Language/English/Grammar/Was-and-Were

Was and were are both past tenses of the verb TO BE. The verb be is an irregular verb and it is used a lot.

Singular / Plural

• Was is used in the first person singular and the third person singular (he, she, it).
• Were is used in the second person singular and plural (you, your, yours) and first and third person plural (we, they).

Example: "They were was gone"

If I was / If I were

Example: "If I were was a better teacher, I could have more students."

You have to use "If I were" with the subjunctive mood which is a verb form that is used for hypothetical statements.

You often use this form to express wishes.

For example,

• He wishes I weren't so selfish.
• He wishes it were wet outside.