To use the past tense of the verb "идти," which means "to go," you need to know how Russian verbs change. "Идти" is what we call an imperfective verb. This means it describes the action of going.

How to Make the Past Tense

1. Find the Stem
   The stem of "идти" changes based on gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular or plural). Here’s how it looks:

   • Masculine (he): шёл
   • Feminine (she): шла
   • Neuter (it): шло
   • Plural (they): шли

2. Forming the Past Tense
   To make the past tense, take the stem and add the correct ending for who is doing the action.

Examples

• Masculine:

  • Он шёл в магазин.
    (He was going to the store.)

• Feminine:

  • Она шла в парк.
    (She was going to the park.)

• Neuter:

  • Оно шло к берегу.
    (It was going to the shore.)

• Plural:

  • Они шли домой.
    (They were going home.)

Helpful Tips

• In Russian, the past tense doesn’t just show what happened; it also tells you the gender of the person doing it.

• Remember that "идти" in the past can mean different things based on the situation, like where someone is going or why.

Practice Sentences

1. Он шёл по улице.
   (He was walking down the street.)

2. Она шла на работу.
   (She was going to work.)

3. Они шли к друзьям.
   (They were going to friends.)

By learning how to use the past tense forms of "идти," you'll get better at talking about things that happened in the past in Russian. Try practicing these forms in different situations to remember them better!