I was going. vs I were going.

'I was going' is the proper English phrasing. The use of 'was' is appropriate for the first person singular pronoun 'I' in the past continuous tense. 'I were going' is incorrect because 'were' is used with plural subjects or in subjunctive mood.

Explained by Gregg
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 18, 2024 • 16398 views

I was going.

Correct. 'I was going' is the correct form for the first person singular pronoun 'I' in the past continuous tense.

'I was going' is used to describe an action that was ongoing in the past.

Examples:

I was going to the store when it started raining.
She said I was going too fast.
I was going to call you, but I forgot.
He was going to the gym every day last week.
We were going to have a picnic, but it rained.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 07, 2024

Nov 6, 2021 ... “I was going” is a continuous, less-defined form of the past tense. It's the imperfect form using the -ing verb.
... " I was going to" · Ask Question. Asked 7 years, 8 months ago. Modified 4 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 36k times. This question shows research effort; it ...
Jun 3, 2023 ... My wife texts me "I was going to take the kids to rehearsals with me and let them play in the lobby. They've been nice to each other today.
Oct 24, 2010 ... “I was going to pick you tomorrow from the airport” sounds perfectly fine to me. What's wrong with that?
'I was going to save everybody else in this world.' by Elizabeth Shogren, Thi Bui, Sarah Mirk and Amanda Pike June 22, 2020 June 30, 2021 ...
Aug 30, 2011 ... In English, sometimes I say "I was going to" for a future action, e.g., "Have you done X?" "No, I was going to do it when I get home.
Jun 18, 2000 ... When and if I survived the attack, I was going to make sure that he was put in prison and he was going to rot. When I went to the police ...
Jan 28, 2017 ... >> How can I remember something that I was going to Google but forgot? This happens to me all the time; literally. I am very flighty and have an ...
When I was going through my treatments, I did not have to worry about missing work because I am a teacher and since this was during the pandemic, I could be ...

I were going.

'I were going' is incorrect. 'Were' is used with plural subjects or in subjunctive mood, not with the singular pronoun 'I'.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 07, 2024

Apr 30, 2022 ... One is a past tense with intention: I was going to bake a cake, but I didn't have any eggs. One is a conditional: If I were going to kill ...
May 1, 2022 ... 269 likes, 7 comments - npcsara on May 1, 2022: "My friends and I were going out and wanted to get a group photo, so we found a guy outside ...
If I Were Going The Alice and Jerry Books Reading Foundation Series. [O'Donnell, Mabel and Carey, Alice] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers ...
Oct 21, 2019 ... If I Were Going to Get a Tattoo It Would Say . . . by J.D. Walt · Listen Now! October 22, 2019. Acts 22:10-16 (NIV). “'Get up,' the Lord said ...
Jan 3, 2023 ... GF and I were going over the definition of Space Opera. I think NMS is a Space Opera....
May 26, 2022 ... If I were going to travel with my dog, I'd take a train. As far as I know, both a versions and b versions express the future unreal conditional, ...
Oct 27, 2024 ... My husband and I were going to dress up as Jason and a camp counselor but I was going to be Jason and he was the counselor. Why are the women ...
What I Would Say If I Were Going to Catcall a Man (Which I'm Not). By Mary Cella. November 28, 2018. Stock photo of a woman and a man jogging outside.
Sep 10, 2024 ... Yeah, if I were going to make any sort of non-consensus election bet it'd be a very small EC/PV gap, like maybe 1%.

Alternatives:

I was going.
I would be going.
If I were going.
If I had been going.
I had been going.

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I was going. vs I were going.

I was going.

I were going.

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