Were is the past tense form of the verb to be, used with plural subjects and with the pronoun you. When you say “they were happy” or “we were ready,” you're describing a state that existed in the past.

The word appears constantly in stories and conversations about things that have already happened. “The students were excited about the field trip.” “You were right about the answer.” “My friends and I were playing basketball when it started raining.”

Were also shows up in a special way when we imagine things that aren't true or haven't happened yet. When you say “If I were a bird, I could fly,” you're using what grammarians call the subjunctive mood. Notice how we say “If I were” instead of “If I was,” even though “I” normally takes “was” in the past tense. This signals that we're talking about something imaginary or contrary to reality.

The same pattern appears in wishes: “I wish I were taller” or “She acts as if she were the teacher.” In each case, were helps express something hypothetical or wishful rather than an actual fact.