Are vs. Were: Know the Difference

By Shumaila Saeed || Published on January 11, 2024

"Are" is the present tense plural form of "to be," used for current states or actions, while "were" is the past tense plural form, used for past states or actions.

Key Differences

"Are" is present tense, plural, indicating a current state or action. "Were" is past tense, plural, referring to a state or action in the past.

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Jan 11, 2024

Sentences with "are" describe current conditions ("They are happy"), while "were" describes past conditions ("They were happy").

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"Are" is used with plural subjects in the present tense. "Were" is used with plural subjects in the past tense, and with singular subjects in the subjunctive mood.

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"Are" does not appear in the subjunctive mood. "Were" is used in the subjunctive for hypothetical or unreal situations ("If I were you...").

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Both "are" and "were" are forms of the verb "to be," adapting to different tenses and subjects.

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Comparison Chart

Tense

Present

Past

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Subject Agreement

Plural subjects

Plural subjects and singular in subjunctive mood

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Example Usage

"They are going to the store."

"They were at the store yesterday."

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Subjunctive Mood

Not used

Used for hypotheticals ("If I were...")

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Indicative of

Current state or action

Past state or action

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Are and Were Definitions

Are

Existence

There are four apples in the basket.

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Were

Past Tense Plural Verb

They were classmates.

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Are

Condition

The lights are bright.

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Were

Condition in Past

The streets were crowded yesterday.

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Are

Second person singular and plural and first and third person plural present indicative of be.

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Were

Past State of Being

The keys were in the drawer.

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Are

A metric unit of area equal to 100 square meters (119.6 square yards).

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Were

Past Action

We were walking in the park.

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Are

Inflection of be

Mary, where are you going?

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Were

Hypothetical Situation

If I were a bird, I'd fly high.

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Are

Inflection of be

We are not coming.

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Were

Second person singular and plural and first and third person plural past indicative of be.

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Are

Inflection of be

Mary and John, are you listening?

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Were

Past subjunctive of be. See Usage Notes at if, wish.

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Are

Inflection of be

They are here somewhere.

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Were

Inflection of be

John, you were the only person to see him.

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Are

Inflection of be

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Were

Inflection of be

We were about to leave.

Mary and John, you were right.

They were a fine group.

They were to be the best of friends from that day on.

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Are

(rare) An accepted (but deprecated and rarely used) metric unit of area equal to 100 square metres, or a former unit of approximately the same extent. Symbol: a.

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Were

Inflection of be

I wish that it were Sunday.

I wish that I were with you.

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Are

Misspelling of our

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Were

(Northern England) be.

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Are

The present indicative plural of the substantive verb to be; but etymologically a different word from be, or was. Am, art, are, and is, all come from the root as.

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Were

(fandom) The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf.

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Are

The unit of superficial measure, being a square of which each side is ten meters in length; 100 square meters, or about 119.6 square yards.

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Were

To wear. See 3d Wear.

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Are

A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters

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Were

To guard; to protect.

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Are

Present Tense Plural Verb

They are friends.

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Were

A weir. See Weir.

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Are

State of Being

The books are on the table.

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Were

A man.

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Are

Current Action

The students are studying now.

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Were

A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's life; weregild.

Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were.

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Were

The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be. See Be.

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Repeatedly Asked Queries

When do you use 'are'?

With plural subjects in the present tense.

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What is 'were'?

Past tense plural form of "to be."

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Can 'were' be used with singular subjects?

Yes, in the subjunctive mood.

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Is 'are' used in questions?

Yes, in present tense questions.

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Is 'were' used in past tense questions?

Yes, it is.

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Can 'are' indicate location?

Yes, as in "They are here."

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Can 'were' indicate past location?

Yes, as in "They were there."

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What is 'are'?

Present tense plural form of "to be."

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When do you use 'were'?

With plural subjects in the past tense.

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Can 'were' be used with "I"?

Yes, in the subjunctive mood.

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Does 'were' change in third person?

No, it remains "were."

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Is 'are' used in the subjunctive mood?

No, it is not.

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Example of 'were' in a question?

"Were you at the party?"

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Does 'are' change in third person?

No, it remains "are."

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Can 'are' be used with "I"?

No, use "am" instead.

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Example of 'are' in a question?

"Are you coming?"

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How is 'were' used in a sentence?

To describe past states or actions.

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Can 'were' be used for future tense?

No, it's strictly past tense.

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How is 'are' used in a sentence?

As a main verb or auxiliary verb.

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Is 'are' ever used in past tense?

No, it's only present tense.

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Jan 11, 2024

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Written by

Shumaila Saeed

Shumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.

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