Language/Slovenian/Grammar/Conjugation-of-verbs-in-the-past-tense
As an intermediate learner of Slovenian, you have probably already mastered the use of present tense verbs in your conversations. Now it's time to learn how to speak about the past! In Slovenian, as in many other languages, the past tense plays an important role in everyday conversation. In this lesson, we will cover the different forms and tenses of past tense verbs in Slovenian and give you useful examples to help you practice.
Past Tense Forms
In Slovenian, there are two main past tense forms: the perfect tense and the imperfect tense. The choice between the two forms depends on the specific situation and the meaning you want to convey.
Perfect Tense
The perfect tense is used to describe past actions that are finished and have no connection to the present. We form the perfect tense by using the auxiliary verb "biti" (to be) in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here is an example:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Bil(a) sem doma. | Beel(a) sem do-ma. | I was at home. |
In the above example, "bil(a)" is the past participle of "biti" and agrees in gender and number with the speaker. The auxiliary verb "sem" means "I am" or "I'm".
To conjugate the perfect tense, use the following table:
| Person | Biti | Masculine Verb | Feminine Verb | Neuter Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Sem | naredil | naredila | naredilo |
| 2nd singular | Si | naredil | naredila | naredilo |
| 3rd singular | Je | naredil | naredila | naredilo |
| 1st dual | Sva | naredila | naredili | naredili |
| 2nd dual | Sta | naredila | naredili | naredili |
| 3rd dual | Sta | naredila | naredili | naredili |
| 1st plural | Smo | naredili | naredile | naredila |
| 2nd plural | Ste | naredili | naredile | naredila |
| 3rd plural | So | naredili | naredile | naredila |
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, repeated, or in progress at a specific time in the past. We form the imperfect tense by adding the appropriate endings to the verb stem. Here is an example:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Vsak dan sem igral(a) nogomet. | Vsaak daan sem ee-gral(a) no-go-met. | I used to play soccer every day. |
In the above example, "igral(a)" is the imperfect form of the verb "igrati" (to play).
To conjugate the imperfect tense, use the following endings:
| Person | -ati Verbs | -evati Verbs | -iti Verbs | -nati Verbs | Biti | Hraniti |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | -al | -eval | -il | -nil | sem | sem hranil(a) |
| 2nd singular | -al(a) | -eval(a) | -il(a) | -nil(a) | si | si hranil(a) |
| 3rd singular | -al(a) | -eval(a) | -il(a) | -nil(a) | je | je hranil(a) |
| 1st dual | -ala | -evala | -ila | -nila | sva | sva hranila |
| 2nd dual | -ala | -evala | -ila | -nila | sta | sta hranila |
| 3rd dual | -ala | -evala | -ila | -nila | sta | sta hranila |
| 1st plural | -ali | -evali | -ili | -nili | smo | smo hranili |
| 2nd plural | -ali | -evali | -ili | -nili | ste | ste hranili |
| 3rd plural | -ali | -evali | -ili | -nili | so | so hranili |
Time Expressions
When using past tense verbs in Slovenian, it is also important to use the correct time expressions to give context to your story. Here are some examples:
- Včeraj - yesterday
- Pred enim tednom - a week ago
- Lani - last year
- Ko sem bil(a) mlajši(a) - when I was younger
- Takrat - at that time
Examples
To help you practice, here are some examples of past tense verbs in different contexts:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Prejšnji vikend sem šel(a) v hribe. | Prehsh-nee vee-kend sem sh-ell(a) v hree-beh. | Last weekend, I went hiking. |
| Ko sem bil(a) na morju, sem lahko plaval(a) vsak dan. | Ko sem beel(a) na mo-rr-ju, sem lah-ko pla-val(a) vshaak dan. | When I was at the seaside, I could swim every day. |
| Prejšnji teden sem kupil(a) nov telefon. | Prehsh-nee tedn sem koo-peel(a) nof tele-fohn. | I bought a new phone last week. |
| Včeraj sem jedel(a) pico za kosilo. | Vch-he-rai sem yeh-del(a) pee-tso za koh-si-lo. | Yesterday, I had pizza for lunch. |
Practice using time expressions with different verbs in the past tense to help make your storytelling more engaging and realistic.
Now that you have learned about past tense verbs in Slovenian, continue to practice by incorporating them in your conversations with friends and family. Remember to use time expressions to give your story more context and meaning.