you can meet being V complex sentences as part subordinate clause, When being replaces unions because/as/since.
These were all the cases and uses of being. Hopefully you now understand the difference between be and being and can use them correctly in your sentences.

The common English verb to be is one of the not regular verbs and its conjugation and application differs from that of regular verbs. In tense, the verb to be has two forms: was and were (hence the notorious “was were rule”). We will tell you which form to use where and when in this article. The basic rule to remember about the use of was and were: the form was is used with singular nouns, and the form were will be used with plural nouns.

Form was

The verb to be in the Past Simple will usually have the form was with the pronouns I, it, he and she i.e. with singular pronouns. The verb was is used only when there are no other verbs in the sentence, otherwise the auxiliary verb did will be written.

Free lesson on the topic:

Irregular English verbs: table, rules and examples

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She was an happy child— She was a happy child.
She was prettier than me- She was more beautiful than me.
He was a terrible actor- He was a terrible actor.
He was a boy, she was a girl- He was a boy and she was a girl.
I was the ugliest man in a room“I was the ugliest person in the room.”
I was made for loving you, baby“I was made to love you, baby.”
It was a perfect first date— It was an amazing first date.
It was a very good year— It was a very good year.

Shape were

The verb to be in the Past Simple will usually have the form were with the pronouns you, we, they i.e. with plural pronouns. The verb were is used only when there are no other verbs in the sentence, otherwise it will be written did.

You were so right to say that“You were so right to say that.”
You were meant for me- T was meant for me.
They were so tired after school— They were so tired after school.
They were all dead“They were all dead.”
We were best friends- We were best friends.
We were reading the whole evening- We read all evening.

Exceptions

There are exceptions to any rule, and the use of the verbs was/were was not without them. We have highlighted for you some of the most common exceptions:

1. In the stable construction If I were, the singular pronoun I and the verb were will be used.

   If I were her, I would like this dog- If I were her, I would like this dog.
   If I were here I would dance a pasodoble- If I were here, I would dance the paso doble.

2. In sentences with the construction I wish (when the fulfillment of a wish is unattainable), the phrase I were will be written.

   I wish I were Batman- It's a pity that I'm not Batman.
   I wish I were smart- It's a pity that I'm not smart.

Was/were in negative sentences

There are two ways to get a negative sentence with the verb was/were: adding no to the sentence or adding negative particle not, after which you will need to add an auxiliary word (any, much, etc.)

There was no gift for her“There was no gift for her.”
Were there boxes on the bureau?– Were there boxes on the bureau?

Was/were in interrogative sentences

To get interrogative sentence with the verb was/were you need to put the verb before the subject.

Was she a doctor?— Was she a doctor?
Was it breathtakingly?— Was it exciting?
Were you honest with me?-Were you honest with me?
Were we fun?— Did we have fun?
Where was she yesterday?-Where was she yesterday?
Were they yelling?— Did they fight?

Video about the use of the verbs was and were: