Word · Frequency #2
were
/biː/
verb
助动词
were is the past of be (irregular).
As an auxiliary verb:
- 1.
As an auxiliary verb:
作为助动词
- 2.
As a copulative verb:
作为系动词
- 3.
As an intransitive lexical verb:
作为不及物词汇动词
系动词；不及物动词；作为助动词；作为系动词；作为不及物词汇动词
In use
She is a teacher.
They were happy yesterday.
I am ready for the exam.
be + adjective
系表结构，表示状态或特征。
She is happy.
她很高兴。
be + noun phrase
表示身份或类别。
He is a doctor.
他是一名医生。
be + prepositional phrase
表示位置或地点。
They are in the park.
他们在公园里。
there be + noun phrase
存在句，表示某处有某物。
Connections
Collocations
- be about to
- 即将
- I was about to leave when the phone rang.我正要离开时电话响了。
- be afraid of
- 害怕
- She is afraid of spiders.她害怕蜘蛛。
- be aware of
- 意识到
- He was not aware of the danger.他没有意识到危险。
- be interested in
- 对…感兴趣
- Are you interested in music?你对音乐感兴趣吗？
- be responsible for
- 对…负责
- Who is responsible for this project?谁对这个项目负责？
- be supposed to
- 应该
Learner notes
Memory Tip
想象蜜蜂（bee）说'我是（be）蜜蜂'，记住be表示'是'和'存在'。
Context & Register
释义：是，成为；存在。语境：任何场合（正式/非正式）。语域：中性。注释：be动词是最基础的系动词，适用于所有语境。
Grammar Note
系动词，连接主语和表语
Pronunciation & Spelling
All these words rhyme with 'be' /biː/: they share the same long vowel /iː/ sound. Watch out for words spelled similarly but pronounced differently, like 'bed' (/bed/) or 'bet' (/bet/).
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 5，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.