A1 · Beginner · Practice

Was and Were: Past Simple of Be: A1 Exercises

60 exercises · 20 multiple choice · 20 fill in the blank · 20 word ordering

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Was and were are the past of be, and they split the subjects differently from the present. Where the present has three forms, the past has only two: I, he, she and it take was; you, we and they take were. That means the pattern you learned for am, is and are does not simply transfer — I was but I am, you were but you are — and the mismatch is worth a few minutes of deliberate attention.

Everything else behaves exactly as be does in the present. The negative adds not (wasn't, weren't), the question moves the verb in front of the subject, and no auxiliary is ever borrowed. These sixty exercises drill the subject split first, then negatives and questions, then the past time expressions — yesterday, last night, in 2019 — that make the past simple the right choice in the first place.

60 exercises in this set

3 question types

~25 minutes to finish

80% to pass

What these exercises drill

Every question in this set tests one of the rules below. If any of them is unfamiliar, read the Was and Were: Past Simple of Be lesson first — practice before the rule is understood mostly teaches you your own guesses.

Was and were are the past forms of be: I/he/she/it was; you/we/they were.
Negatives are wasn't and weren't.
Questions invert: Was it…? Were you…?
Use was/were with places, feelings, weather, ages and descriptions in the past.

Practise Was and Were: Past Simple of Be now

Answer at your own pace — nothing is timed and nothing is submitted. Each answer is marked the moment you give it, the explanation appears whether you were right or wrong, and the progress bar tracks all 60. Your score is saved in this browser, and to your account if you are signed in.

Multiple choice questions

Choose the correct answer.

I ___ at home all evening yesterday.were · was · am · been
They ___ very tired after the journey.was · is · were · been
She ___ born in Kraków in 1992.were · is · was · been
You ___ right about the weather.was · were · are was · been
We ___ not at the meeting on Tuesday.was · were · wasn't were · been
___ the film any good?Were · Was · Did · Been
___ you at the concert last night?Was · Were · Did · Are
It ___ very cold last winter.were · was · did · been
Which sentence is correct?We was late. · We were late. · We did be late. · We been late.
My parents ___ teachers before they retired.was · is · were · been
He ___ at school yesterday — he had a cold.weren't · wasn't · didn't was · not was
The shops ___ open on the public holiday.wasn't · weren't · didn't were · not were
"Were you at home?" — "Yes, I ___."were · was · did · am
___ your sister at the party?Were · Was · Did · Are
Which sentence is correct?Did you were tired? · Were you tired? · Was you tired? · You were tired be?
The keys ___ on the table this morning.was · were · did · is
I ___ very happy with the result.were · was · did · been
"Was the exam difficult?" — "No, it ___."weren't · wasn't · didn't · isn't
There ___ a lot of people at the station.was · were · did · is
Which time expression fits "was" and "were"?right now · at the moment · last Tuesday · every day usually

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Type the missing word.

I __________ at university in Lisbon in 2018.
They __________ very kind to us during our stay.
My grandmother __________ born in a small village.
You __________ absolutely right about the traffic.
We __________ at the beach all afternoon.
__________ the concert good on Saturday?
__________ you at work yesterday morning?
It __________ raining heavily when we left.
My colleagues __________ not happy about the decision.
He __________ at the office on Friday — he took the day off.
The tickets __________ as expensive as we expected.
__________ your parents at the wedding?
The hotel __________ much quieter than the last one.
I __________ very well last week, so I stayed at home.
__________ it difficult to find the address?
Those shoes __________ in the sale last month.
The children __________ asleep by nine o'clock.
My first job __________ in a bookshop near the university.
We __________ ready when the taxi arrived.
__________ she at the meeting on Thursday?

Sentence structure: word ordering

Put the words in the correct order.

Say where you spent last night.I / was / at / home / yesterday / evening.
Describe how travellers felt on arrival.They / were / very / tired / after / the / flight.
Say where a woman came into the world.She / was / born / in / Portugal.
Ask whether somebody attended a musical event.Were / you / at / the / concert?
Explain that your group needed more time.We / were / not / ready / to / leave.
Ask for an opinion about a screening.Was / the / film / any / good?
Describe the weather in a past season.It / was / very / cold / last / winter.
Describe your family's former profession.My / parents / were / teachers / for / thirty / years.
Report that a boy was absent.He / wasn't / at / school / yesterday.
Ask whether somebody's companions attended.Were / your / friends / there / too?
Explain why you could not buy anything.The / shops / weren't / open / on / Sunday.
Describe how you felt before an important meeting.I / was / very / nervous / before / the / interview.
Ask whether a woman came to work.Was / she / at / the / office / on / Friday?
Report when some children went to bed.The / children / were / asleep / by / nine.
Explain that a place was difficult to locate.It / wasn't / easy / to / find / the / house.
Say where your group spent the day.We / were / at / the / beach / all / afternoon.
Describe a vehicle you owned in the past.My / first / car / was / very / old.
Ask about the cost of entry to an event.Were / the / tickets / expensive?
Describe a man's earlier job.He / was / a / waiter / before / he / studied / law.
Give a positive verdict on somewhere you stayed.The / hotel / was / much / better / than / we / expected.

Show the answer key for all 60 exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. I ___ at home all evening yesterday. → was: I takes was in the past, even though it takes am in the present.
2. They ___ very tired after the journey. → were: They is plural, so the past form is were.
3. She ___ born in Kraków in 1992. → was: A third-person singular subject takes was, and English states birth with be.
4. You ___ right about the weather. → were: You always takes were in the past, whether it means one person or several.
5. We ___ not at the meeting on Tuesday. → were: We is plural, so the past form is were, and the negative simply adds not.
6. ___ the film any good? → Was: The film is singular, and be makes its own question by moving to the front.
7. ___ you at the concert last night? → Were: You takes were, and no auxiliary is added to a question with be.
8. It ___ very cold last winter. → was: It is singular, so the past form is was.
9. Which sentence is correct? → We were late.: We is plural and therefore takes were, however common we was is in some dialects.
10. My parents ___ teachers before they retired. → were: Parents is plural, so the past form is were.
11. He ___ at school yesterday — he had a cold. → wasn't: He takes was, and the negative contraction is wasn't.
12. The shops ___ open on the public holiday. → weren't: Shops is plural, so the negative is weren't.
13. "Were you at home?" — "Yes, I ___." → was: The short answer repeats be with the correct subject, and I takes was.
14. ___ your sister at the party? → Was: Your sister is singular, so the question begins with was.
15. Which sentence is correct? → Were you tired?: Be inverts by itself, and you takes were.
16. The keys ___ on the table this morning. → were: Keys is plural, so the past form is were.
17. I ___ very happy with the result. → was: I takes was in the past simple of be.
18. "Was the exam difficult?" — "No, it ___." → wasn't: The negative short answer repeats be with the same subject: it wasn't.
19. There ___ a lot of people at the station. → were: People is plural, so the past form after there is were.
20. Which time expression fits "was" and "were"? → last Tuesday: A finished time expression such as last Tuesday requires the past simple.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. I ___ at university in Lisbon in 2018. → was: I takes was in the past, although it takes am in the present.
2. They ___ very kind to us during our stay. → were: They is plural, so the past form of be is were.
3. My grandmother ___ born in a small village. → was: A third-person singular subject takes was, and English states birth with be.
4. You ___ absolutely right about the traffic. → were: You always takes were in the past.
5. We ___ at the beach all afternoon. → were: We is plural, so it takes were.
6. ___ the concert good on Saturday? → Was: The concert is one singular thing, so the question begins with was.
7. ___ you at work yesterday morning? → Were: You takes were, and be inverts by itself to make a question.
8. It ___ raining heavily when we left. → was: It is singular, so the past form is was.
9. My colleagues ___ not happy about the decision. → were: Colleagues is plural, so the past form is were.
10. He ___ at the office on Friday — he took the day off. → wasn't: He takes was, and the negative contraction is wasn't.
11. The tickets ___ as expensive as we expected. → weren't: Tickets is plural, so the negative is weren't.
12. ___ your parents at the wedding? → Were: Parents is plural, so the question begins with were.
13. The hotel ___ much quieter than the last one. → was: The hotel is singular, so it takes was.
14. I ___ very well last week, so I stayed at home. → wasn't: I takes was, and the negative contraction is wasn't.
15. ___ it difficult to find the address? → Was: It is singular, so the question begins with was.
16. Those shoes ___ in the sale last month. → were: Shoes is plural, so the past form is were.
17. The children ___ asleep by nine o'clock. → were: Children is an irregular plural and takes were.
18. My first job ___ in a bookshop near the university. → was: My first job is one singular thing, so it takes was.
19. We ___ ready when the taxi arrived. → weren't: We is plural, so the negative is weren't.
20. ___ she at the meeting on Thursday? → Was: She is singular, so the question begins with was.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Say where you spent last night. → I was at home yesterday evening.: Say where you spent last night.
2. Describe how travellers felt on arrival. → They were very tired after the flight.: Describe how travellers felt on arrival.
3. Say where a woman came into the world. → She was born in Portugal.: Say where a woman came into the world.
4. Ask whether somebody attended a musical event. → Were you at the concert?: Ask whether somebody attended a musical event.
5. Explain that your group needed more time. → We were not ready to leave.: Explain that your group needed more time.
6. Ask for an opinion about a screening. → Was the film any good?: Ask for an opinion about a screening.
7. Describe the weather in a past season. → It was very cold last winter.: Describe the weather in a past season.
8. Describe your family's former profession. → My parents were teachers for thirty years.: Describe your family's former profession.
9. Report that a boy was absent. → He wasn't at school yesterday.: Report that a boy was absent.
10. Ask whether somebody's companions attended. → Were your friends there too?: Ask whether somebody's companions attended.
11. Explain why you could not buy anything. → The shops weren't open on Sunday.: Explain why you could not buy anything.
12. Describe how you felt before an important meeting. → I was very nervous before the interview.: Describe how you felt before an important meeting.
13. Ask whether a woman came to work. → Was she at the office on Friday?: Ask whether a woman came to work.
14. Report when some children went to bed. → The children were asleep by nine.: Report when some children went to bed.
15. Explain that a place was difficult to locate. → It wasn't easy to find the house.: Explain that a place was difficult to locate.
16. Say where your group spent the day. → We were at the beach all afternoon.: Say where your group spent the day.
17. Describe a vehicle you owned in the past. → My first car was very old.: Describe a vehicle you owned in the past.
18. Ask about the cost of entry to an event. → Were the tickets expensive?: Ask about the cost of entry to an event.
19. Describe a man's earlier job. → He was a waiter before he studied law.: Describe a man's earlier job.
20. Give a positive verdict on somewhere you stayed. → The hotel was much better than we expected.: Give a positive verdict on somewhere you stayed.

The errors these questions are built to catch

You was late yesterday.

You were late yesterday.

You always takes were, even for one person.
They was happy.

They were happy.

Plural subjects take were.
It were cold last week.

It was cold last week.

It is third person singular, so it takes was.

After this set

Was and were describe how things were. There was and there were do the same job for what existed, and the past simple of ordinary verbs handles what actually happened.