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 -ł (for masculine singular), -ła (for feminine singular), -ło (for neuter singular), -łoj (for dual masculine), -łoj (for dual feminine/neuter), or -li (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 być is used for all persons except the third person singular and plural, where it is often omitted.
Subject Gender/Number determines ending:
- Masculine Singular: -ł (followed by appropriate form of być) - Wón čitał (He read)
- Feminine Singular: -ła (followed by appropriate form of być) - Wona čitała (She read)
- Neuter Singular: -ło (followed by appropriate form of być) - Wono čitało (It read)
- Dual Masculine: -łoj (followed by appropriate form of być) - Mydwě čitałoj (We two read)
- Dual Feminine/Neuter: -łoj (followed by appropriate form of być) - Wudwě čitałoj, Wobaj čitałoj (You two read, They two (masc) read)
- Plural (all genders): -li (followed by appropriate form of być) - My čitali, Woni čitali (We read, They read)
Examples: Wčera sym dźěłał (masc.) (Yesterday I worked). Wčera wona je dźěłała (fem.) (Yesterday she worked). Mydwě smy widźałoj film (We two saw a film). Woni su přišli pozdźe (They arrived late).