Past -ė
Simple Past in -ė
For verbs whose past form ends in -ė, the endings are -iau, -ei, -ė, -ėme, -ėte: skaičiau, skaitei, skaitė, skaitėme, skaitėte (read).
How It Works
Which verbs
Look at the third principal part. If it ends in -ė, use these endings. See The Three Principal Parts.
- skaityti – skaito – skaitė (to read)
- matyti – mato – matė (to see)
- sakyti – sako – sakė (to say)
- valgyti – valgo – valgė (to eat)
- gerti – geria – gėrė (to drink)
- gimti – gimsta – gimė (to be born)
The endings
Take off the final -ė and add:
- aš -iau: skaičiau, mačiau, sakiau, valgiau, gėriau
- tu -ei: skaitei, matei, sakei
- jis, ji -ė: skaitė, matė, sakė
- mes -ėme: skaitėme, matėme
- jūs -ėte: skaitėte, matėte
- jie, jos -ė: skaitė, matė
t → č and d → dž
The i in -iau softens the consonant before it. A t becomes č and a d becomes dž, but only in the aš form:
- skaitė → skaičiau, but skaitei
- matė → mačiau, but matei
- vedė → vedžiau (I took someone somewhere), but vedei
Using it
Like the -o past, this simple past describes past actions and states, and its finite forms have no gender. See Simple Past in -o. You cannot tell from the infinitive which past a verb has, so learn the third principal part.
Examples (6)
- Vakar skaičiau įdomią knygą.
Yesterday I read an interesting book.
Word by Word: Yesterday (I) read interesting book.
skaitė becomes skaičiau: t changes to č before -iau.
- Ar matei Rūtą?
Did you see Rūta?
Word by Word: Q (you) saw Rūta?
matė becomes matei for tu. No č here.
- Gimiau Kaune.
I was born in Kaunas.
Word by Word: (I) was-born in-Kaunas.
gimė becomes gimiau.
- Ką valgei per pietus?
What did you eat for lunch?
Word by Word: What (you) ate during lunch?
valgė becomes valgei.
- Kavinėje gėrėme arbatą.
We drank tea at the café.
Word by Word: At-café (we) drank tea.
gėrė becomes gėrėme for mes.
- Vakar vedžiau dukrą į darželį.
Yesterday I took my daughter to kindergarten.
Word by Word: Yesterday (I) led daughter into kindergarten.
vedė becomes vedžiau: d changes to dž before -iau.
Common Mistakes
Keeping t before -iau.
Vakar skaitiau knygą.Vakar skaičiau knygą.Before -iau, t becomes č: skaitė → skaičiau, matė → mačiau.
Using the present in an ordinary report about reading yesterday.
Vakar mes skaitome knygą.Vakar mes skaitėme knygą.For a finished event, use the past: skaitė → skaitėme. Skaitome is the present.
Using the -o endings for an -ė verb.
Ar vakar matai Rūtą?Ar vakar matei Rūtą?The past form is matė, so the tu ending is -ei: matei. Matai is the present.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The -ė past is formed from the third principal part and has its own I-form changes.
Related Patterns
- Past -oSimple Past in -o
The other set of past endings, for verbs in -o.
Level 2 - Vowel Changes in the Principal Parts
Verbs like gerti, geria, gėrė whose vowel changes.
Level 3 - Ongoing Versus Completed Actions
How prefixes can change aspect or meaning.
Level 2 - Short Plural Endings in Speech
Spoken short forms such as skaitėm.
Level 4 - Past Habitual -davoPast Habits with -davo
A later past for things you used to do.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Past -ė in Bubblegum
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