입문 · Unit 28
be 동사 과거형의 의문문
be 동사 과거형의 의문문은 was 또는 were를 주어 앞으로 이동시켜 만들며, 문장 끝에 물음표를 붙입니다. 대답은 Yes / No 뒤에 주어와 was / were를 다시 넣어 짧게 하고, 축약은 부정 대답에만 씁니다.
개념 설명
be 동사 과거형의 의문문은 was 또는 were를 주어 앞으로 이동시켜 만들며, 문장 끝에 물음표를 붙입니다. 대답은 Yes / No 뒤에 주어와 was / were를 다시 넣어 짧게 하고, 축약은 부정 대답에만 씁니다.
A. 의문문 만드는 방법 — was / were를 앞으로
평서문의 was / were를 주어 앞으로 이동시키기만 하면 의문문이 됩니다. was/were + 주어 + 나머지 + ? 라는 어순이 유일한 규칙입니다.
| 평서문 | 의문문 |
|---|---|
| She was at home. | Was she at home? |
| You were busy. | Were you busy? |
| They were in Seoul. | Were they in Seoul? |
| It was raining. | Was it raining? |
- Was she happy at the party? (그녀가 파티에서 행복해했어요?)
- Were you late for work? (직장에 늦으셨어요?)
- Was the food good? (음식이 맛있었어요?)
- Were they at school yesterday? (그들이 어제 학교에 있었어요?)
B. Yes / No 짧은 대답
be 동사 과거 의문문에는 Yes / No 뒤에 '주어 + was / were' 또는 '주어 + wasn't / weren't'로 짧게 대답합니다. 긍정 대답에는 축약을 쓰지 않고, 부정 대답에서만 축약이 자연스럽습니다.
| 질문 | 긍정 대답 | 부정 대답 |
|---|---|---|
| Was she at home? | Yes, she was. | No, she wasn't. |
| Were you tired? | Yes, I was. | No, I wasn't. |
| Were they friends? | Yes, they were. | No, they weren't. |
| Was it cold? | Yes, it was. | No, it wasn't. |
- Was Anna at the meeting? — Yes, she was. (Anna가 회의에 있었어요? 네, 있었어요.)
- Were you sick last week? — No, I wasn't. (지난주에 아프셨어요? 아니요, 안 아팠어요.)
- Were they in Busan last summer? — Yes, they were. (그들이 지난여름 부산에 있었어요? 네, 있었어요.)
C. 의문사 + was / were — 구체적 정보를 묻기
What / Where / How / Who 같은 의문사 뒤에 was / were를 이어 붙이면 구체적인 정보를 묻는 과거 의문문이 되며, 어순은 '의문사 + was / were + 주어 + ?' 로 통일됩니다.
| 의문사 | 예시 질문 | 예시 대답 |
|---|---|---|
| What | What was your job? | I was a teacher. |
| Where | Where were you? | I was at home. |
| How | How was your trip? | It was great. |
| Who | Who was that man? | He was my uncle. |
| Why | Why were you late? | Because of the traffic. |
- Where were you last night? (어젯밤 어디 있었어요?)
- How was your weekend? (주말 어땠어요?)
- Who was at the door? (문 앞에 누가 있었어요?)
- Why were you so quiet? (왜 그렇게 조용했어요?)
핵심 포인트
- 1be 동사 과거 의문문은 was / were를 주어 앞으로 이동시키기만 하면 완성된다는 어순이 유일한 규칙입니다.
- 2대답에서는 반드시 주어와 was / were를 다시 넣어야 한다는 점을 기억하세요. (X: Yes, was. / O: Yes, I was.)
- 3긍정 대답은 축약하지 않고(Yes, I was), 부정 대답만 축약(No, I wasn't)한다는 관용이 자연스러운 영어입니다.
- 4의문사(Where / How / Who / Why) 뒤에 was / were를 이어 붙이면 구체적 정보를 묻는 의문문이 된다는 확장 규칙을 익혀 두세요.
- 5How was ~? 는 '~ 어땠어요?' 라는 후기·평가를 묻는 대표 표현으로 실전 회화에서 매우 자주 쓰인다는 점도 알아두세요.
예문
Was she at home yesterday?
그녀가 어제 집에 있었어요?
Was he tired after work?
그는 퇴근 후에 피곤했어요?
Was it cold last winter?
지난겨울 추웠어요?
Was the food good at the restaurant?
그 식당 음식이 맛있었어요?
Were you at the meeting yesterday?
어제 회의에 있었어요?
이 유닛에는 예문이 더 있습니다. 가입하면 전체를 듣고 볼 수 있어요.
이렇게 틀리기 쉬워요
Was she at home?
Were you tired?
Was she your friend?
Yes, I was.
Where were you last night?