Russian Grammar – The Past Tense of the Verb
The basics of Russian Grammar – Verbs and its Past Tense
At the category “Russian Grammar” we show the basics of Russian Language grammar, describing most useful grammar rules, cases to let you learn Russian grammar more easily and effortlessly.
This lesson is about Russian verbs, it’s Past Tense.
The English counterparts of the Russian past tense are the Past Indefinite, the Past Continious, the Present Perfect and the Past Perfect.
Example:
Чита–ть (to read) – чита–л – читал (was reading)
The past tense verbs whose infinitive ends in –ть is formed by adding the suffix –л to the infinite stem.
Russian Grammar Chart 1.
| masculine Я, ты, он читалfeminine Я, ты, она читала | Мы (we)Вы (you) читалиОни (they) |
Note: In the past tense verbs do not change the person: they change the number (я читал, мы читали) and gender (он читал, она читала)
Example:
Учиться (to study)
| Учи-ть-ся – учи-л-ся – учился |
Russian Grammar Chart 2.
| Он училсяОна училась | МыВы училисьОни |
The Use of the Verb быть (to be)
Russian Grammar Chart 3.
| ОнОна в комнате.ОниHe is
She is in the room. They are |
Он былОна была в комнате.Они былиHe was
She was in the room. They were |
| Сегодня концерт.There is a concert today.Сейчас уроки.Classes are in progress now. | Вчера был концерт.There was a concert yesterday.Вчера были уроки.Classes were in progress yesterday. |
Note: the verb быть is not used in the present tense.
Exercise 1: Put the verb from infinite from to Past Tense form, like “Чита–ть (to read) – чита–л – читал”
Кушать (to read) – ___________
Слушать (to listen) – ___________
Играть (to play) – ___________
Знать (to know) – ___________
Говорить (to tell) – ___________
Exercise 2: How will change the verb if you say “we”, like “Он чита–л – Мы чита-ли”
Он играл – Мы ___________
Он знал – Мы ___________
Он говорил – Мы ___________
Он слушал – Мы ___________
Он кушал – мы ___________
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