how to pronounce was

/vas/

audio example by a male speaker

audio example by a female speaker

the above transcription of was is a detailed (narrow) transcription according to the rules of the International Phonetic Association; you can find a description of each symbol by clicking the phoneme buttons in the secction below.

was is pronounced in one syllable

press buttons with phonetic symbols to learn how to precisely pronounce each sound of was

1. example pitch curve for pronunciation of was

test your pronunciation of was

press the "test" button to check how closely you can replicate the pitch of a native speaker in your pronunciation of was

video examples of was pronunciation

An example use of was in a speech by a native speaker of standard german:

“… da bei der ba noch was zu sagen auch da …”

meanings of was

pronoun:

That, which (referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives).
What.
That, which (referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard das).
Something, anything (instead of standard etwas).
Which (referring to the entire preceding clause).

adverb:

A little, somewhat.
Why, what for.

determinative:

What; what kind of.

was frequency in german - A1 level of CEFR

the word was occurs in german on average 3839.1 times per one million words; this frequency warrants it to be in the study list for A1 level of language mastery according to CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference.