Was vs. Were Flashcards
1
Q
the bed sheets were dirty
A
las sábanas estaban sucias
- estar because being dirty is a state (not identity) of the sheets
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the Simple Past
2
Q
it was a huge house
A
era una casa grande
- ser because being huge is part of the houses identity
- Imperfect because there is no set timeframe mentioned (Simple Past would imply the house does not exist anymore)
3
Q
I was a student at that school (not anymore)
A
fui estudiante en esa escuela
- Simple Past because of the time frame
- Ser because being a student is part of the identity
4
Q
it was easy and we achieved it
A
fue fácil y lo logramos
- Ser because of ‘it was’
- Simple Past because it is a statement
5
Q
we were partners for 10 years
A
fuimos socios por diez años
- Ser because of identity
- Simple past because of time frame
6
Q
it was her cat
A
era su gato
- Ser because of ‘it was’
- Imperfect because there is no set timeframe mentioned (Simple Past would imply the cat is dead if used)
7
Q
she was very intelligent (now dead)
A
fue muy inteligente
- Ser because of identity
- Simple Past because the specification that she is dead now
8
Q
the cup was dirty
A
la taza estaba sucia
- Estar because being dirty is a state, not identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
9
Q
the speed was very slow (normally fast)
A
la velocidad estaba muy lenta
- Estar because being slow is a state of the speed, not the identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
10
Q
it was a disappointing day
A
fue un día decepcionante
- Ser because of ‘it was’
- Simple Past because if it a statement
11
Q
I did not know who he was
A
no sabía quien era
- Ser because you know someones identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past (otherwise we’d assume he is dead)
12
Q
you were a good friend
A
eras un buen amigo
- Ser because being a good friend is identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past (otherwise we’d assume he is dead)
13
Q
it was never said
A
nunca fue dicho
- ‘Nunca’ is a trigger to use the simple past
14
Q
it was too late
A
era demasiado tarde
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
15
Q
the windows were not locked
A
las ventanas no estaban cerradas
- being locked is a state of the windows, hence ‘eastar’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
16
Q
it was almost midnight
A
era casí medianoche
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
17
Q
it was confirmed for tomorrow
A
fue confirmado para mañana
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Simple Past because we have a clear timeline
18
Q
they were married for two years
A
estuvieron casados por dos años
- estar is used for status (single vs. divorced, dead vs. alive, employed vs. retired)
- Simpel past because time frame is specified
19
Q
the container was empty
A
el contenedor estaba vacío
- estar because being empty is the state of the container
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
20
Q
it was time to make a decision
A
era hora de tomar una decisión
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
21
Q
it was sold yesterday
A
se vendió ayer
fue vendido ayer
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- There is a specific time mentioned, hence the simple past
22
Q
it was cancelled many times
A
se canceló muchas veces
fue cancelado muchas veces
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- There is a specific time mentioned, hence the simple past
23
Q
it was my mistake (statement)
A
fue mi error
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Simple past because it is a statement
24
Q
it was always locked
A
siempre estuvo cerrado
- The word ‘always’ is a trigger for the simple past
- estar because being locked is a state
25
she was like a sister to me
era como una hermana para mí
- ser because this is relating to identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past. Simple past would imply that she is dead
26
last night I was in the office until 10 o'clock
anoche estuve en la oficina hasta las diez
- estar because of location
- simple past because if time frame (Last night)
27
they were aware of the problem
estaban conscientes del problema
- We use 'estar' when we are 'aware' of something
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
28
the soup was hot
la sopa estaba caliente
- Estar because being hot is the state, not identity, of the soup
- Imperfect because there is no good reason to use the simple past
29
why were you unhappy last night?
por qué estuviste infeliz anoche?
- Estar because we are talking about emotion
- Simple past because there is a specific time frame (Last night)
30
you were not there
no estabas allí
- Estar because we are talking about location
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
31
he says you were a member for just one year
dice que fuiste miembro por sólo un año
- Being a member was part of identity
- Simple past because we have a clear time frame
32
they were all alive
todos estaban vivos
- estar because we are describing status (alive vs. dead)
- Imperfect because there is no good reason to use the Simple Past
33
they were sued twice
fueron demandados dos veces
34
it was discovered in 1741
fue descubierto en 1741
- 'it was' often goes to Ser
- Simple past because of set time frame
35
everything was broken
todos estaba roto
- estar because we are talking about status (being broken)
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the Simple Past
36
how did you know where I was?
cómo sabías dónde estaba?
- Estar because of location
- Imperfect because no good reason for Simple Past
37
he was there when it happened
estaba allí cuando pasó
- Estar because of location
- Imperfect because no good reason for Simple Past
38
they were happy to see you again
estuvieron felices de verte de nuevo
39
the bag was full of rubbish
la bolsa estaba llena de basura
- estar because of status (full vs. empty)
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for Simple Past
40
they were with us all afternoon
estuvieron con nosotros toda la tarde
- Estar because of location
- Simple Past because of time frame
41
it was already paid
ya se pagó
42
it was three o'clock in the afternoon
eran las tres de la tarde
43
it was never sold
nunca fue vendido/ nunca se vendió
44
it was new
era nuevo
- Ser because of 'it was'
- Imperfect because no good reason for Simple Past
45
it was an interesting book
era un libro interesante
- Interesting is the identity of the book, hence ser
- Imperfect because no good reason for Simple Past
46
that was not our intention
esa no era nuestra intención
- 'that was' often goes to ser
- Imperfect because no good reason for simple past
47
it was our best result
fue nuestro mejor resultado
- it was goes to Ser
48
we were never there
nunca estuvimos allí
- Estar because of location
- Never triggers the Simple Past
49
they were not at the party
no estaban en la fiesta
- Estar because of location
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
50
it was recommended
se recomendó
51
she was not there for him
no estaba allí para él
- Estar because of location
- Imperfect because no good reason for Simple Past
52
the stress was too much for me
el estrés era demasiado para mí
- 'it was' goes to 'ser'
- Imperfect because no good reason to go for the Simple Past
53
we were teachers
fuimos maestros
- occupation is identity, hence ser
54
I thought it was confirmed
pensé que fue confirmado
- 'it was' goes to ser
55
it was written by mozart
fur escrito por mozart
56
they were the only ones that were there
eran los únicos que estaban allí
57
it was not my fault (statement)
no fue mi culpa
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Simple past because it's a statement
57
who was it?
quién era?
58
I was dressed in black
estaba vestido de negro
- estar because being dressed is a state and not identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the Simple Past
59
it was out of order all day (fixed now)
- estuvo descompuesto todo el día
- Estar because being out of order is a state
- Simple past because it was out of order for a fixed time frame (fixed now)
60
that was all she said
eso fue todo lo que dijo
- 'that was' goes to ser
61
he was dead when they found him
estaba muerto cuando lo encontraron
- estar because it's your status (dead vs. alive)
- Imperfect because no good reason for simple past
62
it was always on
siempre estuvo prendido
- Simple Past because of 'always'
- Estar because 'on' is a state
63
you were very angry
estabas muy enojado
- Estar because of emotion
- Imperfect because no good reason to go with the Simple Past
64
it was yesterday
fue ayer
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Set time frame goes to Simple Past
65
it was an important moment (statement)
fue un momento importante
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Simple past because of statement
66
it was only for two years
sólo fue por dos años
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Set time frame makes Simple Past
67
we knew it was not true
sabíamos que no era verdad
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Imperfect because no good reason for simple past
67
the exam was very easy (statement)
el examen fue muy fácil
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Statement hence Simple Past
68
it was not like that (statement)
no fue así
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Statement hence Simple Past
69
it was difficult to do it again (statement)
fue difícil hacerlo de nuevo
- 'it was' goes to ser
- Statement hence Simple Past
70
I was a baby when it happened to me
yo era un bebé cuando me pasó
- Ser because being a baby was identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
71
it was in the library
estaba en la biblioteca
- 'it was' usually goes to ser, but here we are talking about location
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the Simple Past
72
we were very excited
estábamos muy emocionados
- Estar because of emotion
- Imperfect because no good reason for the simple past
72
we were a happy couple
éramos una pareja feliz
- Ser because being a happy couple is part of identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the Simple Past
