es gab
The English phrase "there was" is translated into German as es gab.
es gab is used to express that something existed or happened in the past.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, which distinguishes between "there was" for singular subjects and "there were" for plural subjects, es gab is used for both singular and plural subjects.
Did you know?
- While es gab translates to 'there was', it is the past tense of es gibt, which literally means 'it gives'. This reveals that German expresses existence through the concept of giving.
- Because es gab uses the verb geben, the object being described is always in the accusative case. This differs from the English 'there was', which doesn't change the case of the subject.
- In spoken German, you cannot replace es gab with es war to mean 'there was' an event. While es war means 'it was', using it to describe the existence of something often sounds like a literal translation from English.
Examples in context
- Es gab viel Schnee.There was a lot of snow.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe the existence of snow using es gab.Tatoeba #5023538 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5022698 by CK
- Es gab einen Zeugen.There was a witness.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe the existence of a witness using es gab.Tatoeba #4041346 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2548159 by CK
- Es gab einen Fehler.There was an error.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe the existence of an error using es gab.Tatoeba #11925886 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11924069 by Fenrir
- Es gab viele Besucher auf der KonferenzThere were many visitors at the conference
- Dort war ein schöner ParkThere was a beautiful park there
- Es existierte ein monumentales Gebäude im StadtzentrumThere was a monumental building in the city center
- Da war gestern eine tolle PartyThere was an amazing party yesterday
- Es gab viele Möglichkeiten, Spaß zu habenThere were many ways to have fun
- Es gab ein interessantes Buch in der Bibliothek.There was an interesting book in the library.
- Dort war einmal ein malerisches Dorf.There was once a picturesque village there.
- Da war gestern ein schrecklicher Verkehrsunfall.There was a terrible car accident yesterday.
- Es gab viele Tiere im Zoo.There were many animals in the zoo.
- 115 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Maximilian are talking about a concert they attended last night.
- SarahEs gab gestern ein tolles Konzert.There was a great concert yesterday.
- MaximilianWar die Musik wirklich so gut?Was the music really that good?
- SarahJa, es gab eine unglaubliche Atmosphäre.Yes, there was an incredible atmosphere.
- MaximilianDas klingt nach einem schönen Abend.That sounds like a lovely evening.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
