Past simple - verb 'to be'

Exercises

Explanation

We use the past simple of be to describe situations and states in the past.

• I was at the museum on Tuesday.

• She was in math class this morning.

• We were excited after the game.

How to use it

Use was with I, he, she, it. Use were with you, we, they.

• I was hungry after practice.

• You were on the bus at 8 a.m.

• It was quiet in the library.

• They were in Spain last summer.

Negatives

Add not. In speech and informal writing, use contractions wasn’t / weren’t.

• I was not at the gym on Monday. - I wasn’t at the gym on Monday.

• He was not in class last Friday. - He wasn’t in class last Friday.

• We were not hungry after lunch. - We weren’t hungry after lunch.

Questions

Put was / were before the subject.

• Were you at the concert last night? - Yes, I was.

• Was she in the office on Monday? - No, she wasn’t.

• Where was he at 6 p.m. yesterday?