1. In statements:
* Simple past tense: "They were at the park yesterday."
* Past continuous tense: "We were walking home when it started to rain."
* Past perfect tense: "The children were already asleep when we arrived."
2. In questions:
* Simple past tense: "Where were you last night?"
* Past continuous tense: "What were you doing at 8 pm?"
* Past perfect tense: "Had they were already finished the project before you arrived?"
3. In conditional sentences:
* Type 1: "If they were here, they would be very happy." (Possible and likely condition)
* Type 2: "If they were here, we would have a great time." (Hypothetical condition)
* Type 3: "If they were here yesterday, we would have gone to the beach." (Impossible condition)
4. With "there" to indicate existence:
* "There were many people at the concert."
Examples:
* "Were you at the party last night?" (Simple past tense question)
* "They were playing in the park when it started to rain." (Past continuous tense statement)
* "If we were rich, we could travel the world." (Type 2 conditional sentence)
* "There were no clouds in the sky." (Existence statement)
Remember to use "were" with plural nouns or pronouns (like "they," "we," or "the children") and with "you" (regardless of number).