To talk about how someone felt or where they were in the past, use the past tense of the verb vera (to be).
| Pronoun | Past Tense |
|---|---|
| Ég (I) | var |
| Þú (You sg.) | varst |
| Hann/Hún/Það (He/She/It) | var |
| Við (We) | vorum |
| Þið (You pl.) | voruð |
| Þeir/Þær/Þau (They) | voru |
Describing Singular Subjects
Use var or varst to describe a single person or thing. Note that descriptive adjectives still change to match the gender of the subject. Time expressions like í gær (yesterday) and áðan (earlier) are often used to anchor the sentence.
| I was angry yesterday. | Ég var reiður í gær. |
| Yesterday the weather was cold. | Í gær var veðrið kalt. |
To ask a question, simply swap the verb and the subject, just like in the present tense.
| Were you sad earlier? | Varst þú leiður áðan? |
Describing Plural Subjects
When talking about multiple people or things, use the plural forms: vorum, voruð, and voru.
| We were surprised earlier. | Við vorum hissa áðan. |
| Where were you earlier? | Hvar voruð þið áðan? |
| They were funny yesterday. | Þeir voru fyndnir í gær. |
Connecting Descriptions
You can link multiple past states together using conjunctions like og (and) or en (but).
| The weather was cold but the food was hot. | Veðrið var kalt en maturinn var heitur. |
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