Past -o

Simple Past in -o

Level 2

For verbs whose past form ends in -o, swap the -o for these endings: -au, -ai, -o, -ome, -ote. Vakar buvau Kaune. (Yesterday I was in Kaunas.)

How It Works

Which verbs

Look at the third principal part. If it ends in -o, use these endings. See The Three Principal Parts.

  • dirbti – dirba – dirbo (to work)
  • būti – yra – buvo (to be)
  • gyventi – gyvena – gyveno (to live)
  • kalbėti – kalba – kalbėjo (to speak)
  • eiti – eina – ėjo (to go on foot)
  • važiuoti – važiuoja – važiavo (to go by vehicle)

The endings

Take off the final -o and add:

  • aš -au: dirbau, buvau, ėjau, važiavau
  • tu -ai: dirbai, buvai, ėjai
  • jis, ji -o: dirbo, buvo, ėjo
  • mes -ome: dirbome, buvome
  • jūs -ote: dirbote, buvote
  • jie, jos -o: dirbo, buvo

In everyday speech you will also hear buvom and buvot. The full forms are the careful written ones. See Short Plural Endings in Speech.

Using it

Use this simple past for past actions and states, including what was happening at a past time: Vakar dirbau iki vakaro. (Yesterday I worked until the evening.) It has no gender, so a man and a woman both say buvau.

Verbs whose past ends in -ė take different endings. See Simple Past in -ė.

Examples (6)

  1. Vakar buvau Kaune.

    Yesterday I was in Kaunas.

    Word by Word: Yesterday (I) was in-Kaunas.

    buvo becomes buvau for aš.

  2. Ar tu buvai namie?

    Were you at home?

    Word by Word: Q you were at-home?

    The ending -ai is for tu.

  3. Mes gyvenome Klaipėdoje.

    We lived in Klaipėda.

    Word by Word: We lived in-Klaipėda.

    gyveno becomes gyvenome for mes.

  4. Jie dirbo visą dieną.

    They worked all day.

    Word by Word: They worked all day.

    The form for they is the same as for he and she: dirbo.

  5. Į Vilnių važiavau autobusu.

    I went to Vilnius by bus.

    Word by Word: Into Vilnius (I) rode by-bus.

    važiavo becomes važiavau.

  6. Su draugu kalbėjome lietuviškai.

    We spoke Lithuanian with a friend.

    Word by Word: With friend (we) spoke in-Lithuanian.

    kalbėjo becomes kalbėjome.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the -ė endings for an -o verb.

    Vakar dirbiau.
    Vakar dirbau.

    The third principal part is dirbo, so the aš form is dirbau. The ending -iau belongs to verbs like skaitė → skaičiau.

  • Adding a plural ending for they.

    Jie buvote Kaune.
    Jie buvo Kaune.

    The third person is the same for one person and for many: jis buvo, jie buvo. The ending -ote is only for jūs.

  • Using the present in an ordinary statement about being in Kaunas yesterday.

    Vakar aš esu Kaune.
    Vakar buvau Kaune.

    For a finished event, use the past of būti: buvau, buvai, buvo.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Past -oLevel 2Simple Past in -o

Learn This First

The -o past is formed from the third principal part.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

dirbtibūtieiti