Was y were son las formas de pasado (Past Simple) del verbo to be. Se usan para describir cómo eran o estaban las cosas en el pasado: dónde estabas, cómo te sentías, qué tiempo hacía o cuántos años tenía alguien. Son de las palabras más frecuentes del inglés, así que usarlas bien marca una gran diferencia.
La buena noticia: solo hay dos formas que aprender, y la elección entre ellas depende únicamente del sujeto.
¿Cuándo usamos was y were?
Usa was y were para hablar de personas, cosas, lugares, situaciones y estados en el pasado; en resumen, siempre que el verbo principal sea to be:
- Lugar: I was at home yesterday.
- Sentimientos: She was really happy.
- Edad: She was five years old then.
- Tiempo (clima): It was cold last night.
- Descripción: The film was boring.
¿Was o were? Elige según el sujeto
La regla básica es sencilla: usa was con sujetos en singular y were con sujetos en plural.
| Sujeto | Número | Forma | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | singular | was | I was tired. |
| he / she / it | singular | was | She was at work. |
| we | plural | were | We were late. |
| they | plural | were | They were friends. |
| you | singular o plural | were | You were right. |
Solo hay una excepción: you siempre lleva were, tanto si se refiere a una persona como a varias, igual que en presente siempre lleva are (you are → you were).
Dicho de otro modo: I, he, she, it → was y you, we, they → were.
A diferencia del español: el inglés no separa ser y estar — was / were cubre los dos (era y estaba). Y el verbo no cambia con la persona: solo singular (was) y plural (were).
Cómo formar la negación
Para formar la negación, solo añade not después de was o were. En el inglés cotidiano casi siempre se usan las formas contraídas wasn't y weren't.
- I wasn't hungry. (was not)
- They weren't at school. (were not)
- It wasn't easy.
- We weren't ready.
Cómo hacer preguntas
Para hacer una pregunta, coloca was o were delante del sujeto:
- Was she at the party?
- Were you tired?
- Where were they last night?
- Why was he late?
En las respuestas cortas se repite was o were:
- "Were you happy?" — "Yes, I was." / "No, I wasn't."
- "Was it good?" — "Yes, it was." / "No, it wasn't."
There was y there were
Usa there was para una sola cosa (singular) y there were para varias (plural):
- There was a problem with the car. (un problema)
- There were lots of people there. (mucha gente)
- There wasn't any milk in the fridge.
- There weren't any tickets left.
Los sustantivos incontables —como water, traffic o money— también llevan was, aunque haya mucha cantidad:
- There was some water on the floor.
- There was a lot of traffic this morning.
En el habla informal puedes oír There was lots of people … con plural, pero en un inglés cuidado usa There were para el plural.
Expresiones de tiempo pasado frecuentes
Was y were aparecen a menudo con palabras que señalan un tiempo terminado:
yesterday · last night · last week · last year · two days ago · when I was a child
- I was busy yesterday.
- They were here last week.
- She was shy when she was a child.
Errores comunes
- ❌ You was late. → ✅ You were late. (you siempre lleva were)
- ❌ We was happy. → ✅ We were happy.
- ❌ There were a car outside. → ✅ There was a car outside. (un coche → was)
- ❌ Was you at home? → ✅ Were you at home?
Comprobación rápida
Elige was o were:
- The weather ____ beautiful yesterday.
- My parents ____ born in Italy.
- ____ you at the meeting?
- There ____ three messages for you.
Mostrar respuestas
- was 2. were 3. Were 4. were
Ideas clave
- Was y were son el pasado simple de to be: úsalos para hablar de personas, cosas, lugares, situaciones y estados en el pasado.
- I / he / she / it → was y you / we / they → were.
- Negación: wasn't y weren't. Pregunta: was / were va primero.
- There was para una sola cosa, there were para varias.