Le prétérit, c'est le temps du passé : une action ou un état terminé. On commence par le verbe be, qui a deux formes au passé : was et were.
| Sujet | Forme | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| I | was | I was |
| you | were | you were |
| he / she / it | was | she was |
| we / they | were | we were |
I was happy.
They were at school.
Pour la négation, on dit wasn't (was not) ou weren't (were not). Pour poser une question, on met was/were au début : « Was he there? ».