Simple Past Tense — Was dan Were (Was and Were)
🔤 1. Apa itu “was” dan “were”?
Was dan were adalah bentuk past dari am, is, dan are.
Kita memakainya untuk membicarakan seseorang atau sesuatu di masa lalu.
Contoh:
Sekarang
I am tired.
Saya lelah.
Masa lalu
I was tired.
Saya lelah (dulu).
Orangnya lelah sekarang di kalimat pertama.
Orangnya lelah sebelumnya di kalimat kedua.
📘 2. Kapan kita pakai was dan were?
Pakai was/were saat kamu mau membicarakan:
- bagaimana keadaan seseorang dulu
- identitas atau pekerjaan seseorang dulu
- di mana seseorang dulu berada
- suatu keadaan di masa lalu
Contoh-contoh:
She was happy.
Dia senang (dulu).
He was a student.
Dia seorang murid (dulu).
The shop was closed.
Tokonya tutup (waktu itu).
We were at home.
Kami ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Ide pentingnya adalah:
was/were = bentuk past dari am/is/are
🧩 3. Aturan yang paling penting
Pilihan antara was dan were tergantung pada subjeknya.
💡 Pakai WAS dengan:
- I
- he
- she
- it
- satu orang
- satu benda
💡 Pakai WERE dengan:
- you
- we
- they
- dua orang atau lebih
- dua benda atau lebih
Tabel mudah
| Subjek | Bentuk Past |
|---|---|
| I | was |
| he | was |
| she | was |
| it | was |
| you | were |
| we | were |
| they | were |
Mudah diingat:
I / He / She / It → WAS
You / We / They → WERE
🔍 4. “Was” dengan I
Meskipun I berarti satu orang, di masa lalu itu pakai was.
Contoh-contoh:
I was tired.
Saya lelah (dulu).
I was at school.
Saya ada di sekolah (waktu itu).
I was happy.
Saya senang (waktu itu).
I was a student.
Saya seorang murid (dulu).
Bukan:
Benar:
Saya lelah (dulu).
🧠 5. “Was” dengan he, she, dan it
Pakai was untuk satu orang atau satu benda.
Contoh-contoh:
He was hungry.
Dia lapar (waktu itu).
She was busy.
Dia sibuk (waktu itu).
The dog was outside.
Anjingnya ada di luar (waktu itu).
The computer was broken.
Komputernya rusak (waktu itu).
Pikirkan:
he → was
she → was
it → was
🗂️ 6. “Were” dengan you
You selalu pakai were di simple past.
Ini berlaku baik you berarti satu orang atau beberapa orang.
Satu orang
You were tired.
Kamu lelah (waktu itu).
Lebih dari satu orang
You were tired.
Kamu lelah (waktu itu).
Jadi:
You were...
Bukan:
Ini pengecualian penting dari aturan sederhana “satu = was”.
🎯 7. “Were” dengan we dan they
Pakai were dengan we dan they.
Contoh-contoh:
We were tired.
Kami lelah (waktu itu).
We were at the hotel.
Kami ada di hotel (waktu itu).
They were happy.
Mereka senang (waktu itu).
They were students.
Mereka murid (dulu).
Kata benda jamak juga pakai were:
The children were outside.
Anak-anak itu ada di luar (waktu itu).
The cars were dirty.
Mobil-mobilnya kotor (waktu itu).
💬 8. Kata benda tunggal dan jamak
Perhatikan kata bendanya.
Tunggal → was
The dog was hungry.
Anjingnya lapar (waktu itu).
The teacher was busy.
Gurunya sibuk (waktu itu).
The house was empty.
Rumahnya kosong (waktu itu).
Jamak → were
The dogs were hungry.
Anjing-anjingnya lapar (waktu itu).
The teachers were busy.
Guru-gurunya sibuk (waktu itu).
The houses were empty.
Rumah-rumahnya kosong (waktu itu).
Aturan mudah:
Satu → was
Dua atau lebih → were
Tapi ingat:
You → were, meskipun berarti satu orang.
🔤 9. Bandingkan sekarang dan masa lalu
Cara termudah memahami was/were adalah membandingkannya dengan am/is/are.
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| I am | I was |
| He is | He was |
| She is | She was |
| It is | It was |
| You are | You were |
| We are | We were |
| They are | They were |
Contoh-contoh:
I am tired. → I was tired.
Saya lelah. → Saya lelah (dulu).
She is happy. → She was happy.
Dia senang. → Dia senang (dulu).
They are busy. → They were busy.
Mereka sibuk. → Mereka sibuk (dulu).
📘 10. Was/were untuk deskripsi
Pakai was/were saat mendeskripsikan seseorang atau sesuatu di masa lalu.
Contoh-contoh:
I was tired yesterday.
Saya lelah kemarin.
She was angry this morning.
Dia marah tadi pagi.
The movie was interesting.
Filmnya menarik.
The children were excited.
Anak-anak itu bersemangat.
The rooms were clean.
Kamar-kamarnya bersih.
Kamu sedang mendeskripsikan bagaimana sesuatu atau seseorang dulu.
🧩 11. Was/were untuk pekerjaan dan identitas
Pakai was/were untuk mengatakan identitas atau pekerjaan seseorang di masa lalu.
Contoh-contoh:
He was a teacher.
Dia seorang guru (dulu).
She was a nurse.
Dia seorang perawat (dulu).
I was a student.
Saya seorang murid (dulu).
They were doctors.
Mereka dokter (dulu).
The building was a school.
Gedung itu dulunya sekolah.
Kalau kata bendanya tunggal:
She was a teacher.
Dia seorang guru (dulu).
Kalau kata bendanya jamak:
They were teachers.
Mereka guru (dulu).
🔍 12. Was/were untuk tempat
Pakai was/were untuk mengatakan di mana seseorang atau sesuatu dulu berada.
Contoh-contoh:
I was at home.
Saya ada di rumah (waktu itu).
She was at the office.
Dia ada di kantor (waktu itu).
The keys were on the table.
Kuncinya ada di atas meja (waktu itu).
We were in Jakarta.
Kami ada di Jakarta (waktu itu).
The children were at the park.
Anak-anak itu ada di taman (waktu itu).
Bandingkan:
The keys are on the table. → now
Kuncinya ada di atas meja. → sekarang
The keys were on the table. → past
Kuncinya ada di atas meja (dulu). → masa lalu
🧠 13. Kalimat negatif
Untuk membuat was/were negatif, tambahkan not.
Was → was not
I was not tired.
Saya tidak lelah (waktu itu).
She was not at home.
Dia tidak ada di rumah (waktu itu).
The shop was not open.
Tokonya tidak buka (waktu itu).
Were → were not
We were not tired.
Kami tidak lelah (waktu itu).
They were not at home.
Mereka tidak ada di rumah (waktu itu).
The shops were not open.
Toko-tokonya tidak buka (waktu itu).
🗂️ 14. Bentuk negatif singkat
Kita biasa memendekkan:
was not → wasn't
were not → weren't
Contoh-contoh:
I wasn't tired.
Saya tidak lelah (waktu itu).
He wasn't at school.
Dia tidak ada di sekolah (waktu itu).
She wasn't angry.
Dia tidak marah (waktu itu).
We weren't ready.
Kami belum siap (waktu itu).
They weren't at home.
Mereka tidak ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Tabel mudah
| Bentuk Lengkap | Bentuk Singkat |
|---|---|
| was not | wasn't |
| were not | weren't |
🎯 15. Kesalahan umum di kalimat negatif
Jangan pakai didn't dengan was/were.
Contoh:
Benar:
Saya tidak lelah (waktu itu).
Dan:
Benar:
Mereka tidak senang (waktu itu).
Kenapa?
Karena was/were sudah menunjukkan masa lalu.
Jadi pakai:
wasn't / weren't
bukan:
didn't + was/were
💬 16. Kalimat tanya dengan was/were
Untuk membuat kalimat tanya, taruh was atau were sebelum subjeknya.
Was + subject...?
Pakai was dengan:
- I
- he
- she
- it
- kata benda tunggal
Contoh-contoh:
Was she tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Was he at home?
Apakah dia ada di rumah (waktu itu)?
Was the movie good?
Apakah filmnya bagus?
Was the restaurant open?
Apakah restorannya buka (waktu itu)?
Were + subject...?
Pakai were dengan:
- you
- we
- they
- kata benda jamak
Contoh-contoh:
Were you tired?
Apakah kamu lelah (waktu itu)?
Were they at home?
Apakah mereka ada di rumah (waktu itu)?
Were the children hungry?
Apakah anak-anak itu lapar (waktu itu)?
Were the shops open?
Apakah toko-tokonya buka (waktu itu)?
🔤 17. Tidak Pakai “did” untuk Kalimat Tanya was/were
Ini sangat penting.
Jangan katakan:
Benar:
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Jangan katakan:
Benar:
Apakah mereka ada di rumah (waktu itu)?
Strukturnya cukup:
Was/Were + subject +...?
📘 18. Jawaban singkat
Was...?
Was he tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Ya:
Yes, he was.
Ya.
Tidak:
No, he wasn't.
Tidak.
Were...?
Were they tired?
Apakah mereka lelah (waktu itu)?
Ya:
Yes, they were.
Ya.
Tidak:
No, they weren't.
Tidak.
Perhatikan, jawaban singkatnya mengulang was atau were.
🧩 19. Was/were dengan “there”
Kita juga bisa pakai there was dan there were untuk membicarakan sesuatu yang ada di masa lalu.
Satu benda → there was
There was a problem.
Ada masalah (waktu itu).
There was a restaurant here.
Dulu ada restoran di sini.
There was a dog outside.
Ada anjing di luar (waktu itu).
Lebih dari satu → there were
There were two problems.
Ada dua masalah (waktu itu).
There were several restaurants here.
Dulu ada beberapa restoran di sini.
There were three dogs outside.
Ada tiga anjing di luar (waktu itu).
Jadi:
There is → There was
There are → There were
🔍 20. There was vs. there were
Bandingkan:
One
There was a car outside.
Ada mobil di luar (waktu itu).
Many
There were three cars outside.
Ada tiga mobil di luar (waktu itu).
Contoh lain:
There was one person in the room.
Ada satu orang di dalam ruangan (waktu itu).
There were ten people in the room.
Ada sepuluh orang di dalam ruangan (waktu itu).
Kata bendanya memberitahumu apakah pakai was atau were.
🧠 21. There wasn't vs. there weren't
Bentuk negatifnya bekerja dengan cara yang sama.
One
There wasn't a problem.
Tidak ada masalah (waktu itu).
Many
There weren't any problems.
Tidak ada masalah apa pun (waktu itu).
Contoh lain:
There wasn't a bus.
Tidak ada bus (waktu itu).
There weren't any buses.
Tidak ada bus apa pun (waktu itu).
🗂️ 22. Was/were dengan keterangan waktu
Kita sering pakai was/were dengan kata yang menunjukkan waktu lampau.
Contoh yang umum:
- yesterday
- last night
- last week
- last month
- last year
- two days ago
- this morning
- when I was young
Contoh-contoh:
I was tired yesterday.
Saya lelah kemarin.
She was at work last night.
Dia ada di tempat kerja tadi malam.
They were here last week.
Mereka ada di sini minggu lalu.
We were very busy last month.
Kami sangat sibuk bulan lalu.
🎯 23. “Was” dan “were” bisa mendeskripsikan situasi masa lalu
Tidak semua kalimat past mendeskripsikan tindakan.
Contoh:
The weather was cold yesterday.
Cuacanya dingin kemarin.
There is no action.
Tidak ada tindakan.
Kamu sedang mendeskripsikan cuacanya.
Contoh lain:
The students were nervous before the test.
Murid-murid itu gugup sebelum ujian.
Sekali lagi, ini deskripsi.
Jadi was/were sangat berguna untuk membicarakan keadaan atau kondisi masa lalu.
💬 24. Was/were vs. kata kerja past biasa
Perbedaan ini sangat penting.
Was/were
Pakai was/were untuk hal seperti:
- deskripsi
- identitas
- lokasi
- kondisi
Contoh-contoh:
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
He was a doctor.
Dia seorang dokter (dulu).
They were at home.
Mereka ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Kata kerja past biasa
Pakai kata kerja past biasa untuk sebuah tindakan.
Contoh-contoh:
She worked yesterday.
Dia bekerja kemarin.
He visited his friend.
Dia mengunjungi temannya.
They played football.
Mereka main sepak bola.
Jangan taruh was/were sebelum kata kerja past biasa.
Bukan:
Benar:
Dia bekerja kemarin.
🔤 25. Jangan Pakai Was/Were Sebelum Setiap Kata Kerja Past
Ini salah satu kesalahan terbesar bagi pemula.
Kamu mungkin mau mengatakan:
She went home.
Dia pulang ke rumah.
Tapi salah mengatakan:
Benar:
Dia pulang ke rumah.
Contoh lain:
They watched a movie.
Mereka nonton film.
Bukan:
Benar:
Mereka nonton film.
Was/were dan kata kerja past biasa punya peran berbeda.
📘 26. Tapi “was/were + -ing” Itu Mungkin
Ada satu struktur penting yang perlu dikenali:
was/were + verb-ing
Ini adalah past continuous.
Contoh-contoh:
She was studying.
Dia sedang belajar (waktu itu).
They were playing.
Mereka sedang bermain (waktu itu).
I was sleeping.
Saya sedang tidur (waktu itu).
Ini berbeda dari simple past was/were.
Untuk pelajaran ini, fokuslah pada:
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
They were happy.
Mereka senang (waktu itu).
I was at home.
Saya ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Struktur was/were + -ing termasuk tense yang lain.
🧩 27. Cara sederhana untuk memutuskan
Saat kamu mau membicarakan masa lalu, tanyakan:
Apakah ini deskripsi, identitas, atau tempat?
Pakai was/were.
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
He was a teacher.
Dia seorang guru (dulu).
They were at home.
Mereka ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Apakah ini tindakan biasa?
Pakai kata kerja past.
She worked yesterday.
Dia bekerja kemarin.
He visited his friend.
Dia mengunjungi temannya.
They played football.
Mereka main sepak bola.
Perbedaan ini sangat berguna.
🔍 28. Kesalahan yang sering terjadi
Benar:
Saya lelah (dulu).
Benar:
Dia senang (dulu).
Benar:
Mereka lelah (waktu itu).
Benar:
Kamu terlambat (waktu itu).
Ingat:
You → were
Benar:
Anak-anak itu lapar (waktu itu).
“Children” adalah bentuk jamak.
Benar:
Saya tidak lelah (waktu itu).
Benar:
Apakah dia marah (waktu itu)?
Benar:
Mereka main sepak bola.
Untuk tindakan past biasa, jangan tambahkan were.
🧠 29. Panduan mudah untuk mengingat
WAS
Pakai dengan:
I / he / she / it / satu
Contoh-contoh:
I was tired.
Saya lelah (dulu).
The dog was hungry.
Anjingnya lapar (waktu itu).
WERE
Pakai dengan:
you / we / they / banyak
Contoh-contoh:
You were tired.
Kamu lelah (waktu itu).
The dogs were hungry.
Anjing-anjingnya lapar (waktu itu).
Negatif
wasn't / weren't
Pertanyaan
Was/Were + subject...?
Ide yang paling penting
Was/were = bentuk lampau dari am/is/are
🗂️ 30. Satu perbandingan lengkap
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| I am tired. | I was tired. |
| She is happy. | She was happy. |
| The shop is open. | The shop was open. |
| You are busy. | You were busy. |
| We are ready. | We were ready. |
| They are at home. | They were at home. |
| There is a problem. | There was a problem. |
| There are two problems. | There were two problems. |
✏️ 31. Latihan — Pilih Was atau Were
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📝 32. Latihan — Ubah Jadi Kalimat Negatif
👀 Show answer
Dia tidak senang (waktu itu).
👀 Show answer
Mereka tidak ada di sekolah (waktu itu).
👀 Show answer
Kamarnya tidak dingin (waktu itu).
🧩 33. Latihan — Buat Kalimat Tanya
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Apakah dia terlambat (waktu itu)?
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Apakah mereka siap (waktu itu)?
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Apakah toko-tokonya buka (waktu itu)?