The Simple Past Tense
Talking about actions that happened and finished in the past uses the simple past tense (prétéritum). This is formed using the past active participle of the verb, which ends in -l (for masculine singular), -la (for feminine singular), -lo (for neuter singular), or -li (for plural of all genders). The ending of this form changes to match the gender and number of the subject. The corresponding past tense form of the verb být is used for all persons except the third person singular and plural, where it is optional but often omitted in colloquial speech.
Subject Gender/Number determines ending:
- Masculine Singular: -l (followed by appropriate form of být) - On četl (He read)
- Feminine Singular: -la (followed by appropriate form of být) - Ona četla (She read)
- Neuter Singular: -lo (followed by appropriate form of být) - Ono četlo (It read)
- Plural (all genders): -li (followed by appropriate form of být) - Oni/Ony/Ona četli (They read)
Examples: Včera jsem pracoval (masc.) (Yesterday I worked). Včera ona pracovala (fem.) (Yesterday she worked). My jsme viděli film (We saw a film). Oni přijeli pozdě (They arrived late).