was
v.-
1 plural (informal) (v.) C1 Advanced Informal Dialectused instead of 'were' for more than one person in very casual or regional speech.
used as a non-standard or dialectal substitute for 'were' with plural subjects.
ExampleWe was just sitting there when the rain started.
ExampleThe witness claimed that the suspects was seen leaving the premises shortly before the alarm sounded.
UsageCommon in certain British and American dialects, but avoided in formal writing and exams.
Teacher's tipLearners should recognize this in movies or songs but avoid using it themselves in professional or academic contexts.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- Proto-Germanic *was Old English wæs Middle English was English was From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic was, from Proto-Indo-European h₂we-h₂wós-e from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal. See also Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var); also Kamkata-viri vos-, Sanskrit उवास (uvā́sa). The paradigm of “to be” has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of three originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form be is from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- (“to become”). The forms is and are are both derived from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- (“to be”). Lastly, the past forms starting with w- such as was and were are from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”).