Past Tense of быць

Level 2Sounds Like bycʹ u prošlym

In the present Belarusian drops is, but the past needs a form of быць: Учора я быў дома. (Yesterday I was at home.)

How It Works

In the present tense Belarusian has no verb for am, is, are: Я дома. (I am at home.) See leaving out is. In the past the verb must appear, and it agrees like any other past-tense verb:

  • быў: ён, or я and ты for a man: Я быў у Гродне. (I was in Hrodna.)
  • была: яна, or я and ты for a woman: Ты была дома? (Were you at home?)
  • было: яно and neuter nouns: Мора было цёплае. (The sea was warm.)
  • былі: мы, вы, яны and any plural noun: Мы былі ў Гродне. (We were in Hrodna.)

The masculine ends in -ў like other past forms (masculine past in -ў). In the other three the stress falls on the ending: была́, было́, былі́. That stressed ending is why the neuter is written было with о (neuter past -ла and -ло).

Having in the past. The ёсць of у мяне ёсць becomes a past form of быць. It agrees with the thing you had, not with the owner: У мяне быў сабака (I had a dog), У мяне была машына (I had a car), У нас былі госці (We had guests).

Jobs and roles. A noun naming a job or role after the past of быць usually goes into the instrumental case: Ён быў настаўнікам. (He was a teacher.) See the instrumental for roles and jobs.

Weather and feelings. With words like холадна (cold) or сумна (sad), use the neuter было: Учора было холадна. (It was cold yesterday.) See past and future of impersonal predicates.

The future of быць is буду, будзеш, будзе and so on: the future of быць.

Examples (6)

  1. Учора я быў дома.

    Yesterday I was at home.

    Word by Word: Yesterday I was at-home.

    Said by a man. A woman says: Учора я была дома.

  2. Мы былі ў Гродне летам.

    We were in Hrodna in the summer.

    Word by Word: We were in Hrodna in-summer.

  3. Дзе ты была ўчора?

    Where were you yesterday?

    Word by Word: Where you were yesterday?

    Asked of a woman, so the feminine была.

  4. У мяне быў сабака.

    I had a dog.

    Word by Word: At me was dog.

    Быў agrees with сабака, a masculine noun.

  5. Мой дзед быў настаўнікам.

    My grandfather was a teacher.

    Word by Word: My grandfather was teacher.

    The job is in the instrumental: настаўнікам.

  6. Учора было холадна.

    It was cold yesterday.

    Word by Word: Yesterday was cold.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ёсць, the present form, for a past situation.

    Учора я ёсць дома.
    Учора я быў дома.

    Ёсць only works in the present. For the past, use быў, была, было or былі.

  • Leaving быць in one form instead of matching the subject.

    Мы быў у Мінску.
    Мы былі ў Мінску.

    Мы is plural, so the verb must be былі. The past form follows the subject's gender and number.

  • Matching the past of быць to the owner instead of the thing owned.

    У мяне быў машына.
    У мяне была машына.

    In у мяне ... the thing you have is the subject. Машына is feminine, so the verb is была.

How It Connects

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Past Tense of быцьLevel 2

Learn This First

Past быць needs past endings and the zero copula.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

быць