The Past Simple Tense - Be

Short Answers

For closed questions (yes and no answers) we also use the verb be:

Positive (+)	Negative (-)
Yes, I was.	No, I wasn't.
Yes, you were.	No, you weren't.
Yes, he was.	No, he wasn't.
Yes, she was.	No, she wasn't.
Yes, it was.	No, it wasn't.
Yes, we were.	No, we weren't.
Yes, they were.	No, they weren't.

BE	Subject		Past		Yes/No	Subject	BE
Was	I	good	yesterday?	⇒	Yes,	you	were.
Were	you	tired	last week?	⇒	No,	I	wasn't.
Was	he	at university	in 2012?	⇒	Yes,	he	was.
Was	she	a student	5 years ago?	⇒	No,	she	wasn't.
Was	it	a good car	10 years ago?	⇒	Yes,	it	was.
Were	we	helpful	last month?	⇒	Yes,	we	were.
Were	they	busy	earlier this morning?	⇒	No,	they	weren't.

Now try the quiz below!

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Next: Be in the Past Simple Tense - The Present Simple Vs The Past Simple

Be in the Past Simple Tense - ( was / were )

Be in the Past Simple Tense - Negatives

Be in the Past Simple Tense - Questions

Be in the Past Simple Tense - Short Answers

Be in the Past Simple Tense - The Present Simple Vs The Past Simple

Be in the Past Simple Tense - Review