When learning Russian, it's very important to understand how verbs change when talking about the past.

In this article, we will look at the verb "работать," which means "to work." This verb is regular, and we'll focus on how to form all its past tense versions. This will help you get better at changing Russian verbs.

How to Make the Past Tense

Making the past tense in Russian is simpler for regular verbs. The main thing to remember is that we need to change the verb a bit and add endings based on the gender and number of the person who is doing the action.

Step 1: Find the Base of the Verb

First, let's find the base of "работать":

• The full verb is "работать."
• To find the base, we take off the "-ть" ending. This leaves us with "работа."

Step 2: Adding Endings for the Past Tense

In Russian, the endings for past tense verbs change based on gender (male, female, neutral) and number (singular or plural):

• For masculine (he), the ending is -л.
• For feminine (she), the ending is -ла.
• For neuter (it), the ending is -ло.
• For plural (they), the ending is -ли.

Step 3: Changing "работать" to the Past Tense

Now, let's change "работать" into past tense forms.

Regular Forms:

1. Masculine Singular:

   • работал (rabotal) - He worked
   • Example: Он работал всю ночь. (On rabotal vsyu noch.) - He worked all night.

2. Feminine Singular:

   • работала (rabotala) - She worked
   • Example: Она работала весь день. (Ona rabotala ves’ den.) - She worked all day.

3. Neuter Singular:

   • работало (rabotalo) - It worked
   • Example: Это работало хорошо. (Eto rabotalo khorosho.) - It worked well.

4. Plural:

   • работали (rabotali) - They worked
   • Example: Они работали вместе. (Oni rabotali vmeste.) - They worked together.

Summary of "работать" Forms

| Gender | Past Tense Form | Example Phrase | Translation | |--------------|------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | Masculine | работал | Он работал всю ночь. | He worked all night. | | Feminine | работала | Она работала весь день. | She worked all day. | | Neuter | работало | Это работало хорошо. | It worked well. | | Plural | работали | Они работали вместе. | They worked together. |

More Practice

To help you remember these changes, try making sentences in the past tense with "работать" using different subjects.

1. Masculine Example:

   • Он работал в магазине. (On rabotal v magazine.) - He worked in the store.

2. Feminine Example:

   • Она работала в офисе. (Ona rabotala v ofise.) - She worked in the office.

3. Plural Example:

   • Мы работали над проектом. (My rabotali nad proyektom.) - We worked on the project.

Conclusion

Getting good at making past tense forms for regular verbs like "работать" is important for learning Russian. By understanding the rules and practicing with examples, you will feel more confident using the past tense in conversations. Keep practicing with other verbs to improve your skills in Russian!