was

Was is the past tense form of the English verb be. It is used with I, he, she, and it to describe a state or condition in the past, as in I was tired or It was raining. For the plural subjects you, we, and they, the past tense form is were. Was and were are irregular forms that contrast with the regular -ed past tense used by many verbs.

Historically, was derives from Old English forms such as wes and wæs, which come from the Proto-Germanic verb for be. The modern forms reflect long-standing changes in the English verb system. The be verb has one of the most complex inflectional paradigms in English, with distinct forms for person, number, and tense that have persisted through the language’s history.

In addition to its role as the simple past tense, was functions as an auxiliary verb in forming past continuous constructions (was reading, was playing) and the past passive (The cake was eaten). It also appears in certain conditional and subjunctive contexts, where were is traditionally preferred for hypothetical situations (If I were taller). In everyday speech, was is commonly used in place of were in informal hypothetical clauses, though this is more marked in formal writing.

Contractions are common with was, producing wasn’t, what’s was, and similar forms. The word’s versatility makes it one of the most frequently used elements in English, serving both as a main verb and as a supporting auxiliary across a range of grammatical constructions.