Here are some examples:
- She was studying when he called.
- He was cooking when the phone rang.
- They were shopping when they heard an explosion.
- We were dancing when the power went out.
- I was listening to music when the doorbell rang.
What tense was were?
When to use were
Whereas was is the singular past tense of to be, were is used for both the third person plural past tense (they and we) and the second person past tense (you). In the past indicative, were acts similar to was. “They were at the store,” you could say, for example.
Was and were are used in which tense?
As I said above, was and were are in the past tense, but they are used differently. Was is used in the first person singular (I) and the third person singular (he, she, it). Were is used in the second person singular and plural (you, your, yours) and first and third person plural (we, they).
