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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:

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

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

were we're

“We all went to practice every day. Even if you were sick, you were there. You didn’t have to practice, but you were there. You always supported each other.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Fire crews and the air ambulance were also called to the incident that involved a red Peugeot 107 and a silver Volkswagen Passat.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

To steal a line from Taylor Swift, I just wish you were a better man.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

As a result, hundreds of women were affected, and many were compelled to resign.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

It made sense because the only things that held her interest long term were doing hair, cooking, and Nigerian soap operas.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

"We've had a wave of viewings in the last two weeks and a lot of strong interest, so I think we're at the right price level now," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

“We’ve never won more than we’re winning right now,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

“Here, we dream big. Sometimes we’ll fall short, but we’re always going to give it our all.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

"We're very disturbed by those images and what we're seeing," Rubio told reporters Saturday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

When we’re done with the meal, Arlo and I cut into the triple-chocolate cake that Aunt J picked up for us after work.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

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