Past Simple: Verb “be”

Past Simple: Verb "be" Espresso English

Were you a famous musician when you were younger?

Positive:

I / he / she / it was born in 1982.
you / we / they were born in 1982.

 

Negative:

I / he / she / it was not (wasn’t) born in Europe.
you / we / they were not (weren’t) born in Europe.

 

Question:

Was I / he / she / it a famous musician?
Were you / we / they a famous musician?

Common words used to talk about the past:

  • Yesterday
  • Last Sunday / last week / last month / last November / last year
  • 2 hours ago / 5 days ago / 3 months ago / 10 years ago
  • When I was a child

Learn more English verb tenses: past, present, future, simple, perfect, continuous!

Simple past vs. present perfect


Past Simple: Verb "be"

Congratulations - you have completed Past Simple: Verb "be". You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Question 1
Pablo Picasso ___________ a writer. He was a painter.
A
wasn't
B
was
C
weren't
D
were
Question 2
"Did you like the movie?"

"The special effects ________ great, but the story __________ very good."

A
was / weren't
B
wasn't / were
C
weren't / were
D
were / wasn't
Question 3
Where ________ you yesterday afternoon?
A
were
B
wasn't
C
weren't
D
was
Question 4
"Were you shy when you were a child?"

"No, I ________. I talked to everyone!"

A
were
B
weren't
C
was
D
wasn't
Question 5
Barcelona is a beautiful city! We ______ there for a conference last month.
A
weren't
B
were
C
wasn't
D
was
Question 6
Darlene is 27 years old. Ten years ago, she ________ in high school.
A
wasn't
B
was
C
were
D
weren't
Question 7
"Were your colleagues happy about the surprise party?"

"David ______, but Janet and Tim _______ - they hate surprises."

A
wasn't / were
B
was / weren't
C
weren't / was
D
were / wasn't
Question 8
My friends __________ at school yesterday because they were sick.
A
were
B
weren't
C
was
D
wasn't
Question 9
"Where were you this morning? You __________ at the meeting."

"I _____ at the doctor's office."

A
wasn't / was
B
weren't / were
C
weren't / was
D
were / was
Question 10
Where _______ your grandfather born?
A
Wasn't
B
Weren't
C
Was
D
Were
Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results
There are 10 questions to complete.

Master the details of English grammar:

Past Simple: Verb "be" Espresso English

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About The Author

Shayna Oliveira

Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.