Difference between revisions of "Language/Russian/Grammar/Past-Tense"

Latest revision as of 18:08, 16 June 2023

◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson	Next Lesson — Common Foods ▶️

Russian → Grammar → 0 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.

Template:TOC

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]

Course Presentation

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]

◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson	Next Lesson — Common Foods ▶️

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+<span pgnav>
+{| class="wikitable pg_template_nav"
+|[[Language/Russian/Grammar/Present-Tense|◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson]]
+|[[Language/Russian/Vocabulary/Common-Foods|Next Lesson — Common Foods ▶️]]
+|}
+</span>
 {{Russian-Page-Top}}
+<div class="pg_page_title">[[Language/Russian|Russian]]  → [[Language/Russian/Grammar|Grammar]] → [[Language/Russian/Grammar/0-to-A1-Course|0 to A1 Course]] → Verbs and Conjugation → Past Tense</div>
-<div class="pg_page_title">[[Language/Russian|Russian]]  → [[Language/Russian/Grammar|Grammar]] → [[Language/Russian/Grammar/0-to-A1-Course|0 to A1 Course]] → Verbs and Conjugation → Past Tense</div>
+{{#seo:
+|title=Russian Grammar → Verbs and Conjugation → Past Tense
+|keywords=Russian grammar, Russian verbs, Russian conjugation, past tense in Russian
+|description=In this lesson, you will learn 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.
+}}
-__TOC__
+==Introduction==
-As a Russian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I know that learning verb conjugation in any language can be a challenge. But don't worry, I'm here to guide you through the Russian past tense! In this lesson, you will learn 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. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to communicate about past events and actions in Russian.
+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.
-== Understanding the Past Tense 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.
-In order to use the past tense in Russian, we need to identify the verb's ending. Like with the present tense, Russian verbs change depending on who is doing the action, whether it's me, you or they. However, unlike the present tense, the past tense also requires us to take into account the gender of the noun.
+{{TOC}}
-The verb endings will either end in -л, -ла, -ло, or -ли. In other words, the ending of the past tense verb will depend on the gender of the noun that comes before the verb.
+===Regular Verbs===
-Let me give you an example:
+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.
-If the gender of the noun is masculine, the past tense verb will end in -л, i.e., "играл" (played). If the gender of the noun is feminine, the past tense verb will end in -ла, i.e., "читала" (read). If the gender of the noun is neuter, the past tense verb will end in -ло, i.e., "писало" (wrote). Finally, if the gender of the noun is plural, the past tense verb will end in -ли, i.e., "знали" (knew).
+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:
-== Examples ==
+{| class="wikitable"
+! 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
+|}
-Here are some examples of past tense verbs with different noun genders:
+For regular verbs ending in -ить, we remove -ть and add -л for masculine and neuter nouns, and -ла for feminine nouns. For example:
 {| class="wikitable"
 ! Russian !! Pronunciation !! English
 |-
-| Играл || Ee-gral || Played (masculine)
+| писать || [pʲɪˈsatʲ] || to write
 |-
-| Читала || Chee-ta-la || Read (feminine)
+| он писал || [on pʲɪˈsal] || he wrote
 |-
-| Писало || Piss-a-la || Wrote (neuter)
+| она писала || [ɐˈna pʲɪˈsalə] || she wrote
 |-
-| Знали || Zna-li || Knew (plural)
+| это писало || [ˈɛto pʲɪˈsalə] || it wrote
 |}
-== Forming the Past Tense in Russian ==
+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:
-Let's take a closer look at how to form the past tense in Russian. The basic rule is to remove the infinitive ending (-ть, -чь, -ти, etc.) and add the appropriate ending (-л, -ла, -ло, -ли) depending on the gender of the noun that comes before the verb. But there are some additional rules and exceptions that we need to keep in mind.
+{| class="wikitable"
+! 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
+|}
-. If the verb stem ends in a consonant, then при-, про-, and вы- are added before the verb stem to create the past tense. For example:
+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.
-- Смотреть (to watch) becomes Посмотрел (watched)
+===Verbs with Stem Changes===
-- Говорить (to speak) becomes Выговорил (spoke out)
-- Делать (to do) becomes Сделал (did)
-. If the verb stem ends with a vowel, then -л is added. For example:
+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:
-- Гулять (to walk) becomes гулял (walked)
+The verb "делать" (to do) changes its stem to "делал" in the past tense:
-- Жить (to live) becomes жил (lived)
-. For some verbs, the stem may change somewhere in the word. For example:
+{| class="wikitable"
+! 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
+|}
-- Носить (to wear) becomes Нёс (wore)
+The verb "есть" (to eat) changes its stem to "ел" in the past tense:
-- Видеть (to see) becomes Видал (saw)
-. Some verbs are irregular and do not follow any specific pattern. Some examples are:
+{| class="wikitable"
+! 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
+|}
-- Идти (to go) becomes Шёл (went)
+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.
-- Быть (to be) becomes Был (was)
-== Practice ==
+===Verbs with Gender Agreement===
-Here are some exercises to help you practice forming the past tense in Russian:
+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.
-. Я ___ домой (I went home).
+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:
-- Answer: Я пошел домой. (I went home.)
-. Она ___ на собрание (She went to the meeting).
+For a masculine noun:
-- Answer: Она пошла на собрание. (She went to the meeting.)
-. Он ___ письмо (He wrote a letter).
+{| class="wikitable"
-- Answer: Он написал письмо. (He wrote a letter.)
+! Russian !! Pronunciation !! English
+|-
+| писать || [pʲɪˈsatʲ] || to write
+|-
+| он писал письмо || [on pʲɪˈsal ˈpʲismə] || he wrote a letter
+|}
+For a feminine noun:
+{| class="wikitable"
+! Russian !! Pronunciation !! English
+|-
+| писать || [pʲɪˈsatʲ] || to write
+|-
+| она писала письмо || [ɐˈna pʲɪˈsalə ˈpʲismə] || she wrote a letter
+|}
+For a neuter noun:
+{| class="wikitable"
+! 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.
-. Мы ___ фильм (We watched a movie).
+==Practice==
-- Answer: Мы посмотрели фильм. (We watched a movie.)
-== Conclusion ==
+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:
-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. Keep practicing and don't be afraid to make mistakes! Engaging in regular practice with a tutor or native speaker is an excellent way to reinforce your understanding of Russian verbs and how they change in different tenses. Happy studying!
+. Conjugate the following regular verbs in the past tense based on the given noun's gender:
-{{#seo:
+* гулять (to walk) - masculine noun "парк" (park)
-|title=Russian Grammar → Verbs and Conjugation → Past Tense
+* гулять (to walk) - feminine noun "улица" (street)
-|keywords=Russian, grammar, verbs, conjugation, past tense, Russian language, lessons, wiki
+* гулять (to walk) - neuter noun "озеро" (lake)
-|description=In this lesson, you will learn 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. Keep practicing and don't be afraid to make mistakes!
-}}
+. 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.)
+. 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==
+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!
 {{Russian-0-to-A1-Course-TOC}}
@@ Line 91: / Line 181: @@
 [[Category:0-to-A1-Course]]
 [[Category:Russian-0-to-A1-Course]]
-<span gpt></span> <span model=gpt-3.5-turbo></span> <span temperature=1></span>
+<span gpt></span> <span model=gpt-3.5-turbo-16k></span> <span temperature=0.7></span>
 ==Videos==
@@ Line 108: / Line 195: @@
-==Related Lessons==
+==Sources==
+* [https://www.russianlessons.net/grammar/verbs_past.php Russian Past Tense - Russian Verbs]
+* [http://masterrussian.com/aa021500a.shtml Past Tense of the Verb - Learn Russian Grammar]
+* [https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Russian/Grammar/Past_tense Russian/Grammar/Past tense - Wikibooks, open books for an open ...]
+==Other Lessons==
 * [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Perfective-Imperfective|Perfective Imperfective]]
 * [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Accusative-Case|Accusative Case]]
@@ Line 118: / Line 213: @@
 * [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Introduction-to-Pronouns|Introduction to Pronouns]]
 * [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Present-Tense|Present Tense]]
 {{Russian-Page-Bottom}}
+<span pgnav>
+{| class="wikitable pg_template_nav"
+|[[Language/Russian/Grammar/Present-Tense|◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson]]
+|[[Language/Russian/Vocabulary/Common-Foods|Next Lesson — Common Foods ▶️]]
+|}
+</span>