Formation of the Simple Past Tense

In the Serbian language, the simple past tense is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem. The endings are determined by the gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) and the number (singular or plural) of the subject. The following table illustrates the various endings according to gender and number:

For example, consider the verb “говорити” (govoriti), meaning “to speak”. Using the endings provided in the table, we can form the simple past tense as follows:

• Ja (I) – masculine: говорио (govorio)
• Ja (I) – feminine: говорила (govorila)
• On (he): говорио (govorio)
• Ona (she): говорила (govorila)
• Ono (it): говорило (govorilo)
• Mi (we) – masculine: говорили (govorili)
• Mi (we) – feminine: говориле (govorile)
• Vi (you) – masculine: говорили (govorili)
• Vi (you) – feminine: говориле (govorile)
• Oni/One/Ona (they) – masculine: говорили (govorili)
• Oni/One/Ona (they) – feminine: говориле (govorile)
• Oni/One/Ona (they) – neuter: говорила (govorila)

Irregular Verbs and Their Conjugation

As with any language, Serbian includes a set of irregular verbs that do not conform to the usual conjugation rules. This requires learners to memorize their simple past forms. Some common examples include:

• Бити (biti) – “to be” – masculine: био (bio), feminine: била (bila), neuter: било (bilo)
• Јести (jesti) – “to eat” – masculine: јео (jeo), feminine: јела (jela), neuter: јело (jelo)
• Пити (piti) – “to drink” – masculine: пио (pio), feminine: пилa (pila), neuter: пило (pilo)

Using Simple Past in Context

To fully understand the simple past tense in Serbian grammar, let’s look at some sentences in various contexts:

1. Ја сам писао писмо. (Ja sam pisao pismo) – I wrote a letter. (masculine subject)
2. Она је певала. (Ona je pevala) – She sang. (feminine subject)
3. Оно је спавало. (Ono je spavalo) – It slept. (neuter subject)
4. Ми смо купили карте. (Mi smo kupili karte) – We bought tickets. (masculine or mixed-gender subject)
5. Они су ишли у кино. (Oni su išli u kino) – They went to the cinema. (plural masculine subject)

Conclusion

Mastering the simple past tense in Serbian grammar is a necessary step toward achieving fluency in the language. By familiarizing oneself with the rules and exceptions for conjugating verbs in the simple past, practicing with various examples, and understanding how these forms function in context, one can significantly improve their ability to communicate effectively in Serbian.