was
n.n. the past form of 'be' when you talk about one person or thing. You use it to describe how someone felt or where they were in the past.
n. the first-person and third-person singular past indicative of 'be'. Used to describe a past state, identity, or location of a single subject.
I was very tired after work yesterday.
The weather was perfect for our outdoor wedding last Saturday, despite the forecast for rain.
While the initial report was somewhat vague, it provided enough evidence for the committee to justify a full investigation into the department's spending habits.
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”).
Used with the pronouns 'I', 'he', 'she', and 'it', or with singular noun subjects.
They was happyThey were happy'Was' is only used for singular subjects; plural subjects and 'you' require 'were'.