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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

Afterward, several jurors expressed their shock and exasperation; they’d sat through the whole trial, they told the press, and were ready to convict.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

One reason for the rising cash could be sales of stock that were managed by Todd Combs, a former Berkshire investment manager who oversaw about $15 billion of stocks in the $300 billion portfolio.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

In India, 40 million vultures were reduced to nearly zero by the presence of veterinary painkillers, lethal to vultures, in cattle carcasses.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Chevron and Exxon Mobil were barely budging on the heels of first-quarter earnings, falling 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

On their way, she passed all the full picnic tables occupied by who she guessed were people from different reserves or urban locations heavy with an Indigenous population.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith