ich war
The English phrase "I was" is translated into German as ich war.
This phrase is used to express the first-person singular past tense of the verb "to be".
Did you know?
- While ich war is the direct translation of 'I was', German speakers often use the present perfect ich bin gewesen in spoken conversation to describe past states.
- German uses the same form war for 'I was', 'he was', 'she was' and 'it was', making the pronoun ich essential for knowing who is being discussed.
- The pronoun ich is one of the few words in German that is never capitalized unless it starts a sentence, unlike the formal 'you' Sie.
Examples in context
- Ich war oft da.I was often there.This sentence is useful for practicing describing how often you were in a certain place using ich war.Tatoeba #970219 by Esperantostern, translation #942450 by spockofvulcan
- Ich war in Rom.I was in Rome.This sentence is useful for describing a past location using ich war.Tatoeba #4647544 by Esperantostern, translation #4646731 by pinkmpnster
- Ich war im Bus.I was on the bus.This sentence is useful for describing being inside a vehicle using ich war.Tatoeba #6920424 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4500119 by CK
- Der Vortrag war sehr interessant. Ich war beeindruckt.The presentation was very interesting. I was impressed.
- Gestern war ich im Kino. Der Film war großartig!Yesterday, I was at the cinema. The movie was amazing!
- Die Party letzte Nacht war der Knaller. Ich war dabei und habe viel Spaß gehabt!The party last night was a blast. I was there and had a great time!
- Ich war gestern beim Arzt. Meine Erkältung war schlimm.I was at the doctor's yesterday. My cold was bad.
- Es war so schön, als ich ein Kind war.It was so beautiful when I was a child.
- Ich war immer ein großer Fan von deiner Musik.I was always a big fan of your music.
- 1267 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a party last night.
- LauraIch war gestern auf der Party.I was at the party yesterday.
- JulianWarst du allein?Were you alone?
- LauraNein, ich war mit Freunden dort.No, I was there with friends.
- JulianDas klingt gut.That sounds good.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
