Were example sentences

Related (6): was, are, being, been, be, plural

"Were" Example Sentences

If you were paying attention, you would have noticed the change in her voice.
They were supposed to arrive an hour ago, but the train was delayed.
We were sitting in the coffee shop when she walked in with someone we didn't recognize.
You were right about him all along — I should have listened.
The kids were running around the yard like they hadn't seen grass in months.
Where were you last night when I called?
My parents were arguing about money again, and honestly, I was tired of hearing it.
If they were smart, they'd sell the house before prices drop any further.
She said we were the best team she'd ever worked with, and I actually believed her.
The lights were off when we got home, which was strange because someone should have been there.
Were you even listening to what I was saying, or were you just nodding along?
They were always fighting, but nobody expected them to actually break up.
I wish we were back in college when everything felt possible.
The flowers were dying because nobody remembered to water them.
You were supposed to text me when you landed — I was worried sick.
If we were being honest, the whole thing was a disaster from the start.
They were the kind of friends who'd drop everything if you needed them.
The streets were empty at three in the morning, which made it feel like the whole city was holding its breath.
Were you serious about moving to Portland, or was that just drunk talk?
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely sign the papers.
The days were getting shorter, and I could feel the depression creeping in.
If you were in my position, what would you do?
They were laughing at something on their phones, completely oblivious to what was happening around them.
She said the best years of her life were behind her, and that broke my heart.
The walls were thin enough that I could hear every word they said through them.
We were broke, exhausted, and somehow still happy.
You were always the one who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.
The odds were against us, but we tried anyway.
If they were going to fire me, I wish they'd just do it instead of this slow torture.
The memories were fading, and I was terrified of forgetting what it felt like to be young.

Common Phrases

were you
if we were
they were
you were right
we were supposed to
where were you
were there
if they were
were all
were going to

Examples by Level

They were happy.
We were at home yesterday.

You were late for class, and the teacher was not happy about it.
Where were you when I called you last night?

If you were paying attention, you would have heard what she said about the promotion.
They were always complaining about the weather, but nobody actually did anything about it.

The years we were together felt like they lasted both forever and no time at all.
If they were being truthful, they'd admit the whole project was doomed from the beginning.

What struck her most was not the betrayal itself, but that they were capable of it at all.
The conversations we were having late into the night had a quality of confession — raw, unguarded, almost reckless.

There was something almost elegiac about the way he spoke of the years they were together, as though mourning something that hadn't yet died.
She understood, in a way that transcended mere knowledge, that the people they were before the accident were gone — not dead, but fundamentally altered, unreachable.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life

The kids were supposed to be asleep an hour ago, but I can still hear them jumping on the bed.
We were just sitting on the porch when the storm rolled in out of nowhere.

💼 Workplace

My coworkers were gossiping about the new hire, and I pretended not to listen while absolutely listening.
If you were wondering why nobody showed up to the meeting, it's because it was scheduled for the wrong time.

📊 Business

The numbers were better than we expected, but the margins were still too thin to justify expansion.
They were banking on the merger going through, but the regulatory approval fell apart at the last minute.

🛒 Buying / Shopping

The shoes were on sale, but they were the wrong size and I didn't want to deal with returns.
Were these the ones you wanted, or were you looking for something else?

✈️ Travel

The hotels were booked solid because we didn't plan ahead, so we ended up sleeping in the car.
If we were going to make the flight, we had to leave right then — no time for breakfast.

📚 Education

The students were struggling with the concept, so I had to explain it three different ways.
My grades were terrible last semester because I was dealing with stuff I wasn't ready to talk about.

❤️ Relationships

We were happy once, and sometimes I wonder if we could get back to that, or if it's gone forever.
They were the kind of couple that made you believe in love, until suddenly they weren't.

📰 News / Politics

The reports were conflicting, so nobody knew what actually happened until weeks later.
If the allegations were true, it would be the biggest scandal in the party's history.

💻 Technology

The servers were down for six hours, and the entire company just sat around refreshing their emails.
The updates were supposed to fix the bugs, but they just created new ones.

📝 Formal Writing

The findings were consistent with previous research, though the sample size were limited.
The documents were analyzed using standard protocols, and the results were reported in accordance with institutional guidelines.