Was vs Were: Perbedaan, Aturan & Contoh untuk SMA

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Was vs Were: Which One Is Correct?

One of the most common grammar mistakes Indonesian students make — and how to fix it for good.

A2 B1 Grammar Common Mistakes ~7 min read

"I were at school yesterday."

Did that sentence sound wrong to you? If you're not sure why it's wrong — you're not alone. Was and were are two of the most misused words in English by Indonesian learners. The reason is simple: in Bahasa Indonesia, we use one word — "adalah" or just leave it out entirely — for all subjects. English doesn't work that way. The verb changes depending on who you're talking about.

This article is designed for A2–B1 learners. By the end, you'll know exactly when to use was, when to use were, understand the tricky subjunctive exception, and test yourself with 5 practice questions.

🇮🇩 Penjelasan dalam Bahasa Indonesia ▼

"I were at school yesterday" — kalimat itu terdengar aneh, kan? Tapi banyak siswa Indonesia yang masih ragu kenapa salah. Masalahnya karena dalam Bahasa Indonesia, kita tidak mengubah kata kerja berdasarkan subjek. Kita bisa bilang "Saya ada di sekolah" dan "Mereka ada di sekolah" — kata kerjanya sama saja.

Dalam bahasa Inggris, kata kerjanya berubah tergantung siapa yang melakukan. Itulah kenapa ada was dan were — keduanya adalah bentuk lampau dari kata kerja "to be". Artikel ini ditujukan untuk level A2–B1 dan akan menjelaskan aturannya dengan cara yang mudah diingat.

The Basic Rule

Simple, clear, and worth memorising

Both was and were are past tense forms of the verb to be. The rule is straightforward — it all depends on the subject of the sentence.

📐 The Rule

WAS → I  /  He  /  She  /  It  (+ singular nouns)
WERE → You  /  We  /  They  (+ plural nouns)

✅ I was tired after school yesterday. ✅ She was the best student in class. ✅ They were late to the exam. ✅ We were so happy to hear the news. ❌ I were tired after school. (wrong!) ❌ She were the best student. (wrong!)

Here is the full subject chart — memorise this and you'll never mix them up again:

Subject	Past Tense (to be)	Example Sentence
I	was	I was at home last night.
He	was	He was very nervous before the test.
She	was	She was the class president.
It	was	It was a very hot day.
The book / Budi / The teacher (singular noun)	was	The exam was really difficult.
You	were	You were right all along.
We	were	We were studying until midnight.
They	were	They were not ready for the quiz.
The students / My friends (plural noun)	were	My friends were already there.

🇮🇩 Penjelasan dalam Bahasa Indonesia ▼

Aturannya simpel:

• Pakai WAS untuk subjek tunggal: I, He, She, It, dan semua kata benda tunggal seperti "the teacher", "Budi", "the exam".
• Pakai WERE untuk subjek jamak atau "you": You, We, They, dan kata benda jamak seperti "my friends", "the students".

Tips mudah ingat: WAS = 1 orang/benda, WERE = lebih dari 1, atau "you". Pengecualian satu-satunya adalah "you" — meskipun "you" bisa merujuk ke satu orang, dalam bahasa Inggris selalu pakai were.

The Important Exception: Subjunctive

"If I were you…" — why not "was"?

Here is where many B1 learners get confused. Look at this sentence:

"If I were you, I would study harder."

Wait — shouldn't it be "If I was you"? The subject is I, and the rule says I + was. So why do we use were here?

💡 The Subjunctive Mood

When we talk about something imaginary, hypothetical, or contrary to reality — especially in conditional sentences beginning with "If I were…" or "I wish I were…" — we use WERE for all subjects, including I, he, she, it.

This is called the subjunctive mood. It signals to the listener: "This is not real — I am imagining a different situation."

• ✅ If I were a teacher, I would give less homework.
• ✅ I wish she were here with us right now.
• ✅ If he were taller, he could play basketball.
• 📌 Note: In informal speech, some native speakers say "If I was you…" — but in formal writing and exams, always use were.

🇮🇩 Penjelasan dalam Bahasa Indonesia ▼

Ini adalah pengecualian penting yang sering bikin bingung di ujian. Dalam kalimat kondisional (conditional sentence) yang menyatakan sesuatu yang tidak nyata atau hanya imajinasi, kita selalu pakai WERE untuk semua subjek — termasuk I, he, she, it.

Contohnya:

• "If I were rich, I would travel the world." — artinya: saya tidak kaya, ini hanya imajinasi.
• "I wish she were here." — artinya: dia tidak ada di sini, tapi saya berharap.

Dalam percakapan santai sehari-hari, orang kadang bilang "If I was you…" — tapi untuk ujian dan tulisan formal, selalu pakai were.

Common Mistakes from Indonesian Students

Real errors, real explanations

Here are three mistakes that appear frequently in student essays and speaking tests. Can you spot what's wrong before reading the correction?

❌ "I were absent yesterday because I were sick."

✅ "I was absent yesterday because I was sick."

Why: The subject is I → always use was. This is one of the most frequent errors in student writing because Bahasa Indonesia uses one word for all subjects.

❌ "The students was very excited about the field trip."

✅ "The students were very excited about the field trip."

Why: "The students" is a plural noun → always use were. Students sometimes see "students" and forget to switch from was to were.

❌ "If I was you, I would not skip class."

✅ "If I were you, I would not skip class."

Why: This is a hypothetical/imaginary condition (subjunctive mood) → use were for all subjects. Even though the subject is I, the imaginary context requires were.

🇮🇩 Penjelasan dalam Bahasa Indonesia ▼

Ketiga kesalahan di atas sangat umum di kalangan siswa SMA Indonesia:

1. "I were absent" — subjek "I" → harus pakai was. Ini terjadi karena Bahasa Indonesia tidak membedakan kata kerja berdasarkan subjek.
2. "The students was" — "students" adalah kata benda jamak → harus pakai were. Perhatikan tanda jamak (-s di akhir kata) sebagai petunjuk.
3. "If I was you" — ini kalimat kondisional tidak nyata (subjunctive) → harus pakai were meskipun subjeknya "I".

Real Conversation: Before & After Correction

See was/were in natural dialogue — spot the mistakes, then see the fix

Read this conversation between two high school students, Rina and Dimas. The first version has grammar mistakes. The second version shows the corrected dialogue.

🔴 Before Correction

📍 Scene: School corridor, Monday morning. Rina is asking Dimas about his weekend.

Rina

"Hey Dimas! Where were you on Saturday? I called you."

Dimas

"Oh, I were at the mall with my family. It were my sister's birthday."

Rina

"That's nice! Were your sister happy with her gift?"

Dimas

"Yes! She were really surprised. If I was her, I would be so happy!"

✅ After Correction

📍 Same scene — now with correct grammar.

Rina

"Hey Dimas! Where were you on Saturday? I called you."

Dimas

"Oh, I was at the mall with my family. It was my sister's birthday."

Rina

"That's nice! Was your sister happy with her gift?"

Dimas

"Yes! She was really surprised. If I were her, I would be so happy!"

🇮🇩 Penjelasan dalam Bahasa Indonesia ▼

Perhatikan setiap koreksi dalam dialog di atas:

• "Where were you?" — subjek "you" → tetap pakai were. ✅ (ini sudah benar di versi pertama)
• "I was at the mall" — subjek "I" → harus pakai was, bukan were.
• "It was my sister's birthday" — subjek "it" → harus pakai was.
• "Was your sister happy?" — subjek "your sister" = she (tunggal) → pakai was dalam bentuk pertanyaan.
• "She was really surprised" — subjek "she" → pakai was.
• "If I were her…" — kalimat kondisional tidak nyata (subjunctive) → pakai were meskipun subjeknya "I".

Practice Time! ✏️

Choose was or were — click your answer to check

Mini Quiz: Was or Were?

Read each sentence and choose the correct answer. All 5 questions cover the rules from this article.

1.My friends and I _____ at the library yesterday.

2.The exam _____ really difficult last week.

3.If I _____ taller, I could join the basketball team.

4.She _____ very happy when she heard the news.

5.All the teachers _____ proud of our class.

📋 Quick Summary — Rangkuman

Use WAS with I, He, She, It, and singular nouns.

Pakai was untuk I, He, She, It, dan kata benda tunggal.

Use WERE with You, We, They, and plural nouns.

Pakai were untuk You, We, They, dan kata benda jamak.

Use WERE for all subjects in hypothetical/imaginary conditions (subjunctive): "If I were you…"

Pakai were untuk semua subjek dalam kalimat hipotetis/tidak nyata: "If I were you…"

The most common mistake: using were with I — remember, it's always I was.

Kesalahan paling umum: pakai were setelah I — ingat, selalu I was.

Now It's Your Turn! 🎯

Try writing 3 sentences using was and were correctly — about your weekend, your friends, or anything you like. Share them in the comments below!

Coba buat 3 kalimat pakai was dan were dengan benar — tentang akhir pekanmu, teman-temanmu, atau apa saja. Tulis di kolom komentar ya!

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