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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

“But SNL UK is Sky’s most talked about show of the year. It’s now firmly part of the cultural conversation and we’re thrilled the show will be returning.”

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

"I think in the next couple of weeks we know also the prize money we're going to have in Wimbledon," Sinner said.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

So, I agree with you, we’re not going to get rid of cameras, but there need to be some spaces where deliberation is incented and rewarded again.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Williams published multiple versions of his play and never truly stopped revising it, Feldman said, “so we’re trying to figure what best suits our production in our world.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

I don’t think we’re going to get out of this.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver