The Simple Past Tense
Talking about actions that happened and finished in the past uses the simple past tense. This is formed using the past participle of the verb, which ends in -ł (for masculine singular), -ła (for feminine singular), -ło (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 byś is generally omitted in modern Lower Sorbian.
Subject Gender/Number determines ending:
- Masculine Singular: -ł (e.g., Wón cytał) (He read)
- Feminine Singular: -ła (e.g., Wóna cytała) (She read)
- Neuter Singular: -ło (e.g., Wóno cytało) (It read)
- Plural (all genders): -li (e.g., Wóni cytali) (They read)
Examples: Wcora ja źěłał (masc.) (Yesterday I worked). Wcora wóna źěłała (fem.) (Yesterday she worked). My wiźeli film (We saw a film). Wóni pśiźěli pózdźej (They arrived late).