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Glite Dictionary
to wert

to wert

9.9
An old past form of be used with thou when speaking to one person
  • verb
  • Archaic
translation icon : fuiste
  • If thou wert honest, I would trust thee with my secret.

Examples

  • Thou wert a brave knight in days of old.

  • When wert thou here last summer?

  • He spoke as if wert still the king of this land.

  • Hadst thou wert present, the outcome might have changed.

  • If thou wert honest, I would trust thee with my secret.

  • Thou wert a brave knight in days of old.

  • When wert thou here last summer?

Surface Forms

wert infinitive
wert present participle
wert third person singular
were past
were past participle

Etymology

The word wert is an old past form of the verb be, used with thou, which means 'you' in older English. Think of it as the old way to say 'you were', so when you read wert it simply means 'were' addressed to thou.