Understanding the Past Tense in Belarusian
The past tense in Belarusian is used to talk about things that have already happened. It's like telling a story about something that is finished.
Important Points
- For masculine singular subjects, add '-ў' or '-ўся' to the verb.
- For feminine singular subjects, add '-ла' or '-лася' to the verb.
- For neuter singular subjects, add '-ла' to the verb.
- For plural subjects, add '-лі' or '-ліся' to the verb.
When forming the past tense, you need to know who did the action and what gender they are. This will help you choose the right ending for the verb.
Examples
- Я чытаў кнігу. (I read a book.)
- Яна гатавала ежу. (She cooked food.)
- Яны гулялі у футбол. (They played football.)
Let's look at how the verb 'to read' changes in the past tense. If a boy read a book, it would be 'чытаў'. If a girl read a book, it would be 'чытала'. If a group of people read a book, it would be 'чыталі'.
Examples
- Хлопчык чытаў кнігу. (The boy read a book.)
- Дзяўчынка чытала кнігу. (The girl read a book.)
- Дзеці чыталі кнігу. (The children read a book.)