The verb “to be” is irregular, meaning its simple past tense form does not follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to the base form. Instead, it has two past tense forms: “was” for the first and third person singular (I, he/she/it), and “were” for the second person singular and all plural subjects (you, we, they).
The simple past tense of “to be” describes a state or condition that existed in the past. It can be used to indicate a person’s age, feelings, physical condition, or location at a specific time in the past.
| Subject Pronouns | “To Be” in Simple Past | Example Sentence | Descriptions of Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | I was happy yesterday. | Describes a feeling in the past. |
| You | were | You were late for the meeting. | Describes a past action. |
| He/She/It | was | She was sick last week. | Describes a physical condition in the past. |
| We | were | We were at the beach yesterday. | Describes a past location. |
| They | were | They were best friends in high school. | Describes a state or relationship that existed in the past. |
Note: It is important to note that “be” is also used as an auxiliary verb to form other verb tenses in English, such as the past continuous (“was/were + present participle”) and the past perfect (“had been + past participle”). However, in the previous table, we focus on its use as the main verb in the simple past tense.