hi i'm rebecca from engvid in this
lesson you'll learn how to use the past
tense of the verb to be now as you know
the verb to be is a really important
verb so in this lesson you'll learn how
to use the words was and were correctly
in English now this is a beginners
lesson but even if you are at any level
and you just want to review the basics
this lesson will help you so let's get
started so the verb to be of course can
be used in the present in the past and
also in the future but in this lesson we
are focusing on how to use it in the
past I'm going to just review very
quickly how to use it in the present but
I think you already know that right okay
so when we say the present what do we
mean by that
it could mean right now it could mean
this year it could mean today right so
for example I am at work right now
yesterday I was at home so when I say
was that's the past the past can be
yesterday last night last week five
years ago anytime before now is the past
okay so let's take another example he is
a manager this year last year he was a
worker he is becomes he was next she is
in London today yesterday she was in
Paris again is became was another
example it is cold today yesterday it
was hot so once again is became was so
what's the pattern here what do you see
I know you see the pattern so
pattern is that all of these became was
so I am I was he is he was she is she
was it is it was right so all of these
am and is become was in the past
alright let's go to some other pronouns
we are studying right now yesterday we
were working we were make sure you
pronounce that properly a lot of people
make a mistake when they say were it's
not the word where like the question
it's were okay say it with me
we were studying good oh sorry we were
working alright another example you are
married today
yesterday you were single okay somebody
just got married
alright they are here right now but a
few hours ago they were over there okay
all right so what do you see here
another pattern whatever is are in the
present tense becomes were in the past
tense that's all so there's only two
possibilities in the past tense was or
were okay so here's a little review am
and is become was an R becomes word now
one last little point was and were can
be used by themselves okay so this can
be a verb used by itself for example it
was hot this is just the verb to be by
itself or was and were can be used as
helping verbs for example we were
working okay so that's just a little
something to keep in mind now next you
will learn how to use was and work in
English now let's look at how to use was
and were in positive
sentences negative sentences and also in
questions okay so as you've already
learned I he she and it all use was
right I was at home he was at home she
was at home it was at home it can be for
a thing for example her cell phone
alright if you want to make that
sentence negative then basically in
English what we have to add is the word
not I was not but when we're speaking we
don't usually say I was not at home we
just say something a little shorter we
say I wasn't at home do you want to
repeat that after me so you can learn
how to pronounce it really well I wasn't
at home now when you're writing it just
remember that the apostrophe goes where
we take out the O so was and not take
out the OL and add the apostrophe and
then you will not only say it perfectly
you will also spell it perfectly good so
I was I wasn't and then to make a
question we just changed the order same
word right was I at home I don't
remember was he at school was she at
work was it on the shelf okay so you're
just changing the order when you make a
question so that's pretty
straightforward now let's look at what
happens with we you and they for that we
have to use were we were you were they
were and how do we make it negative
again you only add the word not so if
you were to say the full thing you would
say we were not at home but as I said
usually we shortened it we contracted
and it sounds like this we
weren't at home repeat after me we
weren't at home you weren't at home they
weren't at home all right and if you
want to make a question same principle
same rule again you put the word were
before so were we at home were you at
school were they at work okay so you're
just changing the order now how do you
know that you know all of these things
when you can make a positive sentence a
negative sentence and a question so take
one of them for example just take a
simple sentence don't add a lot of
vocabulary keep it really simple he was
tired right he was tired make it
negative he wasn't tired make it a
question was he tired all right so take
any of these pronouns these are all
called pronouns and make simple
sentences then make them negative and
then make them into a question and when
you can do that easily then you have
learned how to use was and work next
we'll do some practice so you can get
really good at this so now we have eight
sentences on the board and you're going
to help me fill in the blanks with was
or work let's go number one
mr. Williams blank at the meeting do we
say mr. Williams was it the meeting or
mr. Williams were at the meeting what do
we say mr. Williams was at the meeting
very good
her classes blank interesting her
classes blank interesting was or were
which one her
classes were interesting because it's
classes right it's plural it's like they
very good my suitcase blank very heavy
my suitcase blank very heavy my suitcase
is like what that we learned it it's one
thing so my suitcase was very heavy very
good the stores blank closed the stores
it's plural
it's like Z so what do we say they were
closed very good number 5 it blank
raining yesterday it was raining or it
were rainy which one sounds right by now
if you say it out loud you will also
hear what's correct it it was rainy okay
good number six i blank hungry high
blank hungry so what should it be
I was hungry or I were hungry
I was always was I was number seven
blank you late was you late or were you
late
which one is correct were you okay very
important because we often ask questions
to other people right so this one with
you is really important
were you on time were you late were you
in a meeting were you at home lots and
lots of questions that we asked like
that so pay attention to that one okay
and number eight we blank in Brazil we
what should it be we were in Brazil okay
now let's really quickly go through them
and make them negative cuz you can do it
I know you can mr. Williams was at the
meeting mr. Williams wasn't you say it
with me okay her classes weren't
interesting my suitcase wasn't very
heavy the stores weren't closed it
wasn't raining yesterday I wasn't hungry
weren't you late yes you can ask a
question like that weren't you late you
can ask a negative question also okay
good for you and we weren't in Brazil
okay so very very good work now if
you're really serious about improving
your English please subscribe to my
youtube channel you can continue to get
lots of new lessons as they appear okay
next the other thing you can do is to go
to our website it's free doesn't cost
you any money it's up to you to just
decide to improve your English and use
all the different websites and resources
that you can to improve every day so go
to our website wwlp.com there you can do
two things first just to review this
lesson go to the quiz that's available
for this lesson and do that so you'll
get some extra practice and then look
around has
website we have hundreds of lessons in
English and many of them are at beginner
intermediate advanced levels and you
will be able to find the lessons that
speak to your issues or your problems
and help you to move forward and make
progress in English okay thanks very
much for watching and good luck with
your English