English basics/Using Was and Were

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(INCOMPLETE) Using "was" and "were" in English can be easy or hard.

As a Main Verb[edit | edit source]

This is a very simple and straightforward rule in English. Was and were are used to show actions in the perfect or imperfect tense. (The perfect tense signifies a completed action, like I went to the store, and the imperfect tense shows an incompleted action, like I was going to the store when I saw a puppy.)

Conjugating In the Perfect Tense Was and were in the perfect tense are used like this: I was at the party. You were there also.

The conjugation list goes as follows: I was You were S/he/it was We were You all were They were

For native speakers of English, the conjugation rule usually comes as second nature. However, foriegn speakers must memorize this.

Use In the Imperfect Tense In English, the imperfect tense uses was or were, followed by a verb ending in -ing. The imperfect tense, as stated above, shows an incompleted action.