Simple Past — Kalimat Nominal vs. Verbal (Nominal vs. Verbal Sentences)
🔤 1. Pertanyaan terbesarnya
Saat membicarakan masa lalu, pemula sering bertanya:
Haruskah saya pakai was/were, atau kata kerja past biasa?
Contoh:
She was tired. ✅
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
She worked yesterday. ✅
Dia bekerja kemarin.
Tapi:
Dan:
Kenapa?
Karena tired dan worked punya peran berbeda dalam kalimat.
Cara termudah memahami ini adalah memisahkan kalimat past jadi dua jenis:
- Nominal → pakai was/were
- Verbal → pakai kata kerja past biasa
📘 2. Apa arti “nominal”?
Kalimat nominal memberi informasi tentang subjeknya.
Kalimat nominal bisa memberi tahu kita:
- apa sesuatu itu dulu
- siapa seseorang itu dulu
- bagaimana keadaan seseorang/sesuatu dulu
- di mana seseorang/sesuatu dulu berada
Kalimat nominal memakai:
was / were
Contoh-contoh:
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).
The room was cold.
Kamarnya dingin (waktu itu).
🧩 3. Apa arti “verbal”?
Kalimat verbal memakai kata kerja biasa untuk mengatakan apa yang dilakukan seseorang atau sesuatu.
Contoh-contoh:
She worked yesterday.
Dia bekerja kemarin.
He called me.
Dia menelepon saya.
They played football.
Mereka main sepak bola (dulu).
The dog ran outside.
Anjingnya berlari ke luar.
Ini semua tindakan.
🔍 4. Perbedaan termudahnya
Tanyakan pada diri sendiri:
Apakah saya sedang memberi informasi tentang subjeknya, atau mengatakan apa yang dilakukan subjeknya?
Informasi tentang subjek
Pakai was/were.
She was happy.
Dia senang (waktu itu).
Apa yang dilakukan subjek
Pakai kata kerja past biasa.
She visited her friend.
Dia mengunjungi temannya.
🧠 5. Nominal = was/were
Pakai was/were untuk hal seperti:
Deskripsi
The food was delicious.
Makanannya enak (waktu itu).
The children were tired.
Anak-anak itu lelah (waktu itu).
Identitas/pekerjaan
Maya was a student.
Maya seorang murid (dulu).
They were doctors.
Mereka dokter (dulu).
Lokasi
The keys were on the table.
Kuncinya ada di atas meja (waktu itu).
He was at the office.
Dia ada di kantor (waktu itu).
Kondisi atau situasi
I was sick.
Saya sakit (waktu itu).
The weather was bad.
Cuacanya buruk (waktu itu).
🗂️ 6. Verbal = kata kerja past biasa
Pakai kata kerja past biasa saat seseorang atau sesuatu melakukan tindakan.
Contoh-contoh:
I cooked dinner.
Saya memasak makan malam.
She opened the door.
Dia membuka pintu.
He bought a book.
Dia membeli buku.
We watched a movie.
Kami nonton film.
They left early.
Mereka pergi lebih awal.
Kata kerjanya adalah:
- cooked
- opened
- bought
- watched
- left
🎯 7. Bandingkan kalimat-kalimat ini
Perhatikan baik-baik:
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
She worked all day.
Dia bekerja seharian.
Kalimat pertama mendeskripsikan kondisinya.
Kalimat kedua memberi tahu kita apa yang dia lakukan.
Jadi:
tired → deskripsi → was
worked → tindakan → kata kerja past biasa
💬 8. Perbandingan lain
He was hungry.
Dia lapar (waktu itu).
He ate lunch.
Dia makan siang.
hungry describes his condition.
hungry mendeskripsikan kondisinya.
Jadi:
He was hungry.
Dia lapar (waktu itu).
ate memberi tahu kita apa yang dia lakukan.
Jadi:
He ate lunch.
Dia makan siang.
Bukan:
🔤 9. “Was/were” Tidak Dipakai Sebelum Setiap Kata Kerja Past
Ini sangat penting.
Kamu mungkin berpikir:
“Kalimatnya di masa lalu, jadi saya harus pakai was/were.”
No.
Tidak.
Pakai was/were kalau informasi setelahnya adalah deskripsi, identitas, lokasi, kondisi, dll.
Pakai kata kerja past biasa saat kamu membicarakan sebuah tindakan.
Benar
She was angry.
Dia marah (waktu itu).
She called her friend.
Dia menelepon temannya.
Salah
📘 10. Kalimat positif
Nominal
Pakai:
Subject + was/were + informasi
Contoh-contoh:
I was tired.
Saya lelah (waktu itu).
Leo was a student.
Leo seorang murid (dulu).
The bags were heavy.
Tasnya berat (waktu itu).
We were at home.
Kami ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Verbal
Pakai:
Subject + past verb
Contoh-contoh:
I worked yesterday.
Saya bekerja kemarin.
Leo studied English.
Leo belajar bahasa Inggris.
The bags fell down.
Tas-tasnya jatuh.
We watched TV.
Kami nonton TV.
🧩 11. Yang mana: was atau were?
Aturan dasarnya adalah:
| Subjek | Pakai |
|---|---|
| I | was |
| he | was |
| she | was |
| it | was |
| kata benda tunggal | was |
| you | were |
| we | were |
| they | were |
| kata benda jamak | were |
Contoh-contoh:
I was tired.
Saya lelah (waktu itu).
Daniel was tired.
Daniel lelah (waktu itu).
The cat was hungry.
Kucingnya lapar (waktu itu).
You were late.
Kamu terlambat (waktu itu).
We were tired.
Kami lelah (waktu itu).
The cats were hungry.
Kucing-kucingnya lapar (waktu itu).
🔍 12. Kalimat negatif nominal
Untuk membuat kalimat nominal jadi negatif:
was/were + not
Bentuk singkat:
was not → wasn't
were not → weren't
Contoh-contoh:
I wasn't tired.
Saya tidak lelah (waktu itu).
She wasn't angry.
Dia tidak marah (waktu itu).
He wasn't at home.
Dia tidak ada di rumah (waktu itu).
They weren't ready.
Mereka belum siap (waktu itu).
The rooms weren't clean.
Kamar-kamarnya tidak bersih (waktu itu).
🧠 13. Kalimat negatif verbal
Untuk kata kerja past biasa, pakai:
didn't + basic verb
Contoh-contoh:
I didn't work yesterday.
Saya tidak bekerja kemarin.
She didn't call me.
Dia tidak menelepon saya.
He didn't eat breakfast.
Dia tidak sarapan.
They didn't visit us.
Mereka tidak mengunjungi kami.
Ingat:
didn't + basic verb
Bukan:
Benar:
didn't work
didn't call
didn't eat
🗂️ 14. Bandingkan bentuk negatifnya
Nominal
She wasn't tired.
Dia tidak lelah (waktu itu).
Verbal
She didn't work.
Dia tidak bekerja.
Kenapa?
tired = deskripsi → wasn't
work = kata kerja biasa → didn't work
🎯 15. Perbandingan penting lainnya
They weren't hungry.
Mereka tidak lapar (waktu itu).
They didn't eat.
Mereka tidak makan.
Kalimat pertama memberi tahu kita soal kondisi mereka.
Kalimat kedua memberi tahu kita apa yang mereka lakukan.
Jadi:
weren't + hungry
tapi:
didn't + eat
💬 16. Kalimat tanya: nominal
Untuk kalimat tanya nominal, taruh was/were di awal.
Struktur:
Was/Were + subject + informasi?
Contoh-contoh:
Was she tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Was he at home?
Apakah dia ada di rumah (waktu itu)?
Were they ready?
Apakah mereka sudah siap (waktu itu)?
Were the children hungry?
Apakah anak-anak itu lapar (waktu itu)?
🔤 17. Kalimat tanya: verbal
Untuk kata kerja past biasa, pakai did.
Struktur:
Did + subject + basic verb?
Contoh-contoh:
Did she work yesterday?
Apakah dia bekerja kemarin?
Did he call you?
Apakah dia menelepon kamu?
Did they eat dinner?
Apakah mereka makan malam?
Did the children play outside?
Apakah anak-anak itu bermain di luar?
Perhatikan:
Did + basic verb
Bukan:
📘 18. Bandingkan kalimat tanyanya
Nominal
Was she tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Verbal
Did she work?
Apakah dia bekerja?
Kenapa?
tired = deskripsi → was
work = kata kerja biasa → did
🧩 19. “Was she...?” vs. “Did she...?”
Ini pola yang sangat berguna.
Was she...?
Pakai was saat menanyakan informasi tentang dia.
Was she tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Was she angry?
Apakah dia marah (waktu itu)?
Was she a teacher?
Apakah dia guru (dulu)?
Was she at home?
Apakah dia ada di rumah (waktu itu)?
Did she...?
Pakai did saat menanyakan sebuah tindakan.
Did she work?
Apakah dia bekerja?
Did she call you?
Apakah dia menelepon kamu?
Did she visit her mother?
Apakah dia mengunjungi ibunya?
Did she buy a new phone?
Apakah dia membeli ponsel baru?
🔍 20. “Were they...?” vs. “Did they...?”
Ide yang sama berlaku untuk they.
Were they...?
Were they happy?
Apakah mereka senang (waktu itu)?
Were they students?
Apakah mereka murid (dulu)?
Were they at school?
Apakah mereka ada di sekolah (waktu itu)?
Did they...?
Did they study?
Apakah mereka belajar?
Did they play?
Apakah mereka bermain?
Did they leave?
Apakah mereka pergi?
Did they buy anything?
Apakah mereka membeli sesuatu?
🧠 21. Jangan Campur was/were dan did
Untuk kalimat simple past dasar, pilih struktur yang benar.
Nominal
Was/Were + informasi
Verbal
Did + basic verb
Don't mix them.
Jangan campur keduanya.
Salah:
Benar:
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Salah:
Benar:
Apakah dia bekerja kemarin?
🗂️ 22. “Didn't” vs. “wasn't”
Ini salah satu perbedaan yang paling penting.
Wasn't
Pakai wasn't dengan deskripsi, identitas, tempat, atau kondisi.
She wasn't happy.
Dia tidak senang (waktu itu).
He wasn't a teacher.
Dia bukan guru (dulu).
She wasn't at home.
Dia tidak ada di rumah (waktu itu).
Didn't
Pakai didn't dengan kata kerja biasa.
She didn't work.
Dia tidak bekerja.
He didn't study.
Dia tidak belajar.
She didn't go home.
Dia tidak pulang.
🎯 23. Tes sederhana
Perhatikan kata setelah bagian kosongnya.
___ tired
“Tired” adalah deskripsi.
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
___ work
“Work” adalah kata kerja biasa.
She didn't work.
Dia tidak bekerja.
___ at home
“At home” memberi tahu kita sebuah lokasi.
She was at home.
Dia ada di rumah (waktu itu).
___ to school
“Go” adalah sebuah tindakan.
She went to school.
Dia pergi ke sekolah.
💬 24. Hati-hati dengan kata kerja “be”
Kata kerja be bersifat khusus.
Bentuk pastnya adalah:
am/is → was
are → were
Jadi:
I am tired. → I was tired.
Saya lelah. → Saya lelah (dulu).
She is happy. → She was happy.
Dia senang. → Dia senang (dulu).
They are ready. → They were ready.
Mereka siap. → Mereka siap (dulu).
Tapi kata kerja biasa bekerja dengan cara berbeda:
I work. → I worked.
Saya bekerja. → Saya bekerja (dulu).
She works. → She worked.
Dia bekerja. → Dia bekerja (dulu).
They play. → They played.
Mereka bermain. → Mereka bermain (dulu).
🔤 25. Simple present vs. simple past
Bandingkan kedua tense-nya.
Nominal
Present:
He is tired.
Dia lelah.
Past:
He was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
Present:
They are happy.
Mereka senang.
Past:
They were happy.
Mereka senang (waktu itu).
Verbal
Present:
He works here.
Dia bekerja di sini.
Past:
He worked here.
Dia bekerja di sini (dulu).
Present:
They play football.
Mereka main sepak bola.
Past:
They played football.
Mereka main sepak bola (dulu).
📘 26. Satu kalimat bisa punya keduanya
Satu kalimat bisa berisi was/were dan kata kerja past biasa di bagian yang berbeda.
Contoh:
She was tired, but she finished her work.
Dia lelah, tapi dia menyelesaikan pekerjaannya.
Di sini:
was tired → deskripsi
finished → tindakan
Contoh lain:
They were hungry, so they ordered food.
Mereka lapar, jadi mereka memesan makanan.
Di sini:
were hungry → kondisi
ordered → tindakan
Jadi pertanyaan pentingnya bukan:
“Apakah kalimat ini dalam bentuk past?”
Pertanyaan pentingnya adalah:
“Apa fungsi setiap bagian kalimat ini?”
🧩 27. Jangan Tertukar dengan “was/were + -ing”
Kamu mungkin melihat:
She was studying.
Dia sedang belajar (waktu itu).
Ini juga bahasa Inggris yang benar, tapi tense-nya berbeda: past continuous.
Di sini:
was + studying
berarti tindakan itu sedang berlangsung pada waktu tertentu di masa lalu.
Untuk pelajaran ini, fokuslah pada simple past:
She studied yesterday.
Dia belajar kemarin.
Dan:
She was tired yesterday.
Dia lelah kemarin.
🔍 28. Kesalahan yang sering terjadi
Dia bekerja kemarin.
Dia tidak lelah (waktu itu).
Apakah dia senang (waktu itu)?
Apakah dia pulang?
Mereka lapar (waktu itu).
Anak-anak itu senang (waktu itu).
Dia tidak pergi ke sana.
Apakah dia membelinya?
Kami tidak mengunjungi museum itu.
Kami tidak ada di rumah (waktu itu).
🧠 29. Cara yang sangat mudah untuk memutuskan
Saat membuat kalimat simple past, tanyakan:
Langkah 1: Apakah saya sedang mendeskripsikan subjeknya?
Kalau ya → was/were
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
Langkah 2: Apakah saya sedang mengatakan apa yang dilakukan subjeknya?
Kalau ya → pakai kata kerja past biasa
She worked.
Dia bekerja (dulu).
Langkah 3: Apakah ini negatif?
Deskripsi:
She wasn't tired.
Dia tidak lelah (waktu itu).
Tindakan:
She didn't work.
Dia tidak bekerja.
Langkah 4: Apakah ini kalimat tanya?
Deskripsi:
Was she tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Tindakan:
Did she work?
Apakah dia bekerja?
🗂️ 30. Gambaran besarnya
| Arti | Positif | Negatif | Pertanyaan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deskripsi | She was tired. | She wasn't tired. | Was she tired? |
| Lokasi | She was at home. | She wasn't at home. | Was she at home? |
| Identitas | She was a student. | She wasn't a student. | Was she a student? |
| Tindakan | She worked. | She didn't work. | Did she work? |
| Tindakan | She went home. | She didn't go home. | Did she go home? |
🎯 31. Aturan yang paling penting
NOMINAL
Pakai was/were untuk:
- deskripsi
- identitas/pekerjaan
- lokasi
- kondisi/situasi
He was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
They were students.
Mereka murid (dulu).
She was at home.
Dia ada di rumah (waktu itu).
VERBAL
Pakai kata kerja past biasa untuk tindakan.
He worked.
Dia bekerja (dulu).
They studied.
Mereka belajar.
She went home.
Dia pulang.
NEGATIF
Nominal:
wasn't / weren't
Verbal:
didn't + basic verb
PERTANYAAN
Nominal:
Was/Were + subject...?
Verbal:
Did + subject + basic verb...?
💬 32. Panduan mudah untuk mengingat
Bayangkan seperti ini:
Deskripsi → WAS/WERE
Tindakan → KATA KERJA PAST
Lalu untuk negatif:
Deskripsi → WASN'T/WEREN'T
Tindakan → DIDN'T + KATA KERJA DASAR
Lalu untuk kalimat tanya:
Deskripsi → WAS/WERE...?
Tindakan → DID...?
Contoh
She was tired.
Dia lelah (waktu itu).
She worked yesterday.
Dia bekerja kemarin.
She wasn't tired.
Dia tidak lelah (waktu itu).
She didn't work yesterday.
Dia tidak bekerja kemarin.
Was she tired?
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
Did she work yesterday?
Apakah dia bekerja kemarin?
✏️ 33. Latihan — Was/Were atau Kata Kerja Past?
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📝 34. Latihan — Pilih Bentuk Negatif yang Benar
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🧩 35. Latihan — Pilih Kalimat Tanya yang Benar
👀 Show answer
Apakah dia lelah (waktu itu)?
👀 Show answer
Apakah dia mengunjungi museum itu?
👀 Show answer
Apakah mereka ada di rumah (waktu itu)?
🔁 36. Latihan — Perbaiki Kesalahannya
👀 Show answer
Kami tidak mengunjungi museum itu.
👀 Show answer
Apakah dia lelah kemarin?
👀 Show answer
Dia bekerja seharian.