Was vs. Were Flashcards
the bed sheets were dirty
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
it was a huge house
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)
I was a student at that school (not anymore)
fui estudiante en esa escuela
- Simple Past because of the time frame
- Ser because being a student is part of the identity
it was easy and we achieved it
fue fácil y lo logramos
- Ser because of ‘it was’
- Simple Past because it is a statement
we were partners for 10 years
fuimos socios por diez años
- Ser because of identity
- Simple past because of time frame
it was her cat
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)
she was very intelligent (now dead)
fue muy inteligente
- Ser because of identity
- Simple Past because the specification that she is dead now
the cup was dirty
la taza estaba sucia
- Estar because being dirty is a state, not identity
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
the speed was very slow (normally fast)
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
it was a disappointing day
fue un día decepcionante
- Ser because of ‘it was’
- Simple Past because if it a statement
I did not know who he was
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)
you were a good friend
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)
it was never said
nunca fue dicho
- ‘Nunca’ is a trigger to use the simple past
it was too late
era demasiado tarde
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
the windows were not locked
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
it was almost midnight
era casí medianoche
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
it was confirmed for tomorrow
fue confirmado para mañana
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Simple Past because we have a clear timeline
they were married for two years
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
the container was empty
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
it was time to make a decision
era hora de tomar una decisión
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Imperfect because there is no good reason for the simple past
it was sold yesterday
se vendió ayer
fue vendido ayer
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- There is a specific time mentioned, hence the simple past
it was cancelled many times
se canceló muchas veces
fue cancelado muchas veces
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- There is a specific time mentioned, hence the simple past
it was my mistake (statement)
fue mi error
- ‘it was’ often goes to ‘ser’
- Simple past because it is a statement
it was always locked
siempre estuvo cerrado
- The word ‘always’ is a trigger for the simple past
- estar because being locked is a state
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
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)
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
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
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)
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
