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Past Simple of To Be (was, were) – Worksheet 1

A1 Beginner WorksheetEnglish

This worksheet practises the past simple of the verb to be (was, were) in positive sentences, negatives (wasn't, weren't), questions and short answers. It is for A1 learners who are starting to talk about the past. The exercises move from simple gap fills to sentence building and error correction.

items
39
Time
30 min
PDF
5 pages
Answer key
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New to this topic? Read the guide first: Past Simple of To Be (was, were): Rules, Examples and Common Mistakes

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Exercise 1: Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence with was or were.

Example: She ___ (be) at the shop. → was

  1. I (be) at home yesterday.

  2. My parents (be) in Rome last week.

  3. The film (be) very good.

  4. We (be) tired after the party.

  5. You (be) late this morning.

  6. It (be) cold on Monday.

  7. Lena and Tom (be) at school yesterday.

Exercise 2: Use the words in the box

Complete the sentences with a word from the box. There are two extra words.

Example: Yesterday ___ my birthday. → was

Word box waswerewasn'tweren'tisare

  1. The shop open on Sunday, so we went home.

  2. you at the park yesterday?

  3. My brother ill last week, so he stayed in bed.

  4. The children at school yesterday. It was Saturday.

  5. your teacher nice? – Yes, she was.

  6. The tickets cheap. They were very expensive.

  7. I hungry, so I ate a big sandwich.

Exercise 3: Negatives and questions

Rewrite each sentence as a negative or a question, as shown in brackets.

Example: He was at the gym. (negative) → He wasn't at the gym.

  1. She was at the cinema. (negative)

  2. They were in the garden. (question)

  3. The test was easy. (question)

  4. We were at the beach on Sunday. (negative)

  5. Your friends were friendly. (question)

  6. I was at work yesterday. (negative)

  7. It was sunny yesterday. (question)

Exercise 4: Put the words in order

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences or questions.

Example: was / he / tired / . → He was tired.

  1. were / where / you / yesterday / ?

  2. Anna / at / the / was / party / .

  3. weren't / we / home / at / .

  4. the / was / how / weather / ?

  5. late / was / bus / the / ?

  6. my / were / in / keys / bag / my / not / .

Exercise 5: Find the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.

Example: He were sad. → He was sad.

  1. I were very happy yesterday.

  2. They was at the museum on Friday.

  3. Was you at home last night?

  4. She is at the doctor's yesterday.

  5. We wasn't hungry.

  6. Were the film long?

Exercise 6: Questions and short answers

Match each question with the correct short answer from the box. There is one extra answer.

Example: Was it hot? → Yes, it was.

Word box Yes, I was.No, they weren't.Yes, it was.No, she wasn't.Yes, we were.No, he wasn't.Yes, you were.

  1. Were you tired after the game, Anna?

  2. Were Sam and Mia at the café?

  3. Was the museum interesting?

  4. Was your sister at work on Monday?

  5. Were you and Ben at the concert?

  6. Was Mr Brown your teacher last year?

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About this test

Printable A1 English worksheet on the past simple of to be: was and were in positive sentences, negatives, questions and short answers, with answers.

Topics covered

was / werewasn't / weren'tYes/No questionsShort answersWh- questions with was/were

Notes for teachers

Start by showing the rule: I/he/she/it + was, you/we/they + were. Then do Exercise 1 together as a warm-up. Common mistakes are 'I were', 'they was' and 'was you?', and some learners use 'is/are' with past time words like yesterday. As a follow-up, students can ask each other 'Where were you last Saturday?' and report back in pairs.

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