Gemma Gem
Es gab or es war?
Hi there!
Is there any difference between 'es gab' and 'es war' for saying 'there was'?
I've seen both used and they seem to me to be pretty interchangeable but I'm sure there must be some sort of rule governing their use!
Thanks
Gem
2012년 6월 7일 오후 7:27
답변 · 8
4
Although there might be specific case, the general correspondence is as follows:
1. es gab = there was
2. es war = it/this was.
2012년 6월 8일
2
Normally, the direct equivalent for 'there was' is only 'es gab'. If you've heard 'es war', it's either a special construction for whatever follows, or it's a bad translation from English. :-)
Can you give some examples for expressions where you've heard 'es war' for 'there was'?
2012년 6월 7일
2
It's hard to explain where the difference is. As Dirk already said, the translation of "there was" is "es gab". From the grammatical perspective, I cannot explain where the difference is, but I can give you some examples:
- Es gab einen Unfall
- Es gab Essen
- Es war morgens
- Es war toll
Hope that helps! ;)
2012년 6월 7일
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