Language/English/Grammar/Was-and-Were
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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 werewasgone"
If I was / If I were
Example: If I werewasa 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.