Use of Was/Were
Definitions
Was:
The form “was” is used with singular subjects in the past tense. This includes:- I (e.g., I was tired.)
- He/She/It (e.g., She was happy.)
- Singular nouns (e.g., The cat was asleep.)
Were:
The form “were” is used with plural subjects and also with “you” (even when “you” refers to a single person). This includes:- You (e.g., You were late.)
- We/They (e.g., We were excited.)
- Plural nouns (e.g., The dogs were barking.)
Usage Rules
- Singular Subjects:
- Use “was” with subjects like I, he, she, it, or any singular noun.
- Example: “I was at home.”
- Use “was” with subjects like I, he, she, it, or any singular noun.
- Plural Subjects & “You”:
- Use “were” with subjects like we, they, and you.
- Example: “They were at the park.”
- Use “were” with subjects like we, they, and you.
- Subjunctive Mood (Hypothetical Situations):
- In hypothetical or unreal situations, “were” is used for all subjects.
- Example: “If I were rich, I would travel the world.”
- In hypothetical or unreal situations, “were” is used for all subjects.
- Negative and Question Forms:
- The forms remain the same. For example, “Was he there?” or “They were not happy.”
Examples in a Table (Hindi to English)
Below is a table that provides examples of sentences in Hindi and their English translations using “was” and “were”:
| Hindi Sentence | English Translation | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| मैं स्कूल में था। | I was at school. | “I” is singular, so we use “was”. |
| वह खुश थी। (for a female) | She was happy. | “She” is singular, so we use “was”. |
| यह किताब रोचक थी। (referring to one book) | This book was interesting. | “This book” is singular, so we use “was”. |
| तुम बाज़ार में थे। | You were in the market. | “You” is used with “were” regardless of singular/plural form. |
| हम घर पर थे। | We were at home. | “We” is plural, so we use “were”. |
| वे लोग बाजार में थे। | They were in the market. | “They” is plural, so we use “were”. |
| अगर मैं अमीर होता/होती, तो मैं दुनिया घूमता/घूमती। | If I were rich, I would travel the world. | In hypothetical situations, “were” is used for all subjects (subjunctive mood). |
Summary
- “Was” is used with singular subjects (I, he, she, it, singular nouns).
- “Were” is used with plural subjects (we, they) and with “you” (regardless of whether it is singular or plural).
- In the subjunctive mood for hypothetical conditions, always use “were”.
Understanding the use of “was” and “were” helps in constructing correct past tense sentences, whether you are describing what happened in the past or imagining hypothetical situations.
Feel free to ask if you need more examples or further clarification!
| S.No. | Hindi Sentence | English Translation | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | मैं घर में था। | I was at home. | “I” is singular; therefore, was is used. |
| 2 | वह स्कूल में था। | He was at school. | “He” is singular. |
| 3 | वह स्कूल में थी। | She was at school. | “She” is singular. |
| 4 | यह किताब रोचक थी। | This book was interesting. | “This book” is a singular noun. |
| 5 | तुम बाज़ार में थे। | You were in the market. | “You” always takes were (singular or plural). |
| 6 | हम कल पार्टी में थे। | We were at the party yesterday. | “We” is plural. |
| 7 | वे पार्क में थे। | They were in the park. | “They” is plural. |
| 8 | अगर मैं अमीर होता, तो मैं यात्रा करता। | If I were rich, I would travel. | Hypothetical condition (subjunctive mood) always uses were. |
| 9 | अगर वह डॉक्टर होती, तो वह मरीजों की सहायता करती। | If she were a doctor, she would help patients. | Hypothetical situation (subjunctive mood). |
| 10 | वह कल छुट्टी पर थी। | She was on leave yesterday. | Singular subject. |
| 11 | बच्चे खेल रहे थे। | The children were playing. | “Children” is plural. |
| 12 | मैं वहाँ नहीं था। | I was not there. | Negative sentence with singular subject. |
| 13 | वे वहाँ नहीं थे। | They were not there. | Negative sentence with plural subject. |
| 14 | क्या तुम वहाँ थे? | Were you there? | Question form with “you.” |
| 15 | क्या वह यहाँ था? | Was he here? | Question form with a singular subject. |
| 16 | मेरा मोबाइल काम नहीं कर रहा था। | My phone was not working. | Negative sentence describing a past state. |
| 17 | उस समय, मौसम खराब था। | At that time, the weather was bad. | Describing a past condition (singular noun “weather”). |
| 18 | हमारी कार पुरानी थी। | Our car was old. | “Car” is singular. |
| 19 | उनकी किताबें यहाँ थीं। | Their books were here. | “Books” is plural. |
| 20 | उस जगह पर भीड़ थी। | There was a crowd at that place. | “Crowd” is a collective noun treated as singular. |
| 21 | मेरी बहन वहाँ थी। | My sister was there. | Singular subject. |
| 22 | मेरे दोस्त वहाँ थे। | My friends were there. | Plural subject. |
| 23 | क्या आप खुश थे? | Were you happy? | Question form with “you.” |
| 24 | वह कॉलेज में था। | He was in college. | Singular subject. |
| 25 | ये मेरे पुराने दोस्त थे। | These were my old friends. | Plural subject (“friends”). |
| 26 | जब मैं छोटा था, तब मैं खेला करता था। | When I was young, I used to play. | Describes past state (singular subject). |
| 27 | हम स्कूल में बहुत अच्छे थे। | We were very good in school. | Plural subject. |
| 28 | यह परीक्षा आसान थी। | The exam was easy. | “Exam” is singular. |
| 29 | वे लोग बहुत मेहनती थे। | Those people were very hardworking. | Plural subject. |
| 30 | मेरा पिता वहाँ था। | My father was there. | Singular subject. |
| 31 | मेरी माँ यहाँ थी। | My mother was here. | Singular subject. |
| 32 | तुम्हारे भाई वहाँ थे। | Your brothers were there. | Plural subject. |
| 33 | हमारा घर वहाँ था। | Our house was there. | “House” is singular. |
| 34 | वह अकेला था। | He was alone. | Singular subject. |
| 35 | बच्चे खुश थे। | The children were happy. | Plural subject. |
| 36 | क्या तुम कल ऑफिस में थे? | Were you in the office yesterday? | Question form with plural/singular “you.” |
| 37 | मेरा कुत्ता बीमार था। | My dog was sick. | Singular subject. |
| 38 | उनकी पुरानी कार बहुत सुंदर थी। | Their old car was very beautiful. | “Car” is singular. |
| 39 | इस जगह पर बहुत लोग थे। | There were many people at this place. | Plural subject. |
| 40 | कल रात, सब शांत थे। | Last night, everyone was quiet. | “Everyone” is treated as singular in meaning, but can imply a group; here, was is standard. |
| 41 | मेरा परिवार यहाँ था। | My family was here. | Collective noun treated as singular. |
| 42 | ये किताबें बहुत रोचक थीं। | These books were very interesting. | Plural subject. |
| 43 | वह मेरा सबसे अच्छा दोस्त था। | He was my best friend. | Singular subject. |
| 44 | वह मेरी सबसे अच्छी सहेली थी। | She was my best friend. | Singular subject. |
| 45 | जब हम बच्चे थे, तब हम खेलते थे। | When we were children, we used to play. | Plural subject. |
| 46 | तुम्हारा कुत्ता वहाँ था। | Your dog was there. | Singular subject. |
| 47 | क्या वह कल घर में था? | Was he at home yesterday? | Question form with singular subject. |
| 48 | अगर मैं वहाँ होता, तो मैं तुम्हें मिलता। | If I were there, I would have met you. | Hypothetical condition (subjunctive mood). |
| 49 | अगर हम जल्दी पहुँचते, तो हम वहाँ होते। | If we had reached early, we would have been there. | Hypothetical condition with a plural subject. |
| 50 | उसने कहा कि वह खुश थी। | She said that she was happy. | Reported speech using a singular subject. |
Each example shows how “was” is used with singular subjects (or in certain cases like collective nouns and the subjunctive mood for hypothetical statements) and “were” with plural subjects, the pronoun “you,” or in hypothetical situations.
