However, the copula verb be has two past tense forms: was for the first and third persons singular, and were in other instances.
[1] The form were can also be used in place of was in conditional clauses and the like;[6] for information on this, see English subjunctive.
[7] The same can apply to states, if temporary (e.g. the ball was lying on the sidewalk), but some stative verbs do not generally use the progressive aspect at all, typically verbs of mental states (know, believe, need), of emotional states (love, dislike, prefer), of possession (have, own), of senses (hear) and some others (consist, exist, promise) – see Uses of English verb forms § Progressive – and in these cases the simple past is used even for a temporary state: However, with verbs of sensing, it is common in such circumstances to use could see in place of saw, could hear in place of heard, etc.
Various compound constructions exist for denoting past habitual action.
The sentence When I was young, I played football every Saturday might alternatively be phrased using used to (...