Jump To:

• 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:

Trivia Time

Were appears in the word werewolf. What was the original meaning of this instance of were?

Test Your Knowledge

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.

---

we're ² American  

[weer] / wɪər /

1. contraction of we are:

   We're happy to see you.

---

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

---

we're ² British  

/ wɪə /

contraction

1. we are

---

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

See Examples For:

were we're

“When we were inspired to design our own collection, we were inspired by old companies like American Optical or Bausch and Lomb from the ’30s and ’40s, ” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

All were asylum seekers and a majority were Christian converts who entered the U.S. through the Southern border, and were held in detention for 18 months or longer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

The fact that Iranian officials showed up that soon after the man’s detainment and were familiar with his case was “really indicative” of information sharing between the two governments, Kirkpatrick said in an interview.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

He was not told who they were beforehand, according to court documents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

In the interview, she shares memories of Japanese soldiers, some of whom were kind to her.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

There are great hiking places in Los Angeles because we’re in this big city, and suddenly you’re in nature.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

“So, as hurtful as it was, it was a little encouraging. And that’s what I just told my supporters. I was like, ‘Hey, I know it’s hard, but it just means that we’re winning.’

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026

“We’re talking to Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay and hopefully we can get this done,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

"It's been eight years... Hopefully today we put a line through it and we're done and we can all move on to much more fun topics, like actual cricket."

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

“It was horrible, Theo,” I say when we’re fully out of earshot.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---