Past Simple: was / were

In English, the verb 'to be' has two past-tense forms: was and were. Use was with I, he, she, and it — any first- or third-person singular subject (I was tired. She was at home. It was cold.). Use were with you, we, and they — second-person and all plural subjects (You were late. We were happy. They were at school.). To make a negative sentence, simply add not after the verb: I was not (wasn't) hungry. They were not (weren't) ready. For questions, move was or were to the front of the sentence before the subject: Was he busy? Were they at the park? Short answers repeat only the auxiliary: Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't. Yes, they were. / No, they weren't. Common past time expressions that go with was/were include: yesterday, last night, last week, last year, in 2010, ago, and when I was young. These same time markers tell you to use the past tense, not the present. For example: Yesterday I was at school and my friends were in the library.