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 will be the state language there. You can always explain yourself in 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 don't know any foreign language? Or do you know very little? Or has your knowledge been forgotten for a very long time? Many people use an English translator to communicate. Most often used online versions. It is definitely a good helper. But do not forget that he, as a rule, translates literally. And English and Russian languages are still different in their structure. And it is preferable to familiarize yourself with or remember the basics of the English language, to know how common spoken words, phrases and expressions will sound in a foreign language. This will never be superfluous and will help you better navigate in an unfamiliarsetting.
In this article, we will consider how in English it will be "I was …".
Verb to be (to be)
First of all, you need to understand in general what this verb is. The verb to be has such meanings as "to be", "to happen", "to be", "to be", "to consist", "to be contained", "to 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 by meaning:
He is late. – He was late.
My sister is at hospital now. – My sister is in the hospital now.
In some cases, the verb to be is not translated at all. For example:
I am in Moscow now. – I'm in Moscow now.
He isn't at work at the moment. – He is not at work at present.
We are happy! – We are happy!
In English, the verb to be is special and stands apart, as it does not fit the general rules of grammar. When changing tense, it does not require an auxiliary verb. It changes its form on its own. 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 forms of the verb "to be"
In the present tense for the verb to bethree forms are typical. These are am, is and are. But how do you know which form to use in a given situation? Everything is very simple. The use of the verb form 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, let us 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 one - you.
Let's consider the use of the present tense of the verb to be on several examples.
I am glad to see you again. – Good to see you again.
He is my best friend.- He is my best friend.
We are in the cinema now. – We are at the cinema now.
The verb "to be" in the past tense in English
The verb to be has two forms in the past tense: was / were. Determining which form to use in a sentence is not difficult. Was is used with pronouns I / he / she / it, and were with the rest (You / we / they). Here are some examples.
When I was a child, I dreamed 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 has no number. So translate into Englishutterance in the past tense is not difficult. When translating into Russian, one should pay attention to the gender and start directly from the context ("was", "was", "was", etc.). Here are some 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 "to be" in English
The forms shall be / will be are used in the future tense. However, in modern language, the first form is obsolete and has practically fallen into disuse. In all cases, will be is used. But you can say shall be, it will not be considered a mistake. It should only be remembered that the use of shall be is valid only with pronouns I / we. Otherwise, only will be is always used. Here are some examples.
I will be at home tomorrow morning. – I will be home tomorrow morning.
They will be in the country next summer. – They will be in the village next summer.
How would it be in English: "I was…". Examples
As we have already found out, with the pronoun I, the form of the verb to be - was will be used. Here are some of the most common examples of how it would be in English: “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 confident.
I was happy to see you! - I was (a) 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 dreamed of being an actress. – When I was little, I dreamed of becoming an actress.
Below are common phrases starting with I was that need to be translated according to the meaning:
I was born on April 15, 1985.
I was going to have a lunch. – I was going to (going to) have lunch.
I was going to say that I was grateful for your help. – I was going to (I was going to) say that I appreciate (grateful) your help.
I was looking forward to it. – I was looking forward to this.
I was looking for you. – I was looking for you.
Now you know the main features of the use of the verb to be e in the present, past and future tenses, and you can also say with absolute ease how in English it would be: “I was …”.
