The past of to be, part 2 of 2

Was and Were vs. Am, Is, and Are: Present and Past of To Be

Time words decide: now takes am, is, or are; yesterday or last week takes was or were: I am busy now, I was busy yesterday.

A1 · 12 minBefore:Was and were

The idea

What choosing the present or the past of to be means

It means deciding when it happens: now or before. The verb is the same; only the form changes.

Now: am, is, are. The bakery is busy.
Before: was, were. The bakery was empty.
To compare, both. I was nervous, but now I am calm.

When to use it

To compare how something is today with how it was before, without mixing the tenses. These expressions go with it:

Now

right now
these days
this week

Before

yesterday
last year
two days ago
when I was a kid

To compare

It was..., but now it is...
not anymore
I still am

Examples

Today and yesterday
I am fine now, but I was sick yesterday.
How a place changed
The city is big now. It was small.
How you were before
My son is tall. He was a tiny baby.
Not anymore
We were neighbors, but we aren't anymore.
Asking about both times
Are you OK now? Were you sick?

How to build it

3 steps

Find the time wordNow, yesterday, last week, ago...Yesterday
Choose the tenseNow: am, is, are. Before: was, were.Yesterday I was
Finish the sentenceWith where, how, or what:Yesterday I was at the beach.

Present

SubjectThe store
am / is / areis
complementopen
(now)now.

Past

SubjectThe store
was / werewas
complementclosed
(yesterday, last...)yesterday.

The rule

Words that decide

Present: am, is, are	Past: was, were
now	then
these days	last week
this year	last year
right now	two days ago

Negatives and questions in both tenses

Present	Past
She isn't here.	She wasn't here.
Are they ready?	Were they ready?

How to pronounce it

was
/wʌz/
Do not mix it up with is: was starts with /w/.
is
/ɪz/
No /w/ at the start, and the s sounds like /z/.
were
/wɝ/
Were and are sound alike: listen for the /w/ at the start.
are
/ɑr/
One syllable, with no /w/.

Check

She (blank) at work now, but yesterday she ___ at home. Which pair fits the blanks?

Don't confuse it with the past of other verbs

I was at work.

With be: was

I worked a lot.

With another verb: worked

Was and were are the past of be. Other verbs have their own past: work, worked.

Past simple

In real life

If there is no time word, ask yourself: is it like this now, or was it like this before? What is not true anymore goes in the past: It was my car (it is not mine now).

Frequently asked questions

Can you mix both in one sentence?

Yes, to compare: I was shy, but now I am not. Each part takes its own tense.

Does today always take the present?

No: if what happened today is over, use the past. I was late today, even though it is today.

Which tense do you use with no time word?

The one the situation needs: if it is still true, the present; if it is over, the past. My dad is a doctor; my grandpa was a doctor.

In short

Now (now, these days): am, is, are.
Before (yesterday, last week, ago): was, were.
The negative too: isn't becomes wasn't.
To compare, use both: it was small; now it is big.

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