Language/Russian/Grammar/Past-Tense

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RussianGrammar0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Conjugation → Past Tense

Introduction[edit | edit source]

Welcome to the lesson on the past tense in Russian! In this lesson, we will explore how to form the past tense of Russian verbs and understand the rules for conjugation based on the verb's ending and the noun's gender. The past tense is used to talk about actions that have already happened in the past. By mastering the past tense, you will be able to express yourself more accurately and effectively in Russian.

To form the past tense in Russian, we need to consider both the verb's ending and the noun's gender. In Russian, there are three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Each gender has its own set of rules for conjugating verbs in the past tense. We will explore these rules in detail in the following sections.

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Regular Verbs[edit | edit source]

Let's start by looking at how to form the past tense for regular verbs in Russian. Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern of conjugation based on their endings. To form the past tense, we need to add specific endings to the verb stem.

For regular verbs ending in -ать, we remove -ть and add -л for masculine nouns, -ла for feminine nouns, and -ло for neuter nouns. For example:

Russian Pronunciation English
говорить [gəvɐˈrʲitʲ] to speak
он говорил [on gəvɐˈrʲil] he spoke
она говорила [ɐˈna gəvɐˈrʲilə] she spoke
это говорило [ˈɛto gəvɐˈrʲilo] it spoke

For regular verbs ending in -ить, we remove -ть and add -л for masculine and neuter nouns, and -ла for feminine nouns. For example:

Russian Pronunciation English
писать [pʲɪˈsatʲ] to write
он писал [on pʲɪˈsal] he wrote
она писала [ɐˈna pʲɪˈsalə] she wrote
это писало [ˈɛto pʲɪˈsalə] it wrote

For regular verbs ending in -еть, we remove -ть and add -л for masculine nouns, -ла for feminine nouns, and -ло for neuter nouns. For example:

Russian Pronunciation English
видеть [vʲɪˈdʲetʲ] to see
он видел [on vʲɪˈdʲɛl] he saw
она видела [ɐˈna vʲɪˈdʲɛlə] she saw
это видело [ˈɛto vʲɪˈdʲɛlo] it saw

It is important to note that these are just examples of regular verbs. There are irregular verbs in Russian that do not follow these patterns. We will cover irregular verbs in a later lesson.

Verbs with Stem Changes[edit | edit source]

Some verbs undergo stem changes in the past tense. Stem changes occur when the verb stem changes its form before adding the past tense endings. Let's take a look at a few examples:

The verb "делать" (to do) changes its stem to "делал" in the past tense:

Russian Pronunciation English
делать [dʲɪˈlatʲ] to do
он делал [on dʲɪˈlal] he did
она делала [ɐˈna dʲɪˈlala] she did
это делало [ˈɛto dʲɪˈlalo] it did

The verb "есть" (to eat) changes its stem to "ел" in the past tense:

Russian Pronunciation English
есть [jɛstʲ] to eat
он ел [on jɛl] he ate
она ела [ɐˈna jɛla] she ate
это ело [ˈɛto jɛlo] it ate

These are just a few examples of verbs with stem changes in the past tense. It is important to familiarize yourself with these irregularities as you progress in your Russian language learning journey.

Verbs with Gender Agreement[edit | edit source]

In addition to considering the verb's ending, we also need to take into account the noun's gender when conjugating verbs in the past tense. The past tense endings for regular verbs change based on the noun's gender.

For masculine nouns, we add -л to the verb stem. For feminine nouns, we add -ла, and for neuter nouns, we add -ло. Let's see some examples:

For a masculine noun:

Russian Pronunciation English
писать [pʲɪˈsatʲ] to write
он писал письмо [on pʲɪˈsal ˈpʲismə] he wrote a letter

For a feminine noun:

Russian Pronunciation English
писать [pʲɪˈsatʲ] to write
она писала письмо [ɐˈna pʲɪˈsalə ˈpʲismə] she wrote a letter

For a neuter noun:

Russian Pronunciation English
писать [pʲɪˈsatʲ] to write
это писало письмо [ˈɛto pʲɪˈsalə ˈpʲismə] it wrote a letter

It is important to remember that the past tense endings need to agree with the noun's gender. This is an essential aspect of Russian grammar that will help you communicate accurately and fluently in the past tense.

Practice[edit | edit source]

Now that we have covered the rules for forming the past tense in Russian, it's time to practice! Here are some exercises to help reinforce what you have learned:

1. Conjugate the following regular verbs in the past tense based on the given noun's gender:

  • гулять (to walk) - masculine noun "парк" (park)
  • гулять (to walk) - feminine noun "улица" (street)
  • гулять (to walk) - neuter noun "озеро" (lake)

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the past tense for the given verb:

  • Я ________ (говорить) с ним вчера. (I spoke to him yesterday.)
  • Он ________ (делать) задание на прошлой неделе. (He did the assignment last week.)
  • Мы ________ (писать) письмо своим друзьям. (We wrote a letter to our friends.)

3. Translate the following sentences into Russian using the past tense:

  • I saw a beautiful sunset yesterday.
  • She cooked a delicious meal for her family.
  • They visited the museum last week.

Take your time to complete the exercises and check your answers. Practice is key to mastering the past tense in Russian!

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

Congratulations on completing the lesson on the past tense in Russian! In this lesson, you learned how to form the past tense of Russian verbs and understand the rules for conjugation based on the verb's ending and the noun's gender. Remember to practice regularly to reinforce your knowledge and improve your skills in using the past tense.

In the next lesson, we will explore another important aspect of Russian grammar: the future tense. Stay motivated and continue your journey towards becoming proficient in the Russian language!

Table of Contents - Russian Course - 0 to A1[edit source]


Alphabet and Pronunciation


Basic Phrases and Greetings


Nouns and Gender


Numbers and Time


Cases and Prepositions


Family and Relationships


Verbs and Conjugation


Food and Dining


Russian Traditions and Holidays


Travel and Transportation


Adjectives and Adverbs


Hobbies and Leisure Activities


Russian Literature and Arts

Videos[edit | edit source]

Forming the Past Tense in Russian - YouTube[edit | edit source]

Russian conjugation: Present, Past and Future tense - YouTube[edit | edit source]

Russian grammar - Past Tense, прошедшее время - времена в ...[edit | edit source]


Sources[edit | edit source]


Other Lessons[edit | edit source]



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