영어 문법 · 고딸영문법 2권 Unit1
be동사 과거형 was, were ⏳
딱 두 가지만 알면 끝!
am/is → was / are → were — 이 공식 하나로 3분 만에 완벽 정리
“I was tired yesterday.” “They were so happy.” 이 두 문장에서 was와 were는 왜 다를까요? be동사의 현재형은 am/is/are 세 종류이지만, 과거형은 was/were 딱 두 종류뿐입니다. 많은 분들이 언제 was를 쓰고 언제 were를 쓰는지 헷갈려 합니다. 고딸영문법 2권 Unit1에서는 이 두 가지 규칙을 3분 만에 깔끔하게 정리합니다. 딱 두 가지만 기억하면 was/were 완전 정복입니다.
📌 핵심 요약
- be동사 현재형: am(I) / is(he,she,it) / are(you,we,they)
- be동사 과거형: was(I,he,she,it) / were(you,we,they) — 딱 두 종류
- 암기 공식: “am/is → was / are → were”
- 부정문: was not(wasn’t) / were not(weren’t)
- 의문문: Was/Were를 문장 앞으로 → Was she…? / Were you…?
was vs were — 주어별 사용 규칙
was 단수 주어에 사용
I was a student.
He was very tired.
She was a famous singer.
It was so funny.
The weather was cold.
He was very tired.
She was a famous singer.
It was so funny.
The weather was cold.
were 복수·you 주어에 사용
You were so kind.
We were best friends.
They were very happy.
The students were excited.
My parents were teachers.
We were best friends.
They were very happy.
The students were excited.
My parents were teachers.
부정문 — was not / were not
was/were 뒤에 not 추가 → 줄임말: wasn’t / weren’t
was not / wasn’t
I wasn’t hungry.
He wasn’t at home.
She wasn’t sad.
I wasn’t hungry.
He wasn’t at home.
She wasn’t sad.
were not / weren’t
You weren’t late.
We weren’t ready.
They weren’t there.
You weren’t late.
We weren’t ready.
They weren’t there.
의문문 — Was/Were를 문장 앞으로
Was/Were + 주어 + …? → Yes/No 단답형으로 답변
Was she a teacher?
Yes, she was. / No, she wasn’t.
Were you at home last night?
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.
Was it cold yesterday?
Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.
Were they happy?
Yes, they were. / No, they weren’t.
현재형 vs 과거형 한눈에 비교
| 주어 | 현재형 | 과거형 | 예문 (현재→과거) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | was | I am tired. → I was tired. |
| He / She / It | is | was | She is happy. → She was happy. |
| You | are | were | You are kind. → You were kind. |
| We / They | are | were | They are busy. → They were busy. |
“I was at home. It was a good day. My friends were busy.” — 이 세 문장이 be동사 과거형의 완벽한 연습 출발점입니다.”
출처: 고딸영문법 2권 Unit1 — be동사 과거형! was, were 언제 쓰지? 3분 깔끔 정리
💡 실용 팁
✔ 암기 공식 하나로: “am/is → was, are → were” — 이 공식 하나면 충분
✔ you는 단수지만 were: “You was…” (✗) → “You were…” (✓) — 유일한 예외 기억
✔ 단답형은 주어 + was/were만: “Were you hungry?” → “Yes, I was.” 뒤 내용 생략 가능
✔ 축약형 적극 활용: wasn’t / weren’t는 회화에서 자주 사용
✔ 명사 주어는 수 확인: the dog(단수)→was / the dogs(복수)→were
✔ 어제 하루 일기 연습: “I was ___ . It was ___ . My friend was/were ___.” 세 문장으로 시작
⚠️ 주의할 점
⚠ “You was…” (✗) → “You were…” (✓) — you는 단수처럼 보여도 항상 were
⚠ “I were…” (✗) → “I was…” (✓) — I는 항상 was (가정법 If I were you… 예외)
⚠ “Did she was…?” (✗) → “Was she…?” (✓) — be동사 의문문에는 do/did 사용 금지
⚠ “No, I was not.” → “No, I wasn’t.” — 부정 단답형은 축약형이 자연스러움
⚠ 과거 의미 없이 was/were 사용 금지: 현재 상황에 was/were 쓰면 완전히 다른 의미 → 시제 항상 확인
be동사 과거형, 딱 두 가지면 끝입니다. I/He/She/It이면 was, You/We/They이면 were. am/is는 was로, are는 were로. 오늘 배운 내용으로 어제 하루를 영어로 써보세요. “I was at home. It was a good day. My friends were busy.” 이 세 문장이 완벽한 연습의 시작입니다.