To be: negative and interrogative forms in the past simple
Reminder: the past simple describes completed past events. The verb to be is irregular To be, simple past tense.
I was 10 years old at the time.
They were in the hotel last summer
The verb to be has a long negative form and a short negative form:
| To be - Negative (Long Form) | |
|---|---|
| I | was not |
| You | were not |
| He/She/It | was not |
| We | were not |
| You (plural) | were not |
| They | were not |
| To be - Negative (Short Form) | |
|---|---|
| I | wasn't |
| You | weren't |
| He/She/It | wasn't |
| We | weren't |
| You (plural) | weren't |
| They | weren't |
I was not interested. → I wasn't interested.
They were not happy. → They weren't happy.
For the interrogative form, follow the structure: Was/Were + subject + …?
Was he awake last night?
Were they busy yesterday?
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