Anonymous  +  668935 Tue, 10 Feb 09 02:30 PM Hi, i think it's a simple question to most, but the past tense stuffs always get me... If the person is still alive (say he/she is 65 years old), do i use: He/she is born on *** or He/she was born on *** thanks in advance! Anonymous Tenses, Past Tenses

	Grammar Geek  +  668939 Tue, 10 Feb 09 02:36 PM Anonymous “Hi, i think it's a simple question to most, but the past tense stuffs always get me... If the person is still alive (say he/she is 65 years old), do i use: He/she is born on *** or He/she was born on *** thanks in advance! ” Because you are only born once,* in English use the past to talk about it. I was born in 1966. I was born in May 1966. I was born on May 23, 1966. However because I'm still alive, my birthday IS May 23. * Religious apsects not withstanding Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Tenses, Past Tenses, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Languages

	myeung  +  668972 Tue, 10 Feb 09 03:33 PM but ...i were born that i saw in the past. if i change the word "was"to "were" ..is it still correct? myeung Joined on Sun, Dec 28 2008 USA New Member 20

	Grammar Geek  +  668976 Tue, 10 Feb 09 03:41 PM myeung “but ...i were born that i saw in the past. if i change the word "was"to "were" ..is it still correct? ” In simple past, it's "I was" and "you were." In the subjunctive, it's "If I were." "If only I were born rich, instead of beautiful!" --- Anon, you might enjoy this: A: When is your birthday? B: May 23 A: What year? B: My birthday is May 23 every year! A: No, silly, what year were you born? B: I was born in 1966.   Grammar Geek Simple Past, Subjunctives, Past Tenses, Simple Tenses

	Yankee  +  668977 Tue, 10 Feb 09 03:44 PM Hi Myeung You can say these, for example: - I was born on January 22, 1990. - My brother was born in 1988. - You were born a year earlier than I was. - My brothers were born on the same day -- they're twins. Do you remember any of the specific sentences in which you saw "I were born"?  Generally speaking, the only time you will see "I were" is in a conditional sentence, or perhaps an "I wish" sentence. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,502 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain Conditionals, Sentences, Speaking, Chat, Friendships

	Philip  +  668984 Tue, 10 Feb 09 03:51 PM Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the speakers of English used the verb to be to conjugate a few verbs in the present perfect tense.  This was a result of French domination after 1066.  A few examples still exist and appear primarily in biblical contexts:  "He is born, he is risen".  Other than these few examples, we have discarded the use of to be instead of to have for this conjugation, and we are living happily ever after. Philip Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005 Veteran Member 8,738 At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen Tenses, Present Tenses, Present Perfect, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Languages