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Intermediate

The Past Tense

Gender-marked past

The past tense agrees in gender (and number)

-л (m), -ла (f), -ло (n), -ли (pl).

📊 Past tense (читать)
Subject Form
он (m) читал
она (f) читала
оно (n) читало
они (pl) читали
💬 Examples
Он читал. / Она читала.
On chital. / Ona chitala.
He read. / She read.
📝 -л (m) vs -ла (f)
Они читали.
Oni chitali.
They read.
📝 -ли (plural, all genders)
Built on the infinitive stem + -л

Drop -ть, add -л + the gender ending.

💬 Examples
Я был дома.
Ya byl doma.
I was at home. (m)
📝 быть → был
Я была дома.
Ya byla doma.
I was at home. (f)
📝 была (feminine)
The past has no person endings — only gender/number

Agreement is with the subject's gender.

💬 Examples
Ты работал?
Ty rabotal?
Did you work? (to a man)
📝 Gender agreement, not person
Ты работала?
Ty rabotala?
Did you work? (to a woman)
📝 Feminine -ла