Was and were are the past of the verb to be (am, is, are). They are some of the most useful words in English: you need them to say where you were, how you felt and what something was like.Was e were são o passado do verbo to be (am, is, are). Estão entre as palavras mais úteis do inglês: você precisa delas para dizer onde estava, como se sentia e como algo era.
A1 Affirmative: was or were?
In the present, the verb to be has three forms: am, is and are. In the past, it has only two. Am and is become was. Are becomes were. That’s all.No presente, o verbo to be tem três formas: am, is e are. No passado, tem só duas. Am e is viram was. Are vira were. É só isso.
| Present | Past | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I am | I was | I was at home. |
| you are | you were | You were late. |
| he / she / it is | he / she / it was | She was happy. |
| we are | we were | We were at school. |
| they are | they were | They were tired. |
Remember: you always takes were, even when you talk to one person. “You were great, Lucas!” is correct; “You was great” is wrong.Lembre-se: you sempre leva were, mesmo quando você fala com uma só pessoa. “You were great, Lucas!” está certo; “You was great” está errado.
- I was at the gym yesterday. (Eu estava na academia ontem.)
- My mother was a nurse. (Minha mãe era enfermeira.)
- The party was fantastic. (A festa foi incrível.)
- We were in Florianópolis last weekend. (Nós estávamos em Florianópolis no fim de semana passado.)
- My friends were very nice to me. (Meus amigos foram muito legais comigo.)
Teacher’s tip
In Portuguese, the past of “ser” and “estar” has many forms: era, foi, estava, esteve, fui, fomos, estavam… In English, all of them are just was or were. “Eu estava cansado”, “eu era tímido” and “a aula foi boa” all use was.Em português, o passado de “ser” e “estar” tem muitas formas: era, foi, estava, esteve, fui, fomos, estavam… Em inglês, tudo isso é só was ou were. “Eu estava cansado”, “eu era tímido” e “a aula foi boa” usam was.
A1 Negative: wasn’t and weren’t
To make the negative, put not after was or were. In conversation, we almost always use the short forms wasn’t (was not) and weren’t (were not). We do not use “didn’t” with the verb to be.Para fazer a negativa, coloque not depois de was ou were. Na conversa, quase sempre usamos as formas curtas wasn’t (was not) e weren’t (were not). Não usamos “didn’t” com o verbo to be.
- I wasn’t at school on Monday. (Eu não estava na escola na segunda.)
- The test wasn’t difficult. (A prova não foi difícil.)
- They weren’t at home when I called. (Eles não estavam em casa quando eu liguei.)
- We weren’t hungry after lunch. (Nós não estávamos com fome depois do almoço.)
Rule
The verb to be does not need an auxiliary. To make negatives and questions, we move or change only was and were. Never say “I didn’t was” or “Did you were?”.O verbo to be não precisa de auxiliar. Para fazer negativas e perguntas, mexemos só no was e no were. Nunca diga “I didn’t was” ou “Did you were?”.
A1 Questions and short answers
For yes/no questions, put was or were before the subject. In short answers, repeat was or were; do not repeat the main information.Nas perguntas de sim ou não, coloque was ou were antes do sujeito. Nas respostas curtas, repita was ou were; não repita a informação principal.
| Question | Português | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Was the movie good? | O filme foi bom? | Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t. |
| Were you at the party? | Você estava na festa? | Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t. |
| Was Mariana sick? | A Mariana estava doente? | Yes, she was. / No, she wasn’t. |
| Were your parents at home? | Seus pais estavam em casa? | Yes, they were. / No, they weren’t. |
Note the answer to “Were you…?” When “you” is one person, the answer is “Yes, I was”. When “you” means a group, the answer is “Yes, we were”.Repare na resposta para “Were you…?”. Quando “you” é uma pessoa, a resposta é “Yes, I was”. Quando “you” é um grupo, a resposta é “Yes, we were”.
Wh- questions
For information questions, put the question word first: Where, When, Who, How, Why, What. Then was or were, then the subject.Nas perguntas de informação, coloque primeiro a palavra interrogativa: Where, When, Who, How, Why, What. Depois was ou were, e então o sujeito.
- Where were you last night? (Onde você estava ontem à noite?)
- How was your trip to Ouro Preto? (Como foi sua viagem a Ouro Preto?)
- Why were they angry? (Por que eles estavam bravos?)
- Who was your first English teacher? (Quem foi seu primeiro professor de inglês?)
A1 Useful expressions with was and were
Some everyday expressions use the verb to be in English, but a different verb in Portuguese. Learn them as blocks.Algumas expressões do dia a dia usam o verbo to be em inglês, mas outro verbo em português. Aprenda como blocos.
- I was born in Piracicaba. (Eu nasci em Piracicaba.)
- She was 18 when she started college. (Ela tinha 18 anos quando começou a faculdade.)
- We were cold and hungry after the hike. (Estávamos com frio e com fome depois da trilha.)
- There were thirty students in the class. (Havia trinta alunos na turma.)
- There was a problem with my ticket. (Houve um problema com a minha passagem.)
There was
Use it with one thing or with uncountable nouns.Use com uma coisa só ou com substantivos incontáveis.
There was a cat on the roof. (Tinha um gato no telhado.)
There were
Use it with two or more things.Use com duas ou mais coisas.
There were two cats on the roof. (Tinha dois gatos no telhado.)
Note
Age and feelings like hunger, cold and fear use the verb to be in English. In Portuguese we say “eu tinha 10 anos” or “eu estava com fome”, but in English it is “I was 10” and “I was hungry”, never “I had 10 years”.Idade e sensações como fome, frio e medo usam o verbo to be em inglês. Em português dizemos “eu tinha 10 anos” ou “eu estava com fome”, mas em inglês é “I was 10” e “I was hungry”, nunca “I had 10 years”.
Common Mistakes
Watch out
✗ You was very kind. ✓ You were very kind.“You” sempre usa were, mesmo no singular.
✗ I didn’t was at home. ✓ I wasn’t at home.O verbo to be não usa did; a negativa é wasn’t ou weren’t.
✗ Did you were at school? ✓ Were you at school?Na pergunta, basta colocar were antes do sujeito.
✗ I had 12 years in 2015. ✓ I was 12 in 2015.Idade em inglês usa o verbo to be, não “have”.
✗ I born in Recife. ✓ I was born in Recife.“Nascer” em inglês é “be born”, então precisa de was ou were.
Quick Summary
| Form | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it was | He was at work. | Ele estava no trabalho. |
| you / we / they were | We were in Rio. | Nós estávamos no Rio. |
| wasn’t / weren’t | It wasn’t expensive. | Não foi caro. |
| Was / Were + subject? | Were they nice? | Eles foram legais? |
| there was / there were | There were many people. | Havia muitas pessoas. |
Practice Time
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