ENGLISH
REFERENCE

weren't

v.
A1 Beginner wer·ent

v. the short way to say 'were not'. You use it to talk about more than one person or thing in the past.

v. the contracted form of 'were not'. Functions as the past plural or second-person singular indicative of 'be' in the negative.


SIMPLE

They weren't at home when I called.

CONTEXTUAL

The students weren't prepared for the surprise test, so the teacher decided to postpone it until Friday.

COMPLEX

If the conditions weren't so hazardous, the rescue team would have reached the summit hours ago, but the visibility made any further progress impossible.

Origin

were + -n't

Usage

Used with 'you', 'we', 'they', and plural nouns. In formal writing, the full form 'were not' is often preferred.

Pitfall

They wasn't thereThey weren't thereLearners often use 'wasn't' for all subjects, but 'weren't' must be used with plural subjects and 'you'.

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