Be – Past Simple (was, were)
The past simple of be is far simpler than the present: there are only two forms, was and were. You use them to describe how things were at a finished time in the past — where someone was, how they felt, what the weather was like, how old they were. Because be is an auxiliary in its own right, it needs no help from did.
Learning objectives
- Choose correctly between was and were.
- Form negatives with wasn't and weren't.
- Ask questions by inverting the subject and the verb.
- Give correct short answers.
- Use there was and there were.
- Recognise the past time expressions that signal this tense.
Meaning and usage
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Past identity or job | She was a teacher for ten years. |
| Past description | The film was excellent. |
| Past age | I was seven when we moved. |
| Past location | We were at the beach yesterday. |
| Past feelings and states | They were very tired after the trip. |
| Past weather and time | It was cold last night. |
| Background in a story | It was late and the streets were empty. |
The affirmative form
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | was | I was at home. |
| you | were | You were right. |
| he | was | He was late. |
| she | was | She was happy. |
| it | was | It was cold. |
| we | were | We were ready. |
| they | were | They were at work. |
The rule in one line: I, he, she, it → was; you, we, they → were. Note that you takes were even when it refers to one person.
The negative form
| Subject | Full form | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was not | wasn't | She wasn't at school. |
| you / we / they | were not | weren't | They weren't ready. |
There are no other contractions here: unlike the present, you cannot write I'd not or similar. Only wasn't and weren't exist.
Questions and short answers
| Question | Positive answer | Negative answer |
|---|---|---|
| Were you at the party? | Yes, I was. | No, I wasn't. |
| Was she your teacher? | Yes, she was. | No, she wasn't. |
| Was it expensive? | Yes, it was. | No, it wasn't. |
| Were they at home? | Yes, they were. | No, they weren't. |
Wh- questions follow the same inversion: Where were you last night? Why was he late? How old were you then?
There was and there were
| Form | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| There was | singular and uncountable | There was a small shop on the corner. |
| There were | plural | There were hundreds of people. |
| There wasn't / weren't | negatives | There wasn't any milk. There weren't any tickets left. |
| Was there ...? / Were there ...? | questions | Was there a problem? Were there many guests? |
Signal words and time expressions
These expressions point clearly to the past simple: yesterday, last night / week / month / year, two days ago, in 2019, when I was young, at that time, then, this morning (if the morning has finished).
Be or do in the past?
| With be | With another verb | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | She was tired. | She worked late. |
| Negative | She wasn't tired. | She didn't work late. |
| Question | Was she tired? | Did she work late? |
| Short answer | Yes, she was. | Yes, she did. |
A comparison with the present
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| I am a student. | I was a student. |
| He isn't here. | He wasn't here. |
| Are they ready? | Were they ready? |
| There are two chairs. | There were two chairs. |
Formal and informal usage
- Wasn't and weren't are normal in speech and informal writing; formal writing prefers was not and were not.
- In unreal or hypothetical sentences, formal English uses were for every subject: If I were you, I would apologise. In everyday speech If I was you is very common, but were is safer in exams and formal writing.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Did you were at home? | Were you at home? | be never takes did |
| She didn't was here. | She wasn't here. | same reason |
| You was late. | You were late. | you always takes were |
| There were a problem. | There was a problem. | singular noun |
| I was born in 1998 written as I born in 1998 | I was born in 1998. | be born always needs be |
| Yes, I was not. | No, I wasn't. | a negative answer starts with No |
Learning tips
- Learn the split as a pair: was goes with the three singular pronouns plus I; were goes with the rest.
- Describe a photograph from your childhood out loud. It forces you to use was, were, there was, there were naturally.
- Whenever you write did next to was or were, delete the did.
Summary checklist
- Did I use was for I, he, she, it and were for you, we, they?
- Did I avoid did completely?
- Is my question formed by inversion?
- Does there was / there were agree with the noun?
- Is there a past time expression that justifies the tense?
Shpjegim në gjuhën shqipe
Rregulli i anglishtes, i shpjeguar në shqip
Në kohën e shkuar folja be ka vetëm dy forma: was për I, he, she, it dhe were për you, we, they. Vini re se you merr gjithmonë were, edhe kur i drejtohet një personi të vetëm.
Mohimi bëhet me was not dhe were not, të shkurtuara në wasn't dhe weren't. Nuk ka forma të tjera të shkurtuara. Pyetja ndërtohet me përmbysje: Were you at home? Folja be nuk merr kurrë did.
Kjo kohë përdoret për gjendje, përshkrime, moshë, vendndodhje dhe rrethana në një çast të mbyllur të së shkuarës. Ajo shërben shpesh si sfond i një rrëfimi: It was late and the streets were empty.
Ndërtimi there was / there were tregon se diçka ekzistonte. Folja përshtatet me emrin që vjen pas saj, jo me fjalën there: There was a shop, por There were many people.
Ekuivalenti në gjuhën shqipe
Format angleze was dhe were mbulojnë dy kohë të ndryshme të shqipes: të pakryerën (isha, ishe, ishte) dhe të kryerën e thjeshtë (qeshë, qe). Prandaj një formë e vetme angleze mund të përkthehet në dy mënyra, sipas kuptimit.
Ekuivalenti i formave
| Anglisht | Shqip | Shembull |
|---|---|---|
| I was | unë isha | I was at home. — Isha në shtëpi. |
| you were | ti ishe | You were right. — Ti kishe të drejtë. |
| he / she / it was | ai / ajo ishte | She was tired. — Ajo ishte e lodhur. |
| we were | ne ishim | We were ready. — Ne ishim gati. |
| they were | ata / ato ishin | They were late. — Ata ishin vonë. |
| there was | kishte | There was a shop. — Kishte një dyqan. |
| there were | kishte | There were many people. — Kishte shumë njerëz. |
Vini re: te there was dhe there were shqipja përdor gjithmonë kishte, pa e ndryshuar sipas numrit. Anglishtja e ndryshon.
Përshtatja e kohëve
| Anglisht | Shqip | Kuptimi |
|---|---|---|
| I was ill yesterday. | Dje isha i sëmurë. | gjendje e vazhduar |
| He was born in 1998. | Ai lindi në vitin 1998. | ngjarje e vetme; shqipja përdor foljen lind |
| It was cold last night. | Mbrëmë ishte ftohtë. | përshkrim rrethanash |
Ku ndryshojnë dy gjuhët
- Një formë kundrejt dyve. Anglishtja ka was/were; shqipja zgjedh midis së pakryerës dhe së kryerës së thjeshtë sipas kuptimit.
- I lindur. Anglishtja e ndërton me be: I was born. Shqipja përdor foljen e plotë: Unë lindа. Ky është një përkthim që gabohet shpesh.
- Mohimi. She wasn't here = Ajo nuk ishte këtu — nuk para foljes.
- Pyetja. Anglishtja e përmbys rendin (Were you ...?); shqipja shton pjesëzën a ose ndryshon vetëm intonacionin: A ishe ...?
Gabime të zakonshme të folësve të shqipes
| Gabimi | E saktë | Pse |
|---|---|---|
| I born in 1998. | I was born in 1998. | anglishtja e kërkon be |
| You was late. | You were late. | you merr gjithmonë were |
| Did you were at home? | Were you at home? | be nuk merr did |
| There were a problem. | There was a problem. | emri është në njëjës |
| Yesterday I have been ill. | Yesterday I was ill. | koha e mbyllur kërkon të shkuarën e thjeshtë |
