لتقول إن شيئًا واحدًا كان موجودًا في الماضي، استخدم There was.
There was = واحد
There was a cinema on this street.
There was a big tree in the square.
There was an old café here.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ a cinema on this street years ago. (There was / There were / There is) الإجابة: There was — سينما واحدة في الماضي ← There was. "There were" تكون لأكثر من واحد، و"There is" للحاضر، لا للماضي.
There were = أكثر من واحد
لتقول إن اثنين أو أكثر من الأشياء كانا موجودَين في الماضي، استخدم There were.
There were two bakeries in the old town.
There were lots of people at the market.
There were many trees here before.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ two bakeries in the old town. (There were / There was / There are) الإجابة: There were — مخبزان يعنيان أكثر من واحد، لذلك نستخدم There were. "There was" تكون لواحد، و"There are" للحاضر، لا للماضي.
واحد أم أكثر من واحد؟
عُدَّ أولًا. شيء واحد → There was (There was a cat.). اثنان أو أكثر → There were (There were three cats.). والأشياء التي لا تُعَدّ — مثل traffic, water, food, noise — تستخدم أيضًا There was، لأنك تتعامل معها ككمية واحدة، لا أشياء كثيرة.
There was a cat. (one)
There were three cats. (more than one)
There was a lot of traffic. (can't count → was)
Not "There were a lot of traffic." — say "There was a lot of traffic.". كلمة traffic كمّية واحدة لا تُعدّ، فتأخذ was — أمّا three cats فكثيرة، وتأخذ were.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ lots of people at the market last Saturday. (There were / There was / There be) الإجابة: There were — Lots of people تعني أكثر من واحد، لذلك نستخدم There were. تذكّر أن "people" جمع، رغم أنها لا تنتهي بـ -s: There were lots of people.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ a lot of traffic in the city centre. (There was / There were / There are) الإجابة: There was — لا يمكن عدّ traffic، فتعامل معها ككمية واحدة واستخدم There was، وليس There were. "There are" تكون للحاضر، لا للماضي.
There wasn't = واحد
لشيء واحد لم يكن موجودًا، استخدم There wasn't (= there was not).
There wasn't a school here.
There wasn't a single car on the road.
There wasn't anyone at the door.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ a shop on this street back then. (There wasn't / There weren't / There no was) الإجابة: There wasn't — متجر واحد هو شيء واحد، لذلك نستخدم There wasn't (وليس "There weren't"، وهي لأكثر من واحد). النفي أيضًا يتبع العدد: واحد ← wasn't.
There weren't = أكثر من واحد
لأكثر من شيء لم يكن موجودًا، استخدم There weren't (= there were not).
There weren't any cafés nearby.
There weren't many people at the park.
There weren't any buses after midnight.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ any cafés nearby back then. (There weren't / There wasn't / There no were) الإجابة: There weren't — Cafés تعني أكثر من واحد، لذلك نستخدم There weren't (وليس "There wasn't"، وهي لشيء واحد). النفي أيضًا يتبع العدد: أكثر من واحد ← weren't.
Was there / Were there
للسؤال، ضع was / were في البداية: Was there...? لواحد، Were there...? لأكثر من واحد.
Was there a park in your town?
Were there many shops?
Was there a lot of traffic?
جرّب بنفسك: ___ many shops in the old town? (Were there / There were / Was there) الإجابة: Were there — للسؤال، تأتي were أولًا: Were there many shops? "There were" تخبر، ولا تسأل. وmany shops تعني أكثر من واحد، لذلك were، لا was.
جرّب بنفسك: ___ a market in the square, and ___ lots of stalls. (There was … there were / There were … there was / There was … there was) الإجابة: There was … there were — سوق واحد ← there was. أكشاك كثيرة (أكثر من واحد) ← there were. كل جزء يتبع اسمه: واحد يأخذ was، والكثير يأخذ were.