American English pronunciation
How to pronounce were
IPA transcription: ['wɚ]
Hear “were” pronounced
['wɚ]
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['wɚ]
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['wɚ]
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Verb
-
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
“John is rich”
“This is not a good answer”
-
be identical to; be someone or something
“The president of the company is John Smith”
“This is my house”
-
occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere
“Where is my umbrella?”
“The toolshed is in the back”
“What is behind this behavior?”
-
have an existence, be extant
“Is there a God?”
-
happen, occur, take place
“I lost my wallet; this was during the visit to my parents' house”
“There were two hundred people at his funeral”
“There was a lot of noise in the kitchen”
-
be identical or equivalent to
“One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!”
-
form or compose
“This money is my only income”
“The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance”
“These constitute my entire belonging”
“The children made up the chorus”
“This sum represents my entire income for a year”
“These few men comprise his entire army”
-
work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function
“He is a herpetologist”
“She is our resident philosopher”
-
represent, as of a character on stage
“Derek Jacobi was Hamlet”
-
be priced at
“These shoes cost $100”
-
have life, be alive
“Our great leader is no more”
“My grandfather lived until the end of war”
-
spend or use time
“I may be an hour”
-
to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form
“let her be”
Usage examples
- It was easy to see on the radiogram, that his bones were broken.
- Her powers were apparently a natural attribute of her race.
- What were you doing in Boston?
- Immediately after the robbers left the bank, the police were informed.
- This confused the entire field, who were taking their cue from Villeneuve.
- There were just drawings, coded instructions, and obscure texts.
- I thought you were chasing me?
- They couldn't finish the task as they weren't able to find the key
- Both the play and film were written and directed by Luis Valdez.
- The show received poor reviews and ratings were disappointing.