在 was 和 were 之间选择的规则
选择只取决于主语。按顺序问自己这些问题，一秒钟就能得到正确形式，不必把句子翻译成中文。
- 主语是 you 吗？那就用 were：You were late。
- 是复数吗，也就是两个或以上？那就用 were：My parents were busy。
- 是一个人或一件事物吗？那就用 was：The bus was late。
- 是在用 if 或 wish 想象不真实的事吗？那就所有人称都用 were：If she were here…
这份指南专注于两种形式的选择。如果你需要带表格、时间表达和翻译的完整变位，请参阅to be 动词过去时的完整课程.
按主语判断 was 还是 were
代词容易记。遇到名词时，在心里把它换成对应的代词：my sister 是 she；the children 是 they。
| 主语 | 形式 | 例句 | 翻译 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | I was tired. | 我累了。 |
| you | were | You were right. | 你说得对。 |
| he / she / it | was | It was cold. | 当时很冷。 |
| we | were | We were in Rome. | 我们当时在罗马。 |
| they | were | They were neighbours. | 他们曾是邻居。 |
| my sister | was | My sister was at work. | 我姐姐当时在上班。 |
| Ana and Luis | were | Ana and Luis were late. | 安娜和路易斯迟到了。 |
| nobody | was | Nobody was ready. | 没有人准备好。 |
容易出错的情况
连高级学习者也会在这里出错。关键是找出主语真正的核心。
像 everyone 这样的词
Everyone、everybody、nobody、someone 和 anything 都是单数。
Everyone was there.
大家都在。
The police 和 people
永远是复数，尽管中文说“警察”或“人们”。
People were very friendly.
人们非常友好。
News 和其他以 -s 结尾的词
News、maths 或 physics 以 -s 结尾，但都是单数。
The news was good.
消息是好的。
One of…
由 one 决定，而不是后面的复数。
One of my friends was ill.
我的一个朋友生病了。
The family 或 the team
美式英语用单数。英式英语在想到成员时也用复数。
My team was the best.
我的队是最棒的。
There was 还是 there were
与 there 后面的名词一致。
There were three options.
有三个选择。
If I were you：所有人称都用 were
谈论想象的或与现实相反的事时，规范英语对任何主语都用 were。这主要出现在 if、wish 和 as if 之后。
| 结构 | 例句 | 翻译 |
|---|---|---|
| If + 主语 + were | If I were you, I would accept. | 如果我是你，我会接受。 |
| If + 主语 + were | If she were here, she would help. | 如果她在这里，她会帮忙。 |
| wish + 主语 + were | I wish it were Friday. | 要是今天是星期五就好了。 |
| as if + 主语 + were | He talks as if he were the boss. | 他说话的样子好像他是老板。 |
口语中能听到 if I was，这不算严重错误。在正式考试和正式文本中，请用 were。另外注意：如果条件是真实的过去，就用 was：If I was rude, I apologise（如果我当时失礼了，我道歉）。
was 和 were 的疑问句、否定句和简短回答
主语规则不变：只是移动动词或加上 not。
| 句型 | 用 was | 用 were |
|---|---|---|
| 否定 | She wasn't at home. | They weren't hungry. |
| 疑问 | Was the museum open? | Were you tired? |
| 简短回答 | Yes, it was.No, it wasn't. | Yes, I was.No, we weren't. |
| 带疑问词的问句 | How was your weekend? | Where were you yesterday? |
| Question tag | It was fun, wasn't it? | You were there, weren't you? |
注意 Were you tired? 的回答：要回答 I was，因为问句是对一个人提的，而回答说的是 I。How was your weekend? 相当于“你周末过得怎么样？”。
was 和 were 怎么发音
在普通句子里，was 和 were 几乎从不重读，读弱读形式。强读形式出现在句末或想要强调时。
| 单词 | 弱读形式 | 强读形式（英式 · 美式） | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| was | /wəz/ | /wɒz/ · /wʌz/ | Where was it? |
| were | /wə/ | /wɜː/ · /wɝ/ | They were late. |
| wasn't | — | /ˈwɒznt/ · /ˈwʌznt/ | It wasn't me. |
| weren't | — | /wɜːnt/ · /wɝnt/ | We weren't ready. |
听力中经常混淆的三个词：were（/wɜː/）、where（/weə/ 或 /wer/，“哪里”）和 we're（/wɪə/ 或 /wɪr/，“我们是”）。
15 秒学会 was 还是 were
两叠卡片：矮的代表单数，高的代表复数。从列表跳到你想看的片段。
提供字幕。母语者在 I was late 中使用 was 的弱读形式。
阅读文字稿
- Was or were?
- 看主语。
- 如果是单数：
- I was late. The bus was late.
- 如果是复数，或者是 you：
- They were late. You were late.
- 要想象某件事时：
- If I were you…
快速测试：was 还是 were？
一次一句：选择 was 或 were。每个答案会排到相应的一栏，并附上原因。试着保持连胜。
第 1 句，共 10 句
The children ___ tired after the trip.
旅行之后孩子们累了。
The children 是复数：相当于 they。
第 2 句，共 10 句
My brother ___ at the gym.
我哥哥当时在健身房。
只有一个人：my brother 相当于 he。
第 3 句，共 10 句
You ___ so kind to me.
你对我很好。
You 永远搭配 were，即使只有一个人。
第 4 句，共 10 句
Everyone ___ happy with the results.
大家都对结果很满意。
Everyone 按单数处理，就像 nobody 或 someone。
第 5 句，共 10 句
If I ___ you, I would call her.
如果我是你，我会给她打电话。
这是假设：在规范英语中，所有人称都用 were。
第 6 句，共 10 句
The news ___ surprising.
这个消息令人吃惊。
News 是不可数的单数名词，尽管以 -s 结尾。
第 7 句，共 10 句
The police ___ very helpful.
警察非常热心。
The police 永远按复数处理。
第 8 句，共 10 句
There ___ two messages for you.
有两条给你的消息。
有 there 时，由后面的名词决定：two messages 是复数。
第 9 句，共 10 句
One of my friends ___ in London last year.
我的一个朋友去年在伦敦。
主语是 one，不是 friends：单数。
第 10 句，共 10 句
___ your parents at home?
你父母当时在家吗？
在问句中，were 放在相当于 they 的 your parents 前面。
was
were
意犹未尽？练习 was 和 were，完成整条学习路线的练习。如果你想从基础开始，请回到to be 动词完整指南。
关于 was 和 were 的常见问题
什么时候用 was，什么时候用 were？
取决于主语：一个人或一件事物用 was（I was，the bus was）；两个或以上，以及 you，用 were（we were，you were）。如果用 if 或 wish 想象不真实的事，所有人称都用 were。
I 搭配 was 还是 were？
搭配 was：I was at home。唯一的例外是假设：If I were rich…，I wish I were taller。口语中也能听到 if I was，但考试和正式文本最好用 were。
说 you was 还是 you were？
永远说 you were，无论对一个人还是多个人说话：You were right（你说得对 / 你们说得对）。You was 是错误的。
说 «the family was» 还是 «the family were»？
两种形式都存在。美式英语把它当作单数（My family was happy）。英式英语在想到成员时也用复数（My family were all there）。拿不准时，was 总是正确的。
was 和 were 的中文意思是什么？
它们是 to be 动词的过去时，根据语境相当于“曾经是”“当时在”或“当时……”：It was cold（当时很冷），They were friends（他们曾是朋友）。
were 怎么发音？
在句子里通常读弱读形式 /wə/。重读时，英式英语读 /wɜː/，美式英语读 /wɝ/。它不读作 where（/weə/，/wer/）。