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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

He made friends with another student, Sam, whose friends were at the party.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Shares of Uber were down 0.3% after hours.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

It claims the firms were responsible for carbon emissions that allegedly contributed to the 2021 Pacific Northwest Heat Dome, when weather was unusually hot.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

On Sunday, a friend took the couple through their vows as they were standing on a cobblestone ledge at the foot of a waterfall on the 121-year-old Ruskin property about an hour out of Nashville.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

With a grimace, Dalton says, “You were right, bro. You won the bet. Let’s kick this off with your poppy song.”

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