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• were
  were

  verb

  a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.
• we're
  we're

  contraction of we are:

were

¹ American  

[wur, wer, wair] / wɜr, wər, wɛər /

verb

1. a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.

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we're ² American  

[weer] / wɪər /

1. contraction of we are:

   We're happy to see you.

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were ¹ British  

/ wɜː, wə /

verb

1. the plural form of the past tense (indicative mood) of be and the singular form used with you. It is also used as a subjunctive, esp in conditional sentences

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we're ² British  

/ wɪə /

contraction

1. we are

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Grammar

See subjunctive.

Usage

See contraction.

Were, as a remnant of the past subjunctive in English, is used in formal contexts in clauses expressing hypotheses ( if he were to die, she would inherit everything ), suppositions contrary to fact ( if I were you, I would be careful ), and desire ( I wish he were there now ). In informal speech, however, was is often used instead

Etymology

Origin of were

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English wǣre past subjunctive, wǣre 2nd-person singular past and wǣron 2nd-person plural past of wesan “to be”; cognate with Dutch, German waren, Danish var. See was

Example Sentences

"That's why we're asking the government to cut the taxation on our pubs, so we can keep a pint affordable for all."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

“All of this has started and is under way, but we’re far from done.”

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

“I had a lot of fun, if anything. We really did that out there. I’m so happy to be playing beside you. And we’re going for more.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

“We’re going to upgrade the capacity of our nuclear fleet. And we’re going to keep encouraging this administration and others to say, ‘We’ve got to build more nuclear in this country.’

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

“I was just checking,” I say, pleased that we’re back to our usual Scrabble banter.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam