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 active participle of the verb, which ends in -в or -л (for masculine singular), -ла (for feminine singular), -ло (for neuter singular), or -ли (for plural of all genders). The ending of this form changes to match the gender and number of the subject. The corresponding present tense form of the verb быти is often used as an auxiliary, but can be omitted, especially in the third person.
Subject Gender/Number determines ending:
- Masculine Singular: -в / -л (followed by appropriate form of быти) - Вон читав / читал (He read)
- Feminine Singular: -ла (followed by appropriate form of быти) - Она читала (She read)
- Neuter Singular: -ло (followed by appropriate form of быти) - Оно читало (It read)
- Plural (all genders): -ли (followed by appropriate form of быти) - Они читали (They read)
Examples: Вчера єм робив (masc.) (Yesterday I worked). Вчера она робила (fem.) (Yesterday she worked). Мы сме видїли фільм (We saw a film). Они пришли позно (They arrived late).