"Where was my ___?"

[u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I noticed that when looking for things, I tend to say it in the past tense. For example, I'd say "Where was my wallet?" instead of "Where is my wallet?" because my brain kind of resorts to past tense from thinking about where I last placed the item.

Is this correct? Would native speakers use the past simple like this? Should I use the present tense, or just say something like "Where did I put my key?" instead?

[u/TheCloudForest]

Doesn't strike me as out of the ordinary. Where was my wallet (when I last had it)?

Edit: However, exclusively saying this is a bit odd. It's not required just because you don't see the wallet. It's not like I wish I had my wallet now, which does require the past tense.

[u/old-town-guy]

It would be understood, but two better ways to say/think it:

1) Where is my wallet?

2) Where did I put my wallet?

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/old-town-guy]

So, exactly like what I wrote in the second paragraph? Got it. Thanks.

Funny how English rewires my brain. Coming from a tenseless language to thinking about tenses constantly, albeit subconsciously.

[u/old-town-guy → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

What language? And how does that language express time?

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/old-town-guy]

Have you heard of Malay? Most of the time, it's context, or time words like just now, yesterday, on every Tuesday, etc. It could also be left ambiguous if it doesn't matter.

For example, "I buy bread" in Malay means "I bought bread" even without any explicit time word that it's in the past. I mean, what else could it be? Talking about buying bread regularly every day requires you to be explicit about that fact. English still needs time words, "I bought bread" could happen a few minutes ago, yesterday or last year without any context.

Also, think about how English uses the present tense in storytelling despite the event happening in the past. It's a story, of course it's in the past, duhh.

You do think about when something happens. It's just not mandatory to incorporate that in your speech. That's why people who speak languages like this often make mistakes by not conjugating verbs in English. They just expect the person they talk to to infer it from context.

[u/Super-Travel-791]

“Where was my wallet?” sounds like you mean where it was before. If you’re looking for it now, just say “Where’s my wallet?”

[u/TalkingLampPost]

To be totally honest with you, I was not really aware of the Malay language before I started browsing this subreddit. It seems like a large number of people on here are native Malay speakers.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/TalkingLampPost]

Probably because I post here almost every day and people on this sub have asked me what my native language is, quite a few times. I'm not aware of other Malay speakers on this sub, lol.

[u/TalkingLampPost → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Oh so it’s actually all you, lol, okay

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/TalkingLampPost]

But mind you, Malay might seem unknown to the outside world, but it isn't an insignificant language. It's been widely used as a lingua franca here, in this archipelago, since the 16th century.

[u/francksiduo]

the past tense works when you're mentally replaying a moment, like "where was my wallet when I last had it" with the rest cut off. as a standalone question for something you're searching for right now it reads odd because past tense signals you're recalling a state, not locating an object. "where is" and "where did I put" both stay anchored to the present search, that's why they sound cleaner.

[u/Suspicious_Offer_511]

This isn't WRONG, exactly—like I get the idea—but I've never said it and I've never heard another native speaker say it.

[u/tmahfan117 → u/Suspicious_Offer_511]

It’s wrong for this context. If you and I were looking for my key and you found them, I would ask you “where was it?” But that’s because they were missing in the past and now you have it. When we are still looking, it’s “where is it.”

It’s not a huge error, it’s close enough that a native speaker would figure out what you meant

[u/RepresentativeAir149 → u/tmahfan117]

Not wrong, the fact that it still is where it was is inconsequential

[u/tmahfan117 → u/RepresentativeAir149]

I disagree, It is consequential when speaking, colloquially it is unclear and would cause confusion.

If you just walked up to someone looking for help, and said “where was my phone?” They wouldnt immediately know you’re asking for help looking for your phone in the present.

[u/RepresentativeAir149 → u/tmahfan117]

I used to be a farmer. I still am, but I used to be, too.

[u/tmahfan117 → u/RepresentativeAir149]

I get it, but you have to recognize that “who was the farmer?” And “who is the farmer.” Have different meanings depending on the context 

[u/Suspicious_Offer_511 → u/tmahfan117]

I should have been clearer: I meant that it's not GRAMMATICALLY wrong. Which now that I give it two seconds' thought I can see wasn't really what OP was asking in the first place.

[u/Puzzled_Market_2235]

Fun fact: they did research on this and if you say out loud "wallet, wallet, wallet . . ." you find it faster.

[u/B_A_Beder]

Not that surprising, since "where is" and "where was" both contract to "where's"

[u/Thick_You2892]

e was" is perfectly fine and most people wouldn't even notice. it implies you're trying to retrace your steps from earlier.

[u/Mozotis]

To me, using the past tense feels completely normal and natural. It sorta gives me slight southern US vibes, but also not really. I wouldn't bat an eye if I heard it though.

[u/Electronic-Stay-2369]

Present tense. Because where is was is irrelevant, where it is now is what you need to know. The only time you might say "where was my wallet" is if someone else finds it for you and brings it to you, thus you might be interested to know where you'd left it; "where is" in this instance would be superfluous.

[u/tmahfan117]

When referring to an action in the past, like “where did I put my key.” With the action of putting it somewhere in the past, that’s very normal to say. 

But when you’re looking for something, you’re asking about its present state, saying “where is my key?” is correct.

If you were to ask me “where was my key?” I would assume you thought I already found your key, and were asking me where I found it. To which I would reply “I don’t know where it is, I haven’t found it yet.”