were

were · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    Second person singular past, plural past, and past subjunctive of "be."

  2. 2.

    Used to indicate a state or condition in the past (plural or second person).

  3. 3.

    Used in conditional or hypothetical statements (subjunctive).

  4. 4.

    Used in the passive voice (plural or second person).

Related words

See also: are, be, been, was

Etymology

From Old English "waeron," past plural of "beon" (to be), from Proto-Germanic "*wezun." The irregular conjugation of "be" in English reflects the merger of three distinct Proto-Indo-European verb roots into a single paradigm.