A1 Beginner • Unit 15

Simple Past of BE
Was & Were

Learn, practice, and master "was" and "were" in English!

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🎬 Watch first: Was / Were in action
📖 Grammar Presentation

✅ Affirmative

Iwas born here.
Youwere young.
He / She / Itwas seven.
Wewere at school.
Theywere in Milan.

❌ Negative

Iwasn't there.
Youweren't home.
He / She / Itwasn't happy.
Weweren't ready.
Theyweren't born here.
wasn't = was not  |  weren't = were not

❓ Questions

WasI / he / she / it …?
Wereyou / we / they …?
Were you in class yesterday?
→ Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.

Was your teacher American?
→ Yes, she was. / No, she wasn't.
Remember! Use was with I / he / she / it. Use were with you / we / they.
1 Fill in the Blanks – Affirmative

Complete each sentence with was or were.

I ___born in 1990.
You ___pretty young.
She ___seven years old.
We ___at the hair salon.
They ___born in Milan.
He ___a great teacher.
2 Fill in the Blanks – Negative

Use wasn't or weren't to complete the sentences.

She ___at home yesterday.
We ___in class on Monday.
He ___born in the U.S.
They ___happy about it.
I ___late for school.
You ___there when I arrived.
3 Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer for each sentence.

1. __ you born in Brazil? — Yes, I __ .
2. My first teacher __ American. She was from Canada.
3. __ your parents born in the U.S.?
4. We __ at the library all morning.
5. It __ sunny yesterday. It was cold and rainy.
6. __ she a good student in high school?
4 Drag & Drop – Match the Form

Drag was or were to complete each sentence. Tap chips on mobile.

Word Bank

was
were
was
were
was
were

Sentences

I ___born in 1995.
They ___at the cafeteria.
She ___angry.
We ___on time.
It ___sunny.
You ___my first teacher.
5 Sentence Reordering

Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence.

Arrange: "Were / your / parents / born / in / the / U.S.?"
your Were born the parents U.S.? in
Arrange: "Was / she / a / bilingual / teacher?"
a teacher? Was bilingual she
Arrange: "They / were / born / in / Milan."
Milan. born They were in
Arrange: "I / wasn't / angry / at / all."
angry wasn't all. I at
6 Yes/No Question Formation

Write the correct question word (Was or Were) to complete the question.

___you born in the United States?
___your first teacher bilingual?
___your parents born in the same country?
___it sunny on your birthday?
___they on time for class?
___he a musician before?
7 Short Answers Practice

Write the correct short answer (positive or negative).

Were you born in Brazil? (✓) →
Was she at the computer lab? (✗) →
Were they born in Milan? (✓) →
Were you and Ana on time? (✗) →
Was he a good singer? (✓) →
Were you angry? (✗) →
8 Error Correction

Each sentence has ONE mistake. Write the correct word.

They was born in Italy.
She weren't at home yesterday.
Was you in class on Monday?
I were born in 1998.
We wasn't ready for the test.
9 Real-life Mini Dialogues

Complete the dialogues with the correct form of be (was, were, wasn't, weren't).

Lucia: Where ___ you born?  

Marco: I ___ born in Rome.  

Lucia: ___ your parents from Rome too?  

Marco: No, they ___. My father ___ from Milan.    

Sofia: ___ your first school far from home?  

Carlos: Yes, it ___. It ___ about 5 km away!    

Sofia: ___ you on time every day?  

Carlos: Ha! No, I ___ always on time.  

10 Mixed Practice – All Forms

Use was, were, wasn't, or weren't.

When ___ she born? (fill in the blank only)
My parents ___ at the auditorium last night. They were at home.
What ___ his favorite subject at school?
How old ___ you when you started high school?
She ___ a photographer — she was an actress!
___ you and your sister at the same school?
11 Positive or Negative? — Multiple Choice

Read the context and choose the best answer.

1. Maria and Tom are from Italy. They __ born in Rome.
2. The class started at 8 AM but John arrived at 9 AM. He __ on time.
3. "__ you at the school cafeteria yesterday?" "Yes, I was."
4. "Was your chemistry teacher young?" "No, she __."
5. "__ they angry about the exam?" "Yes, they were."
12 About You! – Complete the Questions

Complete with Was or Were, then think of your own answer!

___ you born?
___ your first teacher strict?
___ you a good student in elementary school?
___ your favorite subject history or science?

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