Verbs: Past Tense — Polish Grammar

To form the past tense in Polish, you generally replace the infinitive ending with a specific suffix. Unlike English, where the verb remains the same regardless of who is speaking (e.g., "I went," "she went"), Polish verbs change based on the gender of the subject and the number of people involved.

Singular Forms

In the singular, the verb ending tells you whether the subject is masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Masculine Subjects

If the speaker or subject is male, the verb stem is followed by plus the personal ending.

I (male):
You (male):
He: (no personal ending added)

Pisałem list.
I was writing a letter.
Co robiłeś?
What were you doing?
On czytał gazetę.
He was reading a newspaper.

Feminine Subjects

If the speaker or subject is female, the verb stem is followed by plus the personal ending.

I (female):
You (female):
She: (no personal ending added)

Widziałam ten film.
I saw that movie.
Gdzie byłaś?
Where were you?
Ona spała.
She was sleeping.

Neuter Subjects

This form is primarily used for nouns that are grammatically neuter (like "child", "sun", or "window").

Dziecko jadło jabłko.
The child was eating an apple.
Słońce świeciło.
The sun was shining.

Plural Forms

In the plural, gender distinctions are simplified into two categories: "Masculine Personal" and "Non-Masculine Personal."

Masculine Personal (Virile)

This category is used for "we," "you," or "they" only if the group includes at least one male person. Even if there are 99 women and 1 man, you use this form. The marker is (note the soft l).

We:
You (plural):
They:

Byliśmy w kinie.
We were at the cinema. (group including a man)
Chłopcy grali w piłkę.
The boys played football.

Non-Masculine Personal (Non-Virile)

This category covers everything else: groups of women only, animals, objects, or mixed groups that do not contain men. The marker is (note the hard ł).

We:
You (plural):
They:

Kobiety rozmawiały.
The women were talking.
Koty piły mleko.
The cats drank milk.

Vowel Changes in the Stem

For verbs ending in (like - to have or - to understand), the vowel in the stem often changes to in the past tense forms.

However, the original usually remains in the Masculine Personal plural form. This creates a distinct sound difference between the two plural forms.

Example with mieć (to have)

Singular (Feminine): (e becomes a)
Plural (Non-Masculine): (e becomes a)
Plural (Masculine Personal): (remains e)

One miały szczęście.
They (females) were lucky.
Oni mieli szczęście.
They (males/mixed) were lucky.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Polish course

67 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 47. A few of them, with the words “Verbs: Past Tense” is about in bold:

Kupiłam też tuzin jajek i batonika dla ciebie.
I bought a dozen eggs and a candy bar for you too.
Lesson 47
Poszedłam do centrum handlowego.
I went to the shopping mall.
Lesson 172
Nie widziałam cię od dziewięciu lat!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175

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