Russian course
Basic Russian for beginners
Lesson 6:
Yesterday I didn't know anything, but today I know everything
In this lesson you will learn:
- to conjugate verbs in the past tense
- to conjugate the past tense of "быть"
Useful phrase in Russian
Listen and repeat the following sentence:
Вчера́ я ничего́ не зна́л, а сего́дня я всё зна́ю
vchye-rá ya ni-chye-vó nye znál, a sye-vód-nya ya vsyo zná-yu
Yesterday i didn't know anything, but today i know everything
Pronunciation of "Л": Now you will see that, to build the past tense in Russian, you only have to add "-л", "-ла" or "-ли" to the verb root. Pay attention to the sound of "л": "-ли" sounds like in "litter", but for "-л" and "-ла" the sound is a bit different (similar to the one in "title")
Russian vocabulary
Read, listen and repeat the basic vocabulary of this lesson:
English
Russian
Pronunciation
today
сего́дня
sye-vód-nya
yesterday
вчера́
vchye-rá
nothing
ничего́
ni-chye-vó
all / everything
всё
vsyo
always
всегда́
fsyeg-dá
when
когда́
kag-dá
in / on
в
v
where
где
gdye
to look / to watch
смотрéть
sma-tryét'
Dialogues in Russian
These dialogues will help you memorise this lesson's vocabulary:
Dialogue 1
English
Russian
Pronunciation
What did you do yesterday? Where were you?
Что ты де́лал вчера́? Где ты был?
shto ty dyé-LaL fchye-rá? Gdye ty byL?
I didn't do anything. And you? Where were you yesterday?
Я ничего́ не де́лал. А ты? Где ты была́ вчера́?
ya ni-chye-vó nye dyé-LaL. a ty? gdye ty by-Lá fchye-rá?
I was in the cinema. I wanted to watch the film "Avatar".
Я была́ в кино́. Я хоте́ла смотре́ть фильм "Авата́р".
ya by-Lá f ki-nó. Ya ha-tyé-La sma-tryét' film a-va-tár.
I also watched "Avatar", but not yesterday.
Я то́же смотре́л "Авата́р", но не вчера́.
ya tó-zhe sma-tryéL a-va-tár, no nye fchye-rá.
Dialogue 2
English
Russian
Pronunciation
Mr Smith, what did you do yesterday? Where were you?
Ми́стер Смит, что вы де́лали вчера́? Где вы бы́ли?
mís-ter smit, shto vy dyé-La-li fchye-rá? gdye vy bý-li?
I didn't do anything. And you and Lena? Where were you?
Я ничего́ не де́лал. А ты и Ле́на? Где вы бы́ли?
ya ni-chye-vó nye dyé-LaL. a ty i lyé-na? gdye vy bý-li?
We were in the cinema. We watched "Avatar". Have you watched "Avatar"?
Мы бы́ли в кино́. Мы смотре́ли "Авата́р". Вы смотре́ли "Авата́р"?
my bý-li v ki-nó. my sma-tryé-li a-va-tár. vy sma-tryé-li a-va-tár?
No, I haven't.
Нет, я не смотре́л.
nyet, ya nye sma-tryéL.
Dialogue 3
English
Russian
Pronunciation
When was Pedro at the cafe?
Когда́ Пе́дро был в кафе́?
kag-dá pé-dro byl f ka-fé?
I don't know, I didn't see Pedro, but I have seen Stephanie.
Я не зна́ю, я не ви́дела Пе́дро, но я ви́дела Сте́фани.
Я nye zná-yu, ya nye ví-dye-La pé-dro, no ya ví-dye-La sté-fa-ni.
You always see everything! And what was she doing?
Ты всегда́ всё ви́дишь! И что она́ де́лала?
ty fsyeg-dá vsyo ví-dish! i shto a-ná dyé-La-La?
When I saw Stephanie, she was in the metro. I don't know what she wanted to do.
Когда́ я ви́дела Сте́фани, она́ была́ в метро́. Я не зна́ю, что она́ хоте́ла де́лать.
kag-dá ya ví-dye-La sté-fa-ni, a-ná by-Lá f mye-tró. ya nye zná-yu shto a-ná ha-tyé-La dyé-lat'.
Dialogue 4
English
Russian
Pronunciation
I thought that she knew everything.
Я ду́мала, что она́ всё зна́ла.
ya dú-ma-La, shto a-ná fsyo zná-La.
I also thought that she knew everything.
Я то́же ду́мал, что она́ всё зна́ла.
ya tó-zhe dú-ma-La, shto a-ná fsyo zná-La.
Mr Smith, did you also think that she knew everything?
Ми́стер Смит, Вы то́же ду́мали, что она́ всё зна́ла?
mís-ter smit, vy tó-zhe dú-ma-li, shto a-ná fsyo zná-La?
Yes I also thought it... we thought that Lena knew everything.
Да, я то́же ду́мал... Мы ду́мали, что Ле́на всё зна́ла.
da, ya tó-zhe dú-maL... my dú-ma-li, shto lyé-na fsyo zná-La.
I am Lena... they thought that I knew everything. But today I only know that I don't know anything.
Я Ле́на... Они́ ду́мали, что я всё зна́ла. Но сего́дня я то́лько зна́ю, что я ничего́ не зна́ю.
ya lyé-na... a-ní dú-ma-li, shto ya fsyo zná-La. no sye-vód-nya ya tól-ka zná-yu, shto ya ni-chye-vó nye zná-yu.
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Russian grammar
Read the following grammar explanations for this lesson:
The past tense in Russian
It is very easy to express a verb in the past tense in Russian. This is the general rule that applies to almost every Russian verb.
First, you remove "ть" from the verb (for example ду́мать / ду́ма-). Second, you add:
- -л for masculine singular (думал)
- -ла for feminine singular (думала)
- -ло for neuter singular (думало)
- -ли for every form of plural (думали) y and for formal forms (both in singular and plural)
Examples:
- I thought (said by a woman):я ду́мала
- I thought (said by a man): я ду́мал
- You did (it's a woman who did): ты де́лала
- You did (it's a man who did): ты де́лал
- She saw: Она́ ви́дела
- He saw: Он ви́дел
- We wanted: Мы хоте́ли
- You (plural) wanted: Вы хотели
- They: Они́ хоте́ли
- You talked (said to one person, addressing him or her formally): Вы говори́ли
- You talked (said to more than one person, addressing them formally): Вы говори́ли
Russian conjugations: verb смотре́ть
In this lesson, we give you the verb смотре́ть (to watch), conjugated in the present and past tenses. Have a look and compare it with the verb говори́ть.
Verb: смотре́ть
Present
- Я смотрю́
- Ты смо́тришь
- Он/он́а/оно́ смо́трит
- Мы смо́трим
- Вы смо́трите
- Они́ смо́трят
Past
- смотре́л
- смотре́ла
- смотре́ло
- смотре́ли
- Я говорю́
- Ты говори́шь
- Он/она́/оно́ говори́т
- Мы говори́м
- Вы говори́те
- Они́ говоря́т
- говори́л
- говори́ла
- говори́ло
- говори́ли
Verb: говори́ть
Present
Past
How to translate Russian verbs in the past tense
In Russian there is only one form to express the past tense. However, in English there are many.
This means that, for example, я ду́мал could be translated for "I thought", "I was thinking", "I have thought" "I have been thinking",...
The context will always helps us know which "past" in English should we use.
In dialogue 3 you have seen different ways to translate the past in Russian. For example:
- но я ви́дела Сте́фани = but I have seen Stephanie
- Когда́ я ви́дела Сте́фани = when I saw Stephanie
Test
Check how much you have learnt in this lesson:
