Por Vahid Alaghehband
Was y were son el pasado del verbo to be (ser o estar). Se usa was con I, he, she, it y were con you, we, they. Por ejemplo: I was tired (estaba cansado) y They were at home (estaban en casa).
¿Cuándo se usa was y cuándo were?
Depende del sujeto: was va con la primera y la tercera persona del singular (I, he, she, it), y were con you y con todo el plural (we, they). Con un nombre en singular se usa was (the bus was late) y con un nombre en plural, were (the buses were late).
| Sujeto | Afirmativa | Negativa | Pregunta |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I was | I wasn't | Was I…? |
| he / she / it | she was | she wasn't | Was she…? |
| you | you were | you weren't | Were you…? |
| we / they | they were | they weren't | Were they…? |
Wasn't es la contracción de was not, y weren't, de were not.
There was y there were
Para decir «había» se usa there was con un nombre en singular o incontable y there were con un nombre en plural: There was a problem (había un problema) y There were many students (había muchos estudiantes).
¿Por qué se dice «if I were you»?
En las condicionales que imaginan algo irreal, la forma tradicional es were con todos los sujetos: If I were you, I'd take the job (yo que tú, aceptaría el trabajo). En la conversación también se oye if I was, pero en exámenes y textos formales es más seguro usar were.
Errores típicos
- They was late ✗ → They were late ✓.
- Did you were at home? ✗ → Were you at home? ✓ (con be no se usa did).
- I was went to Quito ✗ → I went to Quito ✓ (no se combina was con otro verbo en pasado).
Ejercicios con respuestas
- I ___ at home yesterday.
- They ___ very tired after the trip.
- ___ you at the party on Saturday?
- She ___ (not) happy with the result.
- There ___ a lot of people at the concert.
- If I ___ you, I'd study for the test.
Respuestas: 1. was · 2. were · 3. Were · 4. wasn't · 5. were · 6. were.
Practica el pasado hablando
Con Vozi Grammar practicas la gramática por nivel, con explicación, ejemplos y conversación por voz o por texto, y al terminar recibes correcciones de tus errores de gramática.
Conocer Vozi Grammar →Siguiente lectura: el pasado simple, el past continuous (was/were + -ing) y la lista de verbos irregulares.
Siguiente paso: si no sabes tu nivel, haz el test de nivel de inglés (unos 15 minutos, con resultado al instante). Para seguir con este tema, conoce los ejercicios de gramática inglesa por nivel de Vozi Grammar.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Cuándo se usa was y were?
Was se usa con I, he, she e it, y were con you, we y they. Los dos son el pasado del verbo to be: I was tired, they were at home.
¿Was y were significan lo mismo?
Sí: los dos son el pasado de to be y se traducen como «era/estaba» o «fue/estuvo». Solo cambia el sujeto con el que van.
¿Se dice there was o there were?
There was con un nombre en singular o incontable (there was a car) y there were con un nombre en plural (there were two cars).
¿Es correcto decir «if I was you»?
Se oye en la conversación, pero la forma más aceptada, sobre todo en exámenes y textos formales, es if I were you.
¿Cómo se hace una pregunta con was o were?
Se pone was o were antes del sujeto, sin did: Was she at school? Were they happy?
