Language/Lithuanian/Grammar/Past-Tense

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Lithuanian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Past Tense

As a Lithuanian language teacher with over 20 years of experience in the field, I have seen many students struggle with mastering the past tense. However, once you understand the formation and usage of this tense, you will be able to express yourself more clearly and accurately in Lithuanian. In this lesson, we will cover regular and irregular verb conjugations and time expressions.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Alphabet and Pronunciation & Negation.

Formation of the Past Tense

The past tense is used to describe actions or events that have already occurred. In Lithuanian, the formation of the past tense depends on the type of verb. There are two categories: regular and irregular verbs.

Regular Verb Conjugations

The formation of the past tense for regular verbs depends on the ending of the infinitive. There are three groups of regular verbs:

1. Verbs ending in -ti 2. Verbs ending in -ėti 3. Verbs ending in -ti but with a stressed vowel in the root

Let's take a closer look at these groups and their respective conjugations:

Verbs Ending in -ti

Verbs ending in -ti form the past tense by removing the -ti ending and adding the following personal endings:

Person	Ending
1st singular	-au
2nd singular	-ei
3rd singular	-o
1st plural	-ėme
2nd plural	-ėte
3rd plural	-ojo

For example:

• Gerti (to drink) - gerai (I drank)
• Rašyti (to write) - rašiau (I wrote)

Note that in the first person singular, verbs ending in -sti or -ti with a consonant before the ending do not follow this rule. Instead, they drop the -i and add -au:

• Mokytis (to learn) - mokiau (I learned)
• Kvepsti (to smell) - kvepiau (I smelled)

Verbs Ending in -ėti

Verbs ending in -ėti form the past tense by replacing -ėti with -ėjau (for the first person singular) or -ėjo (for all other persons):

Person	Ending
1st singular	-ėjau
2nd singular	-ėjai
3rd singular	-ėjo
1st plural	-ėjome
2nd plural	-ėjote
3rd plural	-ėjo

For example:

• Išeiti (to go out) - išėjau (I went out)
• Miegoti (to sleep) - miegėjo (he/she/it slept)

Verbs Ending in -ti with a Stressed Vowel

Verbs ending in -ti with a stressed vowel in the root form the past tense by replacing -ti with -davau (for the first person singular) or -davo (for all other persons):

Person	Ending
1st singular	-davau
2nd singular	-davai
3rd singular	-davo
1st plural	-davome
2nd plural	-davote
3rd plural	-davojo

For example:

• Žinoti (to know) - žinojau (I knew)
• Bandyti (to try) - bandėjo (he/she/it tried)

Irregular Verb Conjugations

Irregular verbs do not follow the regular conjugation rules. You will need to memorize their unique forms. Here are some examples:

Infinitive	Past Tense
Eiti (to go)	ėjau (I went)
Turėti (to have)	turėjau (I had)
Būti (to be)	buvau (I was)

Usage of the Past Tense

The past tense is used to describe actions or events that have already occurred. In Lithuanian, it is often used in combination with time expressions to indicate when an action took place. Some common time expressions include:

• Vakar (yesterday)
• Prieš savaitę (a week ago)
• Anksčiau (previously)
• Pernai (last year)

Here are some examples of the past tense being used with time expressions:

• Aš vakar rašiau laišką savo mamai. (I wrote a letter to my mom yesterday.)
• Jie grįžo namo prieš savaitę. (They returned home a week ago.)
• Pernai kovo mėnesį mes buvome Karaliaučiuje. (Last year in March we were in Kaliningrad.)

In addition to time expressions, the past tense can also be used to express the following:

• Completed actions: Aš išgėriau vandenį. (I drank water.)
• Repeated or habitual actions in the past: Mano brolis dažnai renkasi grybus. (My brother often picked mushrooms.)
• Actions or events that happened over a period of time: Mes kelionėje maudėmės jūroje. (We swam in the sea while on vacation.)
• Conditions or states that were true in the past: Buvo žvarbu ir šalta. (It was cold and windy.)

Conclusion

The past tense is an essential aspect of Lithuanian grammar that allows you to talk about actions or events that have already taken place. While it may take some time to memorize the conjugations of regular and irregular verbs, with practice and dedication, you will become more comfortable using the past tense in your conversations. Remember to pay attention to time expressions and the context of the conversation to determine when to use the past tense.

I hope you found this lesson valuable and informative. In the next lesson, we will cover the basics of food and dining in Lithuania. Keep up the good work!

Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: Connecting Ideas & Adjectives.

Table of Contents - Lithuanian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Lithuanian

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Gender and Declension
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Out

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing People and Things
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Connecting Ideas

  ---

Shopping and Services

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Banking and Postal Services

  ---

Lithuanian Traditions and Customs

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Cuisine

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Comparatives and Superlatives
• Pronouns
• Present Tense Verbs
• Questions
• Conjugation
• Singular and Plural Nouns
• 0 to A1 Course
• Multipurpose Words and Suffixes
• Connecting Ideas

Sources

• Lithuanian grammar - Wikipedia
• Lithuanian verb conjugator
• Verbs - Lithuanian Grammar

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