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verb · A1 · very often · UK/US

were

were

Meaning of were

past plural form of be

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A1very often

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Pronunciation
British English/wɜː/
American English/wɝ/
Russian transcription[bɨtʲ]
were
were - быть
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were with Russian translation

were usage examples

🇷🇺Russian🇬🇧English

Они были на вечеринке прошлой ночью.

They were at the party last night.

🇷🇺Russian🇬🇧English

Если бы я был на твоём месте, я бы ушёл сейчас.

If I were you, I'd leave now.

Learn by topic

were belongs to the topic "Top 5000". Start with a short 7-word set so the word is easier to remember in context.

wereбыть
cookготовить
changeменять
tieзавязывать
followследовать
removeубирать
feelощущаться

were synonyms

Related word breakdowns

What's the difference between were / was / is / are / been

🇬🇧English
were

past form of be used with plural subjects and in the past tense

A1Very Often

We were tired after the trip.

Мы были уставшие после поездки.

🇬🇧English

past form of be used with singular subjects

A1Very Often

She was at home yesterday.

Она была дома вчера.

🇬🇧English

present form of be

A1Very Often

He is happy now.

Он сейчас счастлив.

🇬🇧English

present form of be used with plural subjects and you

A1Very Often

They are ready.

Они готовы.

B
🇬🇧English
been

past participle of be, used in perfect tenses

A1Very Often

She has been here before.

Она была здесь раньше.

What's the difference

Related words and lists for were

How to pronounce were and what this word means

were translation: быть. This page includes translation, pronunciation, transcription, audio, usage examples and related words.

how to pronounce were

/wɜː/

were translation

быть

were examples

They were at the party last night.

were transcription

/wɜː/, /wɝ/

How this dictionary entry is reviewed

ZapomniEnglish prepares dictionary data automatically, then the editorial workflow checks high-frequency words, top lists, and pages that already receive search impressions first.

Translation and meaningPronunciation and transcriptionExamples, synonyms, and topics

Questions about this word

were meaning: what does it mean?

past plural form of be

were pronunciation: how do you pronounce it?

were is pronounced as /wɜː/. Audio is available on this page when the word has a recording.

were definition and sentence examples: how is it used in a sentence?

They were at the party last night. Translation: Они были на вечеринке прошлой ночью.

Audio practiceExamplesSmart repeats

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