Past Tense Formation (-l suffix)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
To form the past tense in Slovak, remove the infinitive suffix and add -l, followed by the appropriate gender/number ending.
- Drop the -ť from the infinitive: robiť -> robi-
- Add -l: robil
- Add gender/number endings: robil (masc), robila (fem), robilo (neut), robili (pl)
Past Tense Conjugation (Verb: Robiť - to do/work)
| Person | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1st Sing.
|
robil som
|
robila som
|
-
|
-
|
|
2nd Sing.
|
robil si
|
robila si
|
-
|
-
|
|
3rd Sing.
|
robil
|
robila
|
robilo
|
-
|
|
1st Plur.
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
robili sme
|
|
2nd Plur.
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
robili ste
|
|
3rd Plur.
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
robili
|
Meanings
The past tense in Slovak is used to describe completed actions or states that occurred before the present moment.
Completed action
An action finished in the past.
“Písal som list.”
“Jedli sme obed.”
Past state
Describing a state of being in the past.
“Bolo tam veľa ľudí.”
“Bol som unavený.”
Habitual past
Something that happened repeatedly.
“Každý deň sme chodili do školy.”
“Často som čítal knihy.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + l-participle
|
On robil.
|
|
Negative
|
ne- + l-participle
|
On nerobil.
|
|
Question
|
l-participle + ?
|
Robil on?
|
|
1st Person
|
l-participle + som
|
Ja som robil.
|
|
2nd Person
|
l-participle + si
|
Ty si robil.
|
|
3rd Person
|
l-participle
|
On robil.
|
|
Plural
|
l-participle + auxiliary
|
My sme robili.
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Pracoval som celý deň. (Work/Daily life)
Robil som celý deň. (Work/Daily life)
Makal som celý deň. (Work/Daily life)
Drel som celý deň. (Work/Daily life)
Past Tense Anatomy
Suffix
- -l Past marker
Gender
- -a Feminine
- -o Neuter
Plural
- -i All genders
Gender Endings
Beispiele nach Niveau
Ja som pil vodu.
I drank water.
Ona spala.
She slept.
My sme jedli.
We ate.
On bol doma.
He was at home.
Včera som nepracoval.
I didn't work yesterday.
Čítali ste tú knihu?
Did you read that book?
Bolo to veľmi pekné.
It was very nice.
Ona písala list.
She was writing a letter.
Kde ste boli cez víkend?
Where were you over the weekend?
Už som to urobil.
I have already done it.
Vždy sme chodili pešo.
We always used to walk.
Ona sa smiala na vtipe.
She laughed at the joke.
Keby som bol vedel, prišiel by som.
If I had known, I would have come.
Stretli sme sa v Bratislave.
We met in Bratislava.
Všetci sme sa na tom zhodli.
We all agreed on that.
Ona sa rozhodla odísť.
She decided to leave.
Dlho sme sa o tom rozprávali.
We talked about it for a long time.
Nikdy som ho nevidel tak nahnevaného.
I have never seen him so angry.
Všetko sa zmenilo po vojne.
Everything changed after the war.
Ona sa snažila pochopiť situáciu.
She tried to understand the situation.
Boli to časy, keď sme verili v zmenu.
Those were the times when we believed in change.
Nikto nepredpokladal takýto vývoj.
No one anticipated such a development.
Už dávno sme sa tak nezasmiali.
We haven't laughed like that in a long time.
Všetky možnosti sme starostlivo zvážili.
We carefully considered all options.
Leicht verwechselbar
Both use the l-participle.
Learners mix up stems.
Forgetting to change endings.
Häufige Fehler
Ja robil.
Ja som robil.
Ona robil.
Ona robila.
My robili.
My sme robili.
On robila.
On robil.
Oni robila.
Oni robili.
Ja som čítal knihu včera.
Včera som čítal knihu.
Boli sme ísť.
Išli sme.
Keby som vedel, prišiel by.
Keby som bol vedel, prišiel by som.
Oni boli včera v kino.
Oni boli včera v kine.
Ona sa rozhodol.
Ona sa rozhodla.
Všetci sme sa zhodli na to.
Všetci sme sa zhodli na tom.
Nikto nepredpokladal takýto vývoj.
Nikto nepredpokladal takýto vývoj.
Už dávno sme sa tak nezasmiali.
Už dávno sme sa tak nezasmiali.
Satzmuster
Včera som ___.
___ si včera v škole?
My sme ___ včera.
Ona ___ včera list.
Real World Usage
Čo si robil?
Pracoval som v tejto firme.
Bol som v Bratislave.
Dnes som jedol skvelé jedlo.
Objednal som si pizzu.
Poslal som vám dokument.
Gender matters
Don't forget the auxiliary
Use the stem
Be natural
Smart Tips
Look at the subject pronoun or the noun it refers to.
Remember: 'som' for 'ja', 'si' for 'ty'.
Always use 'sme' or 'ste' for 1st/2nd person.
The 'ne-' prefix is always attached to the verb.
Aussprache
L-suffix
The 'l' is a clear, alveolar 'l'.
Question
Robil si? ↑
Rising intonation at the end.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember 'L' for 'Last' time. If it happened 'Last', use the '-l' suffix.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a giant letter 'L' made of bricks in the past. Every time you talk about the past, you place this 'L' brick behind the verb.
Rhyme
For the past, add an L, and the gender ending as well.
Story
Yesterday, I (ja) walked (šiel) to the store. My friend (ona) walked (išla) with me. We (my) walked (išli) together. The dog (ono) walked (išlo) behind us.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write 5 sentences about what you did yesterday in 5 minutes.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Slovaks value directness in the past tense. Using the correct gender is a sign of respect for the language.
The Slovak past tense evolved from the Proto-Slavic l-participle.
Gesprächseinstiege
Čo si robil včera?
Kde si bol na dovolenke?
Čo si jedol na obed?
Kedy si naposledy čítal knihu?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Ja ___ (robiť) včera.
Ona ___ (písať) list.
Find and fix the mistake:
My robil včera.
Ja robím.
On robila.
A: Čo si robil? B: ___.
včera / som / pracoval / ja
My ___.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesJa ___ (robiť) včera.
Ona ___ (písať) list.
Find and fix the mistake:
My robil včera.
Ja robím.
On robila.
A: Čo si robil? B: ___.
včera / som / pracoval / ja
My ___.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, only for 1st and 2nd person.
It is one of the easier tenses in Slovak.
Try to identify the subject first.
No, that is for the future tense.
No, it uses different structures.
Add 'ne-' to the verb.
Yes, like 'ísť'.
Yes, it is standard.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Pretérito indefinido
Slovak requires gender agreement in the past tense.
Passé composé
Slovak gender agreement is more pervasive.
Perfekt
Slovak past tense is more synthetic.
Ta-form
Japanese has no gender agreement.
Past tense conjugation
Slovak uses an auxiliary for 1st/2nd person.
Le particle
Slovak is highly inflectional.
