NarrationRussianA2

Past tense in Russian

Russian past-tense forms reflect gender and number, so you need to notice who is involved as well as when it happened.

Examples

RussianTranslation
Она читала вечером.

She was reading in the evening.

Я работал дома вчера.

I worked at home yesterday.

Мы смотрели фильм вместе.

We watched the film together.

Pattern

past-tense form agrees with gender/number

How it works

Russian past-tense forms reflect gender and number, so you need to notice who is involved as well as when it happened. This pattern typically appears as past-tense form agrees with gender/number and becomes easier when you meet it again in short, readable examples.

What to notice

  • Past-tense endings often reveal gender in the singular.
  • The form is one of the first highly visible Russian agreement systems.

Why it matters

Talk about finished actions and past scenes more clearly.

Use in context

Past-tense agreement becomes friendlier when shown in short patterned examples.