Es war
Translation
It was, There was
Examples
Es war ein schöner Tag.
It was a beautiful day.
Es war einmal ein König.
Once upon a time, there was a king.
Es war sehr kalt gestern.
It was very cold yesterday.
Grammar Patterns
Es war + adjective It was... Es war sehr kalt.
Es war + noun (nominative) It was a... Es war ein Fehler.
Similar Words
Es gab (There was/were)
Etymology
'Es' (it) + 'war' (the simple past form of the verb 'sein', to be). It means 'It was'.
Memory Tips
This is the classic opening for fairy tales: 'Es war einmal...' (Once upon a time...). Remember this to talk about the past.