Be的past tense

If you learn English online, you know grammar is tough. But, using the past simple in English – for example, “I was home” or “Where were you last night?” – is quite simple.

To say these sentences, you need to use the simple past tense of the irregular verb “to be.”

  •         I was home.
  •         Where were you last night?

Would you like to know how to use the past tense form of “to be” in English? Read on!

Check out our ultimate guide to learning English grammar.

How to Form the Past Tense of the English Verb “to be”

The main difference between the past tense and the present tense is whether the action you are describing occurred now or in the past. Here are some examples of using the verb “to be” in both the past and present tense:

Verb “to be” in past simpleVerb “to be” in simple presentI was a huge fan.I am a huge fan.You were going to college.You are going to college.We were happier last year.We are happier this year. They were at home.They are at home.

Now, to understand how to formulate the verb “to be”in past simple yourself, look at the table below:

Be的past tense

The rules are as follows:

I, he, she, it – was

You, we, they – were

For first person singular and third person singular, use the word was. In all other cases, use were.

For example:

  •         She was a student.
  •         They were doctors.

Asking question with the verb “to be” in past

In order to ask a question, was/were needs to be at the beginning of the sentence:

  •         Was she a student?
  •         Were they doctors?

Using the negative form of “to be” in past simple

In negative sentences, add the adverb not and put it before the word was/were.

Remember that most of the time the contraction (shortened form) is used in negative sentences: wasn’t = was not/weren’t = were not.

  •         He wasn’t at the cinema with us.
  •         We weren’t at home on Sunday.
  •         I wasn’t hungry.

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Be的past tense

Exercise: identify the verb “to be” in past from this song

Now I invite you to watch this video of American pop singer Beyoncé, and take note of all the sentences where you hear was/were.

Also, think about what the words mean.

Check it out:

“I Was Here”

I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time

Know there was something that, meant something that I left behind

When I leave this world, I’ll leave no regrets

Leave something to remember, so they won’t forget

I was here

I lived, I loved

I was here

I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I will leave my mark so everyone will know

I was here

I want to say I lived each day, until I died

And know that I meant something in, somebody’s life

The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave

That I made a difference, and this world will see

I was here

I lived, I loved

I was here

I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I will leave my mark so everyone will know

Be的past tense

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I was here

I lived, I loved

I was here

I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I will leave my mark so everyone will know

I was here

I just want them to know

That I gave my all, did my best

Brought someone some happiness

Left this world a little better just because

I was here

I was here

I lived, I loved

I was here

I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I wanna leave my mark so everyone will know

I was here

I lived (I lived), I loved

I was here

I did (I did), I’ve done

I was here

I lived (I lived), I loved (I loved)

I was here (oh)

I did, I’ve done

I was here

Well, we have gotten to know the verb to be in past simple tense.

Enjoy learning English!

Good luck!

Be的past tense
Be的past tense
Be的past tense
Be的past tense

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Be的past tense

Larry Jones

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Larry has been teaching English as a Foreign Language since 2008. Having spent 30 years as a British policeman, he teaches English not as an academic but as a communicator. He has degrees in Psychology, IT, Accounting, and English. Larry has experience in teaching IELTS, CAE, CPE, and Business English (including Accounting, Logistics, and Architecture).