The Simple Past Tense (minulý čas)
Talking about actions that happened and finished in the past uses the simple past tense (minulý čas). 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 byť is used for all persons except the third person singular and plural, where it is optional but often used for emphasis.
Subject Gender/Number determines ending:
- Masculine Singular: -l (followed by appropriate form of byť) - On čítal (He read)
- Feminine Singular: -la (followed by appropriate form of byť) - Ona čítala (She read)
- Neuter Singular: -lo (followed by appropriate form of byť) - Ono čítalo (It read)
- Plural (all genders): -li (followed by appropriate form of byť) - Oni/Ony čítali (They read)
Examples: Včera som pracoval (masc.) (Yesterday I worked). Včera ona pracovala (fem.) (Yesterday she worked). My sme videli film (We saw a film). Oni prišli neskoro (They arrived late).