Today, almost all schoolchildren and students study English. And this is not surprising, because it is considered to be international. When you travel to another country, it is not even necessary that English be the official language there. You can always explain on it, and you will be understood. In tourist places, signs, instructions, signs are always duplicated in English. All major international events are held and covered in English.
But what if you do not know any foreign language? Or do you know very little? Or have your knowledge been forgotten for a long time? Many people use an English translator to communicate. Most often they use online versions. This is undoubtedly a good helper. But do not forget that he usually translates verbatim. And the English and Russian languages are still different in structure. And it is preferable to familiarize yourself or recall the basics of the English language, to know how common colloquial words, phrases and expressions will sound in a foreign language. This will never be superfluous and will help you better navigate in unfamiliar surroundings.
In this article we will consider how in English it will be "I was ...".
Verb to be
First you need to understand in general what this verb is. The verb to be has such meanings as “to be,” “happen,” “appear,” “stay,” “consist,” “contain,” “occur,” etc. For example:
Mary was in the library yesterday. “Mary was in the library yesterday.”
My father is at work. - My dad is at work.
Also very often this verb is translated according to the meaning:
He is late. - He is late.
My sister is at hospital now. “My sister is in the hospital right now.”
In some cases, the verb to be is not translated at all. For instance:
I am in Moscow now. - I am currently in Moscow.
He isn't at work at the moment. - He is not at work now.
We are happy! - We are happy!
In English, the verb to be is special and stands apart, since it does not fit the general rules of grammar. When changing the time, he does not need an auxiliary verb. He independently changes his forms. And in the case of a change in the order of words in a sentence, it takes the place of an auxiliary verb. Let us consider in more detail what forms of the verb to be exist in the present, past and future tenses.
Present tense forms of the verb "to be"
In the present tense, the verb to be is characterized by three forms. These are am, is and are . But how to understand what form should be used in a given situation? Everything is very simple. The use of the form of the verb to be depends on the subject. The combination will look like this:
I am ...
He / she / it is ...
You / we / they are ...
For those who are just starting to learn a foreign language, we recall how the above pronouns are translated. I (I) / he (he) / she (she) / it (it) / you (you, you) / we (we) / they (they). It should be remembered that in English there is no division into "you" and "you" (plural) and respectful "you". The equivalents of these Russian words is one English - you .
Consider the use of the present tense of the verb to be with a few examples.
I am glad to see you again. “I'm glad to see you again.”
He is my best friend.- He is my best friend.
We are in the cinema now. - We are now in the cinema.
The verb "to be" in the past tense in English
The verb to be has two past tenses: was / were . To determine which form should be used in the proposal is not difficult. Was used with the pronouns I / he / she / it , and were used with the rest ( You / we / they ). Here are some examples.
When I was a child, I dreamt of being a doctor. - When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a doctor.
As you can see, in the previous example, the verb was had no number. Therefore, translating into an English statement in the past tense is not difficult. When translating into Russian, one should pay attention to the gender and proceed directly from the context ("was", "was", "was", etc.). Here are a few more examples.
It was cold. - It was cold.
She was at the swimming pool last Saturday. “She was in the pool last Saturday.”
The future tense of the verb "be" in English
In the future tense, shall be / will be forms apply. However, in the modern language, the first form is obsolete and almost out of use. In all cases, will be used . But you can say shall be , this will not be considered a mistake. It should only be remembered that the use of shallow is permissible only with the pronouns I / we . In other cases, only will be is always used. Here are some examples.
I will be at home tomorrow morning. “I'll be home tomorrow morning.”
They will be in the country next summer. “They will be in the village next summer.”
As in English it will be: "I was ...". Examples
As we have already seen, with the pronoun I the verb form to be - was will be used. Here are some of the most common examples of how in English it will be: "I was ...".
I was at work yesterday. - I was at work yesterday.
I was in Paris last week. - I was in Paris last week.
I was sure of myself. - I was (a) self-confident.
I was happy to see you! - I was glad to see you!
All the time I was there. - I have been there all this time.
I was so happy to get you letter! - I was so happy to receive your letter!
I was very upset that day. - I was very upset that day.
I was afraid. - I was scared).
When I was a child, I dreamt of being an actress. - When I was little, I dreamed of becoming an actress.
Below are some common phrases starting with I was , which need to be translated in meaning:
I was born on April 15, 1985. - I was born on April 15, 1985.
I was going to have a lunch. - I was going to have lunch.
I was going to say that I was grateful for your help. - I was going to say that I am grateful for your help.
I was looking forward to it. “I was looking forward to it.”
I was looking for you. - I've been looking for you.
Now you know the main features of the use of the verb to b e in the present, past and future tenses, and you can also say with absolute ease how in English it will be: "I was ...".