were

CEFRA1

/wə(ɹ)/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    Past form of be used with you, we, and they.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    plural simple past indicative of be

Examples

  • Humans were never meant to live forever.

  • I was wondering if you were going to show up today.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4

Also pronounced

  • /weː/
  • /wɛr/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. simple subjunctive of be

  2. second-person singular simple past indicative of be

noun

Extra meaning

  1. The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf.

More examples

In context

  • The TV ads were first run last year.

  • John, you were the only person to see him.

  • Mary and John, you were right.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Despite the strong earthquake, the ancient ruins blank still intact for centuries.

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Nearby

Origin

verb

Old English wǣre Middle English were English were Inherited from Middle English were, weren, from Old English wǣre, wǣron, wǣren, from Proto-West Germanic *wāʀun, *wāʀīn, from Proto-Germanic *wēzun, *wēzīn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. More at was.