Past of 'to be'
Describe past states with was and were.
Use 'was' and 'were' to describe people, places and feelings in the past.
Look & say · Step 1
5 minGet ready
Where were you yesterday?
How were you last weekend?
When were you last on holiday?
Words to learn · Step 2
8 minNew words today
yesterday
Day before today
"I was busy yesterday."
last night
Evening before today
"We were at home last night."
last week
Previous week
"She was ill last week."
last weekend
Previous Sat/Sun
"Where were you last weekend?"
last year
Previous year
"I was in Italy last year."
two hours ago
Time before now
"I was at the gym two hours ago."
happy
Feeling good
"We were very happy."
tired
Need sleep
"I was tired."
ill / sick
Not well
"She was ill yesterday."
born in
Came into the world
"I was born in 1995."
on holiday
Travelling for fun
"We were on holiday."
at school/work
Place during day
"He was at work all day."
Activate · Personalise · Recycle
Use these words now
Make each sentence true for you. Say it aloud to a partner.
happy
"For me, happy is …"
Finish the sentence with your own idea.
ill / sick
"For me, ill / sick is …"
Finish the sentence with your own idea.
last weekend
"For me, last weekend is …"
Finish the sentence with your own idea.
You'll meet these words again in Reading, Listening, Speaking and Homework.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Sounds & saying · Step 3
5 minwas /wəz/ — weak form
In normal speech 'was' is weak: /wəz/. The strong form /wɒz/ is only for emphasis. 'Were' is /wə/.
- • I was tired.
- • She was at home.
- • We were happy.
- • They were late.
Language focus · Step 4
10 minwas / were
Quick rule
was / were
'Was' goes with I / he / she / it.
- 'Were' goes with you / we / they.
- Negative: wasn't / weren't.
- Questions: Was I…?
- Were you…?
Pattern
I was at home yesterday.
She was tired.
We were at the cinema.
They weren't happy.
Were you at school?
Question 1.I ___ at home yesterday.
Question 2.They ___ at the party.
Question 3.She ___ tired.
Question 4.___ you at school?
Rebuild each line, spot the natural chunks, then practise responding aloud.
Quick check 1.For 'we' use…
Quick check 2.For 'he' use…
Reading · Step 5
7 minAn old photo
Last weekend I found an old photo. 📸 It was from 2010 — I was 15! 🎂 In the photo I was on holiday in Greece with my family. 🇬🇷 The weather was beautiful and the sea was so blue. 🌊 My parents were young, my sister was a baby and we were all very happy. 😊 We were in a small village by the sea. The hotel was simple but the food was amazing. 🍽️ Those holidays were special.
Question 1.How old was the writer in the photo?
Question 2.Where were they?
Question 3.How was the hotel?
Q1.The writer's sister was an adult.
Q2.The weather was nice.
Listening · Step 6
10 minWhere were you?
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Mum
Where were you yesterday evening? I called twice.
Son
Sorry mum, I was at the cinema with Tom.
Mum
Oh nice. Was the film good?
Son
It was OK. The cinema was very full.
Mum
Were you tired after?
Son
A little. We were at a café after the film.
Mum
Were Anna and Lily there too?
Son
No, they weren't. Just me and Tom.
Question 1.Where was the son?
Question 2.How was the cinema?
Question 3.Were Anna and Lily there?
Practice · Step 7
8 minChoose the word
Question 1.I ___ at home yesterday.
Question 2.They ___ at the party.
Question 3.She ___ very tired.
Question 4.We ___ on holiday last week.
Q1.Past of 'I am' = I ___
Q2.Past of 'they are' = they ___
Survival English · Step 8
4 minSpeaking — describe a past state
Task
Talk for 1 minute about your last holiday. Use 5 'was/were' sentences.
Strategy
Cover: where you were, who you were with, weather, hotel/food, your feelings.
Example
Last summer I was in Portugal with my friends. The weather was hot and the beaches were beautiful. We were in a small hotel. The food was great and we were very happy.
Writing · Step 9
5 minWrite a little
Your task
Write 6 sentences about where you were and how you felt last weekend.
Show model answer
Last weekend was great. On Saturday I was at the beach with my family. The weather was sunny and the water was warm. We were very happy. On Sunday I was at home. I was tired but relaxed.
Speaking · Step 10
12 minTalk together
Pairs: ask your partner 'Where were you on…?' and 'How were you?' for 3 different times.
Useful phrases
- • Where were you ___?
- • I was at ___
- • How were you?
- • I was tired / happy / busy.
- • Were you with ___?
- AWhere were you yesterday?
- B_______________
- AWere you tired?
- B_______________
- AWere Tom and Lisa there?
- B_______________
Homework · Step 11
Take-homePractice at home
Write 8 sentences about your last holiday using was/were.
Record 5 questions with 'Where were you…?'
Learn 10 past time expressions with was/were.
Recap · Step 12
3 minWhat you learned
- ⏪ You can use 'was' for I/he/she/it.
- ⏪ You can use 'were' for you/we/they.
- 🗣️ You can describe past states and feelings.
- ✍️ You can write about your last holiday.