-ли

Past Tense Plural Agreement

Level 2Sounds Like prošedšee vremâ: -li

In the Russian past tense, plural subjects (we, you-plural, they) always use the ending -ли. Unlike the singular forms, there is no distinction between masculine, feminine, or neuter.

How It Works

The Russian past tense is notable because it agrees with the subject's gender and number rather than its person. However, the plural is the simplest part of this system because gender distinctions disappear.

1. Formation:
For most verbs, you simply remove the infinitive ending -ть and add -ли:

  • читать (to read) → чита- + -ли = читали
  • говорить (to speak) → говори- + -ли = говорили

Verbs ending in -ти also use the -ли ending in the plural, though the stem may change (e.g., идти → шли).

2. The Polite 'Вы':
Even if you are speaking to only one person, if you use the polite Вы, the verb must always be in the plural form (-ли).

3. Reflexive Verbs:
When using reflexive verbs, the suffix -ся changes to -сь after the vowel -и in the plural ending:

  • учиться (to study) → учи- + -ли + -сь = учились

4. Stress and Irregularities:
For verbs where the masculine singular drops the 'л' (like мог from мочь), the 'л' always returns in the plural form: могли. Regarding stress, while many verbs retain stem stress in the plural (e.g., были, ждали), a common category of verbs—particularly those with consonant stems or ending in -ти—places the stress on the ending (e.g., шли, несли, росли).

Examples (5)

  1. Мы вчера гуляли в парке.

    We walked in the park yesterday.

    Word by Word: We yesterday walked in park.

    The subject 'мы' (we) is plural, so the verb 'гулять' takes the -ли ending.

  2. Анна и Иван много работали.

    Anna and Ivan worked a lot.

    Word by Word: Anna and Ivan much worked.

    Even though the subject consists of a man and a woman, the plural ending is always -ли.

  3. Вы уже прочитали это письмо?

    Have you already read this letter?

    Word by Word: You already read this letter?

    Whether 'вы' refers to a group or one person formally, the plural -ли is required.

  4. Они быстро оделись.

    They got dressed quickly.

    Word by Word: They quickly dressed-themselves.

    In reflexive verbs, the suffix becomes -сь after the plural -ли.

  5. Дети были очень рады.

    The children were very glad.

    Word by Word: Children were very glad.

    The past tense of 'быть' (to be) for plural subjects is 'были'.

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to use a feminine plural ending for a group of women.

    Они работала вчера.
    Они работали вчера.

    Learners sometimes try to use -ла (feminine singular) for plural female subjects. In Russian, all plural subjects use -ли regardless of gender.

  • Using the singular past tense with the polite 'Вы'.

    Иван Петрович, вы работал?
    Иван Петрович, вы работали?

    Even when addressing one person, the formal 'Вы' always requires plural agreement in the verb.

  • Using -ся instead of -сь after the plural ending.

    Мы училися.
    Мы учились.

    The reflexive suffix must be -сь when it follows a vowel like the 'и' in -ли.

How It Connects

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

-лиLevel 2Past Tense Plural Agreement

Learn This First

To understand plural past tense agreement, learners need to be familiar with the basic concept of the Russian past tense system, the use of plural subjects (we, you, they), and how to form these verbs from the infinitive stem.

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