Russian irregular verbs can be a bit confusing, especially when you're trying to use them in the past tense. Here are some simple points to help you understand:

1. Common Irregular Verbs in Past Tense:
These verbs don't follow the usual rules and change in special ways. Check out these examples:

• быть (to be):

  • был (I was)
  • была (she was)
  • было (it was)
  • были (they were)

• идти (to go):

  • шёл (I went)
  • шла (she went)
  • шло (it went)
  • шли (they went)

• дать (to give):

  • дал (I gave)
  • дала (she gave)
  • дало (it gave)
  • дали (they gave)

2. Two Main Types of Actions:
In Russian, verbs can show different kinds of actions:

• Perfective: This means the action is complete. For example, написать means "to have written."
• Imperfective: This means the action is still happening. For example, писать means "to write."

3. Forms of Verbs:
These forms help us know how the action is happening:

• Participle: работающий means "working."
• Gerund: работая means "while working."

4. Using Cases with Irregular Verbs:
In Russian, the form of a word can change based on how it's used in a sentence:

• Instrumental: с ним means "with him."
• Genitive: нет ученика means "no student."

5. Reflexive Verbs:
Some verbs have a special part called the reflexive particle -ся. For example, мыться means "to wash oneself."

If you understand these patterns, you'll get better at speaking and writing in Russian!