Where Were You Yesterday? — Teacher Edition

1

Listening

10 minutes

Say to student:

"A detective is asking someone about last night. Let's listen — it's a little funny!"

Dialogue: Police interrogation. Light humor.

Detective and Suspect

Here is the text from the listening. Read along and check your answers.

Where were you last night at 10 o'clock?

I was at home.

Were you alone?

No, I wasn't. I was with my wife.

Where was your wife at 9 o'clock?

She was in the kitchen.

And the children? Where were they?

They were in bed.

or click any bubble to hear one line

Comprehension:

1. Where was the suspect?

2. Was he alone?

3. Where were the children?

2

Language Focus

12 minutes

Grammar: was/were — past of be

Form	Structure
Affirmative	I was at home.,She was at work.,We were at the park.,They were at school.
Negative	I wasn't at work.,He wasn't at home.,They weren't at school.,We weren't alone.
Interrogative	Were you at home?,Was she at work?,Where were they?,Was it cold yesterday?

Common Errors

I were at home. → I was at home.
I + WAS (not were). You/we/they + WERE.

Where you were yesterday? → Where were you yesterday?
Questions: WERE + subject. Where WERE YOU yesterday?

Explicação (PT-BR):
WAS = passado de AM e IS (I was, he/she/it was). WERE = passado de ARE (you were, we were, they were). Negativo: wasn't / weren't. Perguntas: Was I...? Were you...? Mesma logica do presente (am/is/are), so que no passado.

3

Practice

15 minutes

Watch for:
- I were / You was — ERRO CLASSICO. Repetir: I WAS, you WERE. Fazer paralelo: I AM → I WAS, you ARE → you WERE.
- Word order in questions: 'Where you were?' → 'Where WERE YOU?' Inversao sujeito-verbo.
- Prepositions: AT home/work/school, IN bed/the kitchen, ON the bus. Brasileiro traduz tudo por 'no/na'.
- Was/were sao o primeiro contato com o PASSADO. Manter simples: focar em localizacao (where?), nao em acoes (what did you do?).
- Yesterday, last night, last weekend: praticar estas expressoes de tempo. Colocar no quadro.
- Pronunciation: wasn't /wɒzənt/ (o T e quase mudo). weren't /wɜːrnt/.

Present → Past: am/is/are → was/were

Rewrite the sentences in the past.

1. I am at home. → I at home yesterday.

2. She is at work. → She at work yesterday.

3. You are at school. → You at school yesterday.

4. They are in the park. → They in the park yesterday.

5. He is in bed. → He in bed last night.

6. We are on the bus. → We on the bus this morning.

Answer Key:
1. was
2. was
3. were
4. were
5. was
6. were

Prepositions: at / in / on

Complete with AT, IN, or ON.

1. I was home.

2. She was work.

3. He was the kitchen.

4. I was bed.

5. We were the bus.

6. They were school.

Answer Key:
1. at
2. at
3. in
4. in
5. on
6. at

Was / Were in Context

Complete with was, were, wasn't, or weren't.

1. Where you last weekend?

2. I at the beach.

3. she at work yesterday?

4. No, she . She at home.

5. The children at school. It was Sunday.

6. it cold last night? Yes, it .

Answer Key:
1. were
2. was
3. Was
4. wasn't, was
5. weren't
6. Was, was

The Alibi Game

The teacher is a detective. You need an alibi! Answer where you were at each time.

Scenario:

A detective is questioning you about last weekend. You need to say where you were at different times.

Useful Expressions

I was at ___.I wasn't at ___.I was with ___.I was alone.I was in ___.

Round 1 — Saturday morning

TEACHER (detective): Where were you on Saturday morning?
YOU: I was at home. / I was at the gym.
TEACHER: Were you alone?
YOU: No, I was with my family. / Yes, I was alone.
TEACHER: Interesting...

Round 2 — Saturday night

TEACHER: And where were you on Saturday night?
YOU: I was at a restaurant. / I was at home.
TEACHER: Were you with someone?
YOU: Yes, I was with my friend. / No, I was alone.
TEACHER: Hmm. And what time were you in bed?
YOU: I was in bed at 11pm.

Round 3 — Sunday afternoon

TEACHER: Where were you on Sunday afternoon?
YOU: I was at the park. / I was at a friend's house.
TEACHER: Were you on the bus at 3pm?
YOU: No, I wasn't on the bus. I was at home!
TEACHER: OK, your alibi checks out! You're free to go.

Round 4 — Reversal: You are the detective

YOU (detective): Where were you last night?
TEACHER: I was at home.
YOU: Were you alone?
TEACHER: No, I was with my family.
YOU: Where were you at 10pm?
TEACHER: I was in bed!
YOU: Hmm... interesting!

4

Let's Talk

13 minutes

Let's Talk!

Use what you learned today to answer these questions. Elaborate as much as you can!

Talking about where you were at different times in the recent past.

1. Where were you yesterday evening?

Follow-up: Were you alone or with someone?

Target: I was at home / at work / at a restaurant.

Expected answer: At home. / At work.

Tip: Accept the place alone ('at home') and model the full answer: 'I was at home.' Practice the was/were distinction naturally.

2. Where were you last weekend?

Follow-up: Was the weather good?

Target: I was at the park / at a friend's house / at home.

Expected answer: Home. / Park.

Tip: This is a broader question — help with time expressions (Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon). Model: 'On Saturday I was at...' Accept simple answers.

3. Were you at work last Monday?

Follow-up: What time were you at work?

Target: Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't. I was at home.

Expected answer: Yes. / No.

Tip: Practice Yes/No answers with was/were. Model full forms: 'Yes, I WAS' / 'No, I WASN'T.' Gradually add details.

Extension activity: Aluno rapido: alibi game com mais detalhes — 'I was at the restaurant with my friend João. We were there from 7 to 9pm.' Perguntar: 'Where were you on your last birthday?'

Self-Assessment

How did you do today?

✓
I can say where I was: I was at home / at work / in the kitchen.
✓
I can ask: Where were you yesterday?
✓
I can use was (I/he/she/it) and were (you/we/they) correctly.

Great work today!

Next class: Next class: we continue with the past! What did you do yesterday?