Be è l'unico verbo che al passato cambia forma a seconda del soggetto.
| Soggetto | Forma |
|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was |
| you / we / they | were |
- I was tired.
- They were at home.
Negativo e interrogativo
Be non usa mai did: si nega aggiungendo not, si interroga invertendo.
- I wasn't ready.
- Were you at the party?
Attenzione
Nell'inglese parlato si sente spesso there was anche davanti a un plurale, ma la forma corretta resta there were: There were a lot of people.