was / were

Past simple 1: to be

Past simple (1)

Past of to be

The verb to be is an irregular verb.

  • Yesterday I was ill, but today I am well.
  • They were in Australia last year. Now they are in New Zealand.
Present Past
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
I am I'm not I was I wasn't
you are you aren't you were you weren't
she/he/it is she/he/it isn't she/he/it was she/he/it wasn't
we/you/they are we/you/they aren't we/you/they were we/you/they weren't

1. Verb to be.

Read this text and type the correct verbs in the table.

Yesterday I was in the library. It was crowded. Bob and Carol were there too. Bob was happy to see me. Carol was happy too. "Where were you on Monday?" I asked. "We were at the pool," they said.

2. Verb to be.

Complete these sentences by writing the correct form of the verb to be.

3. Can you remember?

Complete the table:

For more information about the past of the verb to be see the Grammar Reference.

4. The past of be.

Complete the sentences with one of the verb forms below.

5. Baseball in Cuba.

Choose the correct form of to be from each drop-down menu to complete the text.

For more information about the past simple see the Grammar Reference.