The Past Simple Tense - Be

Be ( was / were )

For I, He, She and It, be changes into was in the past simple.

For You, We and They, be changes into were in the past simple:

Subject	BE		Time Phrase
I	was	a student in London	in 2005.
You	were	good	yesterday.
He	was	at work	last Monday.
Bob	was	OK	last night.
She	was	in London	2 days ago.
It	was	a good game	yesterday afternoon.
The food	was	great	last week.
We	were	in the library	earlier.
They	were	busy	last month.
The dogs	were	on the sofa	all morning.
Tom and Jerry	were	friends	last year.

Tip!
* We cannot contract the positive forms of be in the past simple tense.
I's busy yesterday. ✘
I was busy yesterday. ✔

Now try the quiz below!

Back: Have Got - Review

Next: Be in the Past Simple Tense - Negatives

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