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Published January 27, 2023. Updated January 27, 2023.

Was and were are often mixed up in English by even native speakers. This is because they are both past tense verbs of “to be.” Although were is also capable of being used as a present and past subjunctive verb (more on that below).

Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.

Was (verb)

First-person and third-person singular simple past tense of “to be.” Also used for singular nouns.

Examples:

I was at school all day yesterday and forgot to call you.

She was famous for being the first galactic empress.

There was a scary movie on TV last night.

Note: although the use is considered non-standard and should be avoided in most academic and business contexts, many English dialects use was for second-person singular, and first-person, second-person, and third-person plural as well. E.g., “you was there yesterday” or “they was important to me.”  

Were (verb)

1) Second-person singular as well as first-person, second-person, and third-person plural simple past tense of “to be.” Also used for plural nouns.

Examples:

You were an amazing artist.

They were friends, but now they’re enemies.

There were several flying squirrels found in my neighbor’s backyard.

2) First-person, second-person, and third-person singular and plural simple present and past subjunctive of “to be.” Subjunctive is used for conditionals, hypotheticals, etc.

Examples:

If I were the president, I’d make every Friday pizza day nationwide.

Were it to rain tomorrow, we’d have to cancel the game.

If she were to find me here, I’d be in trouble.

Main Points

• Was and were are both simple past tense forms of “to be,” so they are often confused.
• Was is the first- and third-person singular simple past tense of “to be.”
• Were is the second-person singular and first-, second-, and third-person plural simple past tense form of “to be.”
• Were can also be used as the first-, second-, and third-person singular and plural simple present and past subjunctive form of “to be.”