Language/Ukrainian/Grammar/Verbs---Past-Tense

Ukrainian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs - Past Tense

Welcome to our lesson on the past tense of verbs in Ukrainian! Understanding how to express actions that have already happened is a fundamental part of any language, and Ukrainian is no exception. The past tense allows you to share stories, recount experiences, and discuss events that have taken place.

In this lesson, we will explore the formation of simple past tense verbs in Ukrainian, how to use them in sentences, and provide plenty of examples to help solidify your understanding. We will also include exercises for you to practice what you've learned. Don't worry, we’ll take this step by step, and by the end, you’ll feel more confident in using the past tense.

The Importance of the Past Tense

The past tense is crucial for storytelling and sharing personal experiences. It allows us to connect with others by discussing our feelings and memories. In Ukrainian, the past tense is used not only to describe completed actions but also to indicate the state of being in the past. This makes it an essential component of everyday conversation.

Structure of the Lesson

1. Overview of the Past Tense in Ukrainian

2. Formation of Past Tense Verbs

3. Examples of Past Tense Verbs

4. Practice Exercises

5. Solutions and Explanations

Overview of the Past Tense in Ukrainian

In Ukrainian, the past tense is formed differently for different types of verbs. There are two main categories of verbs: perfective and imperfective. Perfective verbs indicate actions that are completed, while imperfective verbs represent ongoing or habitual actions.

Formation of Past Tense Verbs

The formation of the past tense in Ukrainian primarily involves modifying the verb stem and adding the appropriate endings based on the subject's gender and number.

Regular Verb Conjugation

For regular verbs, the endings are added to the verb stem as follows:

• Masculine singular: No ending (verb stem only)

• Feminine singular: Add -ла to the verb stem

• Neuter singular: Add -ло to the verb stem

• Plural: Add -ли to the verb stem

Example of Regular Verb Conjugation

Let's take the verb "читати" (to read) as an example. Its past tense forms would be:

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	English
читав	chytav	he read
читала	chytala	she read
читало	chytalo	it read
читали	chytaly	they read

Irregular Verb Conjugation

Some verbs in Ukrainian do not follow the regular patterns. These irregular verbs require you to memorize their forms. An example would be the verb "бути" (to be):

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	English
був	buv	he was
була	bula	she was
було	bulo	it was
були	buly	they were

Examples of Past Tense Verbs

Now that we have discussed the formation, let's dive into more examples. Here are 20 common verbs in the past tense:

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	English
писав	pysav	he wrote
писала	pysala	she wrote
писало	pysalo	it wrote
писали	pysaly	they wrote
грав	hrav	he played
грала	hrała	she played
грало	hrało	it played
грали	hrali	they played
йшов	yshov	he went
йшла	yshla	she went
йшло	yshlo	it went
йшли	yshly	they went
говорив	hovoryv	he spoke
говорила	hovoryla	she spoke
говорило	hovorylo	it spoke
говорили	hovoryly	they spoke
бачив	bachyv	he saw
бачила	bachyla	she saw
бачило	bachylo	it saw
бачили	bachyly	they saw
працював	pratsyuvav	he worked
працювала	pratsyuvála	she worked
працювало	pratsyuvalo	it worked
працювали	pratsyuvály	they worked

Practice Exercises

Now it’s time to put your knowledge into action! Here are some exercises to help reinforce what you've learned.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the verb in parentheses.

1. Вона (писати) ________ листа.

2. Ми (йти) ________ до школи.

3. Я (грати) ________ у футбол.

4. Вони (бачити) ________ це кіно.

5. Ти (говорити) ________ правду.

Exercise 2: Translate to Ukrainian

Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian.

1. He played soccer.

2. She wrote a letter.

3. They went to the park.

4. We saw a movie.

5. I spoke with my friend.

Exercise 3: Complete the Table

Complete the following table with the past tense forms of the given verbs.

Verb	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
читати	_______	_______	_______	_______
працювати	_______	_______	_______	_______
бути	_______	_______	_______	_______
мати	_______	_______	_______	_______

Exercise 4: Sentence Creation

Create sentences in the past tense using the following verbs:

1. їсти (to eat)

2. пити (to drink)

3. думати (to think)

4. працювати (to work)

5. слухати (to listen)

Exercise 5: Matching

Match the past tense verbs with their English translations.

1. грав

2. писала

3. була

4. бачили

5. говорив

a. was

b. saw

c. played

d. wrote

e. spoke

Exercise 6: Write a Short Paragraph

Write a short paragraph about what you did yesterday using at least five past tense verbs.

Exercise 7: Identify the Tense

Identify the tense of the following sentences:

1. Вона грала у гру.

2. Ми писали листи.

3. Вони говорили про погоду.

4. Я бачив цю картину.

5. Ти працював над проектом.

Exercise 8: Conjugate the Verb

Conjugate the verb "брати" (to take) in the past tense for all forms.

Exercise 9: Correct the Mistakes

Find and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

1. Я писала книгу вчора.

2. Він грала на гітарі.

3. Вони бачила новини.

4. Ми говорив про це.

5. Ти працювала багато.

Exercise 10: Verb List Creation

Create a list of ten verbs you commonly use and write their past tense forms in Ukrainian.

Solutions and Explanations

Now that you've completed the exercises, let's go through the solutions and explanations.

Solutions for Exercise 1

1. написала

2. йшли

3. грав

4. бачили

5. говорив

Solutions for Exercise 2

1. Він грав у футбол.

2. Вона написала листа.

3. Вони пішли до парку.

4. Ми бачили фільм.

5. Я говорив зі своїм другом.

Solutions for Exercise 3

Verb	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
читати	читав	читала	читало	читали
працювати	працював	працювала	працювало	працювали
бути	був	була	було	були
мати	мав	мала	мало	мали

Solutions for Exercise 4

(Example sentences)

1. Я їв яблуко. (I ate an apple.)

2. Вона пила воду. (She drank water.)

3. Ми думали про це. (We thought about it.)

4. Вони працювали над проектом. (They worked on the project.)

5. Ти слухав музику. (You listened to music.)

Solutions for Exercise 5

1. c

2. d

3. a

4. b

5. e

Solutions for Exercise 6

(Answers will vary; encourage creativity!)

Solutions for Exercise 7

All sentences are in the past tense.

Solutions for Exercise 8

Form	Past Tense
Masculine	брав
Feminine	брала
Neuter	брало
Plural	брали

Solutions for Exercise 9

1. Я писав книгу вчора.

2. Він грав на гітарі.

3. Вони бачили новини.

4. Ми говорили про це.

5. Ти працював багато.

Solutions for Exercise 10

(Answers will vary; encourage students to think critically!)

We hope this lesson has given you a solid understanding of the past tense in Ukrainian. Keep practicing, and soon it will become second nature!

Table of Contents - Ukrainian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

The Ukrainian Alphabet and Pronunciation

• The Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Nouns and Their Gender
• Plural Nouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure

• Hobbies
• Leisure Activities

  ---

Ukrainian Traditions and Holidays

• Traditions
• Holidays

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Shopping and Services

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Services Vocabulary

  ---

Ukrainian Cuisine

• Traditional Dishes
• Eating Habits

Sources

• Минулий час - Past tense in Ukrainian - Ukrainian Lessons
• Ukrainian grammar - Wikipedia
• Tenses in Ukrainian

Other Lessons

• Possessive Pronouns
• Plural
• Present tense Irregular verbs
• Feminine
• how to use numerals and nouns in pairs
• Past imperfective Tense
• Declension of pronoun this
• Cases
• Plurals
• Verbs Reflexive and Imperative