였다
yeotda
In Korean, 였다 (yeotda) is the way to say "was" to describe a state or identity in the past.
This phrase is used when you are identifying someone or something in the past, such as saying "I was a student." It describes what something was, rather than where something was located.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between identity and existence. Use 였다 when describing an identity (e.g., "I was a student"), but use 있었다 when expressing that someone or something existed or was present in a location (e.g., "I was at home").
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 였다 is used in plain or informal speech, often in writing or when speaking to someone of lower status.
How do you pronounce it?
yeotda
Did you know?
- Korean has an 'honorific' version of this concept where you use 셨다 to show respect to the person who 'was' the subject.
- Depending on the final consonant of the preceding noun, 였다 changes to 이었다 to make the pronunciation smoother.
- In Korean, you can omit the subject entirely when using 였다, as the context usually makes it clear who 'was' something.
Examples in context
- 그는 선생님이었습니다.He was a teacher.
- 영화는 너무 재미있었어요.The movie was very interesting.
- 어제 날씨가 좋았어.The weather was good yesterday.
- 내 친구들은 너무 바빴어.My friends were really busy.
