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Romica Bodiu
was or were?
Hi, I am studying english but I am very bad at grammar. Please tell me when to use ”was” and when ”were” . is this a different tense or it”s the same tense but for different persons?
Jul 12, 2011 1:54 PM
Answers · 4
3
For I/he/she.......was.
For you/we/they........were.
July 12, 2011
1
Check the Past Simple of verb "to be":
I was, You were, He/She/It was, We were, You were, They were.
Ex.: "I was glad to hear you were coming"
Sometimes you may find "were" as the subjunctive mood, expressing a wish or something improbable:
If I were, if you were, if he/she/it were...
Ex: "If I were you, I wouldn't let her go"
July 12, 2011
Moorche's answer is correct.
Using strict rules of English grammar, the conditional is different:
If I/he/she/you/we/they were...
However in spoken English, you would almost always hear:
if I/he/she was...
If you/we/they were...
If you hear "If I were...", then you know for certain you are speaking to an English teacher.
[Ivan83 - I didn't see your contribution until I saved my message. You describe the situation quite well. I'm getting slow in my old age]
July 12, 2011
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Romica Bodiu
Language Skills
English, French, Romanian, Russian
Learning Language
English, French
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