was
Was: The Past of Is
The past of is is was, for everyone: Ek was moeg. Hulle was by die huis.
How It Works
Most Afrikaans verbs form the past with het + ge-. The verb is (to be) is different. It has its own past form, was, and that is what speakers normally use.
1. One form for everyone. Just as the present is always is, the past is always was (see one verb form for everyone):
- Ek was moeg. (I was tired.)
- Jy was reg. (You were right.)
- Ons was by die see. (We were at the sea.)
- Hulle was by die huis. (They were at home.)
2. Word order. Was is the finite verb, so it takes second place in a main clause and the last place in a subordinate clause: Gister was dit koud. (Yesterday it was cold.) omdat dit koud was (because it was cold).
3. Negation. The first nie comes after was, and the closing nie comes at the end: Dit was nie maklik nie. (It wasn't easy.)
4. There was, there were. The past of daar is is daar was: Daar was baie mense. (There were many people.)
5. Longer forms. You will sometimes hear was ... gewees and, less often, het ... gewees. Speakers use them for emphasis, but plain was is the everyday form and the one to learn first.
Was also works as a helper in the passive, which you will meet later (see was + ge-).
Examples (6)
- Ek was gister baie moeg.
I was very tired yesterday.
Word by Word: I was yesterday very tired.
- Dit was 'n lekker partytjie.
It was a fun party.
Word by Word: It was a nice party.
- Hulle was die hele dag by die huis.
They were at home all day.
Word by Word: They were the whole day at the house.
Was is the same for plural subjects.
- Was jy gister by die werk?
Were you at work yesterday?
Word by Word: Was you yesterday at the work?
In a yes/no question was comes first.
- Die kos was nie baie warm nie.
The food wasn't very hot.
Word by Word: The food was not very hot not.
- Daar was baie mense by die mark.
There were a lot of people at the market.
Word by Word: There was many people at the market.
Common Mistakes
Adding het to was.
Ek het moeg was.Ek was moeg.Was is already a past form on its own. It does not combine with het.
Leaving out the closing nie.
Dit was nie maklik.Dit was nie maklik nie.A negative sentence needs a second nie at the end.
Putting the subject before was after a time word.
Gister ek was siek.Gister was ek siek.Was is the finite verb, so it stays in second place and the subject follows it.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Was is the past form of is.
Related Patterns
- het ... gehadHad: Het ... Gehad
Het ... gehad is the past of het, the other basic verb learners need early.
Level 2 - het + ge-The Past Tense: Het + Ge-
Most other verbs form the past with het and a participle instead of a one-word form.
Level 2 - daar isThere Is and There Are
Daar is becomes daar was in the past.
Level 1 - Verb Second After a Fronted Word
Was stays in second place when a time word starts the sentence.
Level 2 - Passive: was + ge-Had Been Done: Was + Ge-
Was also works as a helper verb in the past passive.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice was in Bubblegum
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