Russian past tense
Russian past tense is the easiest tense in the language. There's no person — just gender (and number for plural). You drop -ть from the infinitive and add -л, -ла, -ло, or -ли depending on who or what did the action.
The four endings
Take the infinitive (читать, работать, знать). Drop -ть. Add: - Masculine subject: -л (он читал) - Feminine subject: -ла (она читала) - Neuter subject: -ло (rare) - Plural subject: -ли (мы читали, они читали) The form depends on the SUBJECT, not on the speaker. If a man says я читал, a woman says я читала.
быть in the past
The verb 'to be' — invisible in the present — appears in the past. Был (m), была (f), было (n), были (pl). Я был дома = I was at home (male speaker). Она была дома = She was at home.
Negation
Same as before — не before the verb. Я не знал = I didn't know. Они не работали = They didn't work.
A few irregulars
Some verbs change stems slightly. Идти (to go) → шёл, шла, шли. Мочь (to be able) → мог, могла, могли. We'll meet these as they come up. For now most verbs are regular.
