Ketika belajar bahasa Inggris, mungkin kamu familiar dengan kata penghubung yang biasa disebut to be (is, am, are). To be memiliki bentuk lampau yang disebut was dan were yang dipakai untuk subjek maupun konteks yang berbeda.
Kesamaannya, kedua kata kerja ini digunakan untuk menyatakan kejadian yang sudah berlalu atau sudah terjadi. Namun, apa sebenarnya perbedaan was dan were? Bagaimana cara penggunaan was dan were dalam kalimat? Ini dia rangkuman singkatnya.
Was digunakan untuk subjek I, He, She, It. Sementara Were bisa dipakai untuk subjek You, We, They, Subyek jamak.
Contoh penggunaan was:
I was here tonight.
While I was reading a book, my cat was sleeping on my lap
He was healthy last night.
Contoh penggunaan were:
They were my best friend.
Cakes were her favorite dessert.
Were you satisfied with the explanation?
Were biasanya digunakan untuk kalimat-kalimat subjunctive atau pengandaian. Kalimat dengan kata were menyatakan sebab akibat dari suatu hal. Seandainya seseorang melakukan suatu hal di masa lalu, maka ia akan menjadi apa di kemudian hari.
Sementara was digunakan untuk menunjukkan suatu fakta. Kalimat dengan was menandakan bahwa benar kejadian itu sudah terjadi di masa lalu.
Contoh:
I wish you were here. (Aku berharap kamu ada di sini)
If you were good at budgeting, then you could be a rich girl now. (Kalau kamu lebih baik dalam mengelola uang, maka kamu bisa jadi perempuan kaya)
When i was a child, i wanted to be a doctor. (Saat aku masih kecil, aku ingin menjadi dokter)
Was dan were dapat digunakan untuk kalimat past tense dan past continuous tense.
Contoh dalam kalimat past tense:
She was studying yesterday. (past tense)
They were excited about the news. (past continuous tense)
Contoh dalam kalimat positif (Subjek + was/were + complement (kata sifat, kata benda, atau frasa keterangan)):
I was happy to see you.
We were childhood friends from the same neighborhood.
Contoh dalam kalimat negatif (Subjek + was/were + not + complement):
I was not ready for the exam.
They weren't convinced by the explanation.
Contoh dalam kalimat tanya (was/were + subject + complement + ?):
Was it raining when you arrived?
How was your experience in Indonesia?
Why were they late for the appointment?
Contoh kalimat yang menggunakan there untuk menyatakan keberadaan suatu hal di masa lalu.
There were many question that i didn't answer.
There was an apple on your dining table.
Itulah sedikit ulasan singkat tentang perbedaan was dan were. Mungkin kamu bisa langsung coba membuat beberapa kalimat menggunakan was dan were supaya lebih paham.