was
The English phrase 'was' is translated into Afrikaans as was.
Did you know?
- Because was can mean 'to wash', the phrase ek was can be translated as either 'I was' or 'I wash' depending on the context.
- In Afrikaans, the past tense is often formed by adding het before the verb, but was remains one of the few verbs that can stand alone to indicate the past without needing a helper verb.
- When used as 'to wash', the word was is often used specifically for laundry, while was for the body often involves other terms or additions, though the root remains the same.
Examples in context
- Hy was uit asem.He was out of breath.This example shows how to use was to describe someone being out of breath.Tatoeba #5512584 by CJuser01, translation #300996 by CK
- Die bus was vol.The bus was full.This example shows how to use was to describe a bus being full.Tatoeba #5868899 by CJuser01, translation #1233916 by tsayng
- Tom was toe hier.Tom was here then.This example shows how to use was to indicate someone's past location.Tatoeba #6458267 by Dewald, translation #6440554 by CK
- Hy/Sy/Dit het geweesHe/She/It has been
- Ek het geweesI was
- Ek was oppadI was on the way
- 103 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andries and Marelize are talking about a restaurant they visited.
- MarelizeWas die kos lekker?Was the food tasty?
- AndriesJa, dit was baie goed.Yes, it was very good.
- MarelizeWas die diens ook vinnig?Was the service also fast?
- AndriesNee, die diens was stadig.No, the service was slow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry was, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
