were

¹

[ wur; unstressed wer; British also wair ]

verb

1. a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.

we're

²

[ weer ]

1. contraction of we are:

   We're happy to see you.

were

¹

/ 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

/ wɪə /

contraction of

1. we are

Usage Note

See contraction.

Usage

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

Grammar Note

See subjunctive.

Word History and Origins

Origin of were¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of were¹

Old English wērun, wæron past tense plural of wesan to be; related to Old Norse vera, Old Frisian weria, Old High German werōn to last

Example Sentences

Within each cell they were able to map changes to histones, the proteins that help control the release of cytokines -- proteins that help control inflammation in the body and that can affect pregnancy.

From Science Daily

U-M anthropology doctoral student Jordan Lucore examined how the immune systems of wild monkeys in Costa Rica were impacted by temperature.

From Science Daily

Then, with the scanning tunneling microscope, they were able to observe quantum chaos in action: finally seeing with their own eyes the pattern of electron orbits within the stadium billiard they created in Velasco's lab.

From Science Daily

"Once they were treated with ketone bodies the animals recovered their ability to swim. It was really exciting to see such a dramatic impact in a whole animal."

From Science Daily

In the past, e-tattoos were usually printed on a thin layer of adhesive material before being transferred onto the skin, but this was only effective on hairless areas.

From Science Daily