they wasn't (audio)

[suprunp]

There is a video of Joe Tallant on this page 'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22630303' (BBC News; Woolwich machete attack leaves man dead)

Would you be so kind to watch it (in particular the bit around 00:50) and tell me whether I caught it correctly that he says 'they wasn't'?

But then again, it seems like he says 'they weren't' at ~ 1:10 :-?

Thanks.

 

[Rover_KE]

Many native speakers say 'they wasn't' and use other incorrect grammatical forms. If they know they're wrong, they don't care.

My own mother used to say 'we was' and 'you was' until the day she died, despite my best efforts to persuade her to get it right.

Do your own compatriots always speak perfectly grammatical Ukrainian?;-)

Rover

 

[suprunp]

Thank you Rover_KE!

Do your own compatriots always speak perfectly grammatical Ukrainian?;-)

I myself don't speak perfectly grammatical Ukrainian and I know it and, sometimes, I don't care

It's just that I don't often get to hear something like this, especially while watching the BBC, so I simply wanted to be sure.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Well, it wasn't the BBC broadcaster who made that error. It was an eyewitness on the street.

 

[Tdol]

Here are some of the verb forms you may come across in the UK:

I says/he done/you was/they was/I were/she come,etc

Some native speakers use forms like these- they would be marked wrong in exams, but they are used in some regional varieties.
:up:

 

[Odessa Dawn]

Also, when I was listening to a British female, she did utter 'womens'. And I don’t know if such a word is common among British people. By the way, she is a teacher.

​

 

[MikeNewYork]

Was "women's/womens" meant as a plural or a possessive.

 

[Odessa Dawn]

Was "women's/womens" meant as a plural or a possessive.

'Womens' was as a plural.

 

[MikeNewYork]

That is unfortunate. :shock: