Qual a diferença entre WAS e WERE?

Relógio marcando horas

Para quem já aprendeu, parece meio óbvio, mas, para quem está começando, nem tanto. Então, vamos falar exclusivamente dessas duas conjugações do verbo to be no passado para esclarecer essa dúvida: a diferença entre was e were.

O verbo to be, no presente e no passado, é “conjugado” – ou seja, ele muda de pessoa para pessoa. Porém, diferente do português e outras línguas latinas, o inglês não tem regras para essa flexão de verbos de acordo com o sujeito. Falando exclusivamente do passado, fica assim:

PESSOAVERBO TO BE NO PASSADOEXEMPLO
IwasLast year, I was in California.
youwereYesterday, you were with her.
he/she/itwasShe was here, and he was out.
wewereWe were going out, but the plans changed.
youwereYou two were up to something.
theywereThey were worried about us.

Em resumo…

Devemos usar WAS com:

    • I: I was here yesterday (Eu estava aqui ontem).
    • he: She said he was happy (Ela disse que ele estava feliz).
    • she: I think Ana was running (Acho que a Ana estava correndo).
    • it: The dog was digging again! (O cachorro estava cavando de novo!)

Devemos usar WERE com:

  • you (você, singular) : Bob, you were at school, right? (Bob, você estava na escola, certo?)
  • you (vocês, plural): You and your sister were wrong (Você e sua irmã estavam erradas).
  • we: Last month, we were very busy (Mês passado, nós estávamos muito ocupados).
  • they: You believe they were away (Você acredita que eles estavam longe/fora).

Ficou mais claro? Tente completar as frases abaixo com WAS ou WERE para se testar:

The boy ________ happy this morning at school.
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

You see, the girls ________ trying to dance.
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

I didn't hear from you, I ________ worried!
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

My grandma ________ watching TV.
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

John and Mary ________ on the street.
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

Your friend and you ________ really pretty at the party!
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

I knew it! You and I ________ right!
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

That woman over there ________ asking about the line.
was
were

Correct!

Wrong!

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Agora que já praticou, que tal deixar um exemplo na área de comentários? 💖

Escrito por Vanessa Spirandeo.

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