Until now, everything happened in the present. Today we open the door to the past — and we start with the verb you know best: to be. In the past, am / is becomes was, and are becomes were.
| Subject | Present | Past | Example | Romanian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | was | I was tired. | Eram obosit(ă). |
| You | are | were | You were right. | Aveai dreptate. |
| He / She / It | is | was | She was at work. | Ea era la serviciu. |
| We | are | were | We were at home. | Noi eram acasă. |
| They | are | were | They were happy. | Ei erau fericiți. |
💡 The Simple Rule
Was goes with I, he, she, it (the "singles").
Were goes with you, we, they (the "groups" — and always you, even for one person).
Negative & Questions
| Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I was late. | I wasn't late. | Was I late? |
| She was there. | She wasn't there. | Was she there? |
| They were ready. | They weren't ready. | Were they ready? |
Was the film good? → Yes, it was. / No, it wasn't.
Time expressions – your past-tense signals
Click any chip to hear it. These words tell you: use the past!
✏️ Practice – Fill in Was or Were
✏️ Practice – Choose the correct sentence
Remember there is / there are from Lesson 4? In the past, they become there was / there were.
| Present | Past | Romanian |
|---|---|---|
| There is a cat on the sofa. | There was a cat on the sofa. | Era o pisică pe canapea. |
| There are two shops here. | There were two shops here. | Erau două magazine aici. |
| There isn't any milk. | There wasn't any milk. | Nu era deloc lapte. |
✏️ Practice – Grandmother's old kitchen
Ana found an old photo of her grandmother's kitchen from 1975. Complete the description with there was or there were.
Play each sentence and click the word you hear. In fast speech both are short and quick — listen carefully!
✏️ Dictation – Type what you hear
Send each sentence back in time! Rewrite it in the past, adding the time expression in brackets. The time expression can go at the start or at the end.
Time to talk! Your teacher asks, you answer — in full sentences with was/were. Click 🔊 to hear each question first. Then swap roles: you interview your teacher!
Last month, Ana was in Maramureș, in her grandmother's village. The visit was short, but the stories were long — grandmother loves to talk about the old days.
"When I was young," she said, "the village was very different. There was no internet, of course, and there were only two cars in the whole village. The school was small — one room for all the children. Our teacher was strict but kind."
"The winters were long and very cold. But we weren't bored — never! The evenings were full of songs and stories. Life wasn't easy, but people were close to each other."
Ana asked: "Were you happy, grandmother?" The old woman smiled. "Yes, my dear. We were poor, but we were rich in the important things."
Comprehension Questions – Answer in English
2. There were only two cars in the whole village.
3. It was small — one room for all the children. The teacher was strict but kind.
4. No, they weren't. They were long and very cold.
5. Because they were rich in the important things — people were close to each other.
Translation – English → Romanian
Translate each sentence. Careful with was/were and the position of "ago"!
2. Where were you last night?
3. They weren't at home. / They were not at home.
4. It was a beautiful day.
5. There were many cars in the car park.
6. My grandmother was a teacher.
7. We were in the mountains two weeks ago.
Topic: Your childhood — places, people, feelings
Write at least 80 words about your childhood. Where were you? What was your home like? Who was important to you? Use the interview questions from Part 5 as inspiration. The checklist ticks itself as you write.
Lesson Complete!
Here is your final score for the graded exercises:
correct answers