Is, are, was and were are small but busy verbs. Which one to use depends on the noun: one, or more than one. It also depends on the time.
| One (and he, she, it) | More than one (and we, they, you) | |
|---|---|---|
| Now | The dog is wet. | The dogs are wet. |
| Before (past) | The dog was wet. | The dogs were wet. |
Key idea
One: is, was. More than one, and you: are, were. Other verbs match too: he hops, we hop.
Why it works
The verb and its noun work as a team. When the verb matches, the reader can tell at once whether you mean one or many.
Worked example: Two people
“Yesterday we ___ late.” (was or were)
- We means more than one.
- Yesterday means the past.
- More than one, in the past: were.
Answer: “Yesterday we were late.”
Common mistake
Many people say “we was” or “they is” when they talk, and that is fine at home. Written standard English uses we were and they are, so in writing, check: one or more than one?
For the grown-up. This is about the written standard, not about which way of talking is better. You might say, “In books, it’s written we were.” With I, use am and was: I am, I was.