learn English :):):)
It's similar to the present simple because it has different rules for the verb 'be', which becomes 'was' or 'were':
The Past Simple with 'be'
Here's how to make the positive:
| Positive with 'be' |
| I was cold |
| you were tired |
| he was in the garden |
| she was late |
| it was sunny |
| we were on holiday |
| they were hungry |
To make the negative with 'be', just add 'not':
| Negative with 'be' | Negative Short Form |
| I was not sleepy | I wasn't sleepy |
| you were not on the bus | you weren't on the bus |
| he was not at school | he wasn't at school |
| she was not beautiful | she wasn't beautiful |
| it was not cold | it wasn't cold |
| we were not at work | we weren't at work |
| they were not tired | they weren't tired |
To make a question, just like the present simple, we change the position of 'was / were' and the subject.
Here are the past simple 'yes / no' questions with 'be':
| 'Yes / No' Questions with 'Be' |
| was I sleepy? |
| were you late? |
| was he at the cinema? |
| was she kind? |
| was it hot? |
| were we hungry? |
| were they at work? |
And the 'wh' questions with 'be' (the question word just goes at the beginning, everything else is the same):
| 'Wh' Questions with 'Be' |
| why was I sleepy? |
| where were you? |
| when was he at the cinema? |
| how was she? |
| how was it? |
| why were we hungry? |
| when were they at work? |