Were is used when talking about more than one person or thing in the past. We use it with you, we, they and plural nouns.
They were happy yesterday.
We were at school last week.
Were is used in sentences to talk about things that are not true or are imaginary. It shows wishes or imagined situations.
I wish I were taller.
If he were here, he would help.
In old or poetic English, were is sometimes used for all subjects to describe past states or conditions, especially in literature or old speech.
Thou wert true in thy word.
If he were king, he would rule well.
In some dialects or informal language, ‘were’ is used instead of ‘was’ with singular subjects to show the past. This is not standard English.
He were late to class yesterday.
She were tired after work.
Were is used in common phrases to talk about unreal or imagined situations. These phrases express how things are not true or real.
She acts as if she were a queen.
If I were you, I would call now.
Were is an old root word meaning ‘man’ or ‘person’. It appears in words like ‘werewolf’, where it means a man who becomes a wolf.
In old texts, 'werewolf' means man-wolf.
The 'wer' in 'werewolf' means man.
