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.

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Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 18, 2024 • 16375 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 [+]

I could be happier where I was going.
I neglected to tell anyone where I was going.
And I had no idea where I was going. I had no idea.
I had decided to leave anyway, even without Marina even without money, without any idea where I was going.
I just felt like I Knew where I was going.
Four years, three months and two days ago, I had no idea who the hell I was or where I was going.
I thought I knew where I was going.
Look, I told work exactly where I was going.
Nobody at my station knew where I was going.
He said he wanted me to be ready to leave town and not tell anybody where I was going.
Although this time I had at least found a novel way of seeing where I was going.
The day I met you on that train, I didn't know where I was going.
Basically, in spite of all the mirrors, I couldn't see where I was going.
What I was, where I was going.
I walked the streets all that day, not knowing where I was going.
I'd walked away from Jim... didn't really know where I was going.
When I couldn't take it any longer, I ran out of the subway station and walked wherever I was going.
I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going.
I just didn't choose to tell him where I was going.
I could only see a few inches in front of my face, so I literally didn't know where I was going.

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 [+]

Jan 14, 2010 ... Afghan Whigs - If I Were Going. TruSvervegianFlower. SubscribeSubscribed Unsubscribe 191191. Loading... Loading... Working... Add to ...
"If I Were Going". What should I tell her? She's going to ask. If I ignore it, it gets uncomfortable. She'll want to argue about the past. Still I think she believes me
Apr 9, 2014 ... up vote 0 down vote favorite. Is this sentence correct: If I were going to simply. grammar verbs tenses · share|improve this question · edited Apr ...
Sep 25, 2011 ... If I were going to Antarctica, I'd go with my best friend. (I am not going to ..... So, I would never say "I were" (going to the store, having a nap, etc).

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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