Что вы де́лали? Что вы сде́лали?
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Form the Russian past tense for regular and common irregular verbs, and correctly match past-tense endings to the gender and number of the subject.
- Distinguish an imperfective past verb, used for a process, a repeated action, or an unfinished activity, from a perfective past verb, used for a single completed action with a clear result.
- Narrate a sequence of past events using time markers such as снача́ла, пото́м, зате́м, and в конце́.
- Ask and answer Что вы де́лали? for an ongoing or repeated past activity, and Что вы сде́лали? for a completed action with a result.
- Describe a weekend, an errand, or a daily routine from yesterday, using a connected sequence of past-tense sentences.
- Recognize how negation interacts with aspect in the past tense.
This chapter opens Unit IV. It introduces the Russian past tense as a productive system for the first time, together with the imperfective/perfective past contrast, sequencing, and time markers. All vocabulary, cases, and other grammar from Chapters 1 through 15 remain active and continue to appear throughout this chapter.
Communication Scenario
It is Monday morning. Ири́на, Серге́й, and Ната́ша meet for coffee before Ната́ша returns home, and they talk about how the weekend went. Ири́на describes a productive Saturday of errands and study, Серге́й describes a quieter day at home, and Ната́ша describes her last day visiting the city. Each of them moves between saying what they were doing and what they actually finished.
- You will learn how to form the past tense of verbs you already know, and how to mark gender and number correctly.
- You will practice choosing between an imperfective and a perfective verb in the past, depending on whether you are describing a process or a completed result.
- You will practice connecting several past events into one natural narrative, using sequencing words and time expressions.
Core Vocabulary
The tables below present new vocabulary for describing completed events, errands, and daily narrative. All vocabulary from Chapters 1 through 15 remains productive and may appear in this chapter's tasks.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| вчера́, позавчера́, на про́шлой неде́ле | yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week |
| снача́ла, пото́м, зате́м, в конце́ | first, then, next, in the end |
| у́тром, днём, ве́чером, но́чью | in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night |
| весь день, це́лый день, два часа́ | all day, a whole day, two hours |
| уже́, ещё не, то́лько что | already, not yet, just now |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| сде́лать дела́, купи́ть проду́кты | to run errands, to buy groceries |
| убра́ть кварти́ру, постира́ть | to clean the apartment, to do laundry |
| встре́тить дру́га, встре́титься с друзья́ми | to meet a friend, to meet up with friends |
| написа́ть письмо́, прочита́ть кни́гу | to write a letter, to read a book |
| отдохну́ть, вы́спаться | to rest, to get a good night's sleep |
Several verbs above are perfective partners of verbs you already know, such as чита́ть/прочита́ть and писа́ть/написа́ть. Their imperfective partners were already active from earlier chapters.
Pronunciation Focus
Most Russian verbs keep the same stress across all past-tense forms. A small group of common verbs, however, shift stress onto the ending in the feminine past form only. Compare был, бы́ло, and бы́ли with была́, where the stress moves to the final syllable in the feminine form alone. You already encountered this pattern with бы́ло пло́хо in Chapter 15.
- жил, жи́ло, жи́ли, but жила́ — feminine stress shifts to the ending.
- на́чал, на́чало, на́чали, but начала́ — feminine stress shifts to the ending.
- Most verbs, such as рабо́тал, рабо́тала, рабо́тали, keep stable stress throughout.
Continue reducing unstressed о and а, as in сде́лала and купи́ла, and keep distinguishing hard and soft consonants in the past-tense endings -л, -ла, -ло, and -ли.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Forming the Past Tense New
Russian past-tense verbs agree with the gender and number of the subject, not with person. To form the past tense of most verbs, remove the infinitive ending -ть and add -л, -ла, -ло, or -ли.
- Я купи́л(а) проду́кты.I bought groceries.купи́ть, perfective, masculine/feminine subject choice
- Они́ убра́ли кварти́ру.They cleaned the apartment.убра́ть, perfective, plural subject
A small number of common verbs form the past tense irregularly, including быть → был/была́/бы́ло/бы́ли and мочь → мог/могла́/могло́/могли́. Learn these forms individually rather than by rule.
Imperfective and Perfective Past New
The choice between an imperfective and a perfective verb in the past does not depend on how long ago something happened. It depends on whether you are describing a process, a repeated action, or an unfinished activity, imperfective, or a single completed action viewed as a whole, with a clear result, perfective.
- Я чита́л(а) кни́гу весь ве́чер.I was reading a book all evening.imperfective, process, duration emphasized, no claim about finishing
- Я прочита́л(а) кни́гу.I read the whole book. (I finished it.)perfective, completed action, result emphasized
- Мы обе́дали в кафе́ два часа́.We had lunch at a café for two hours.imperfective, duration
- Мы пообе́дали и пошли́ домо́й.We had lunch and went home.perfective, completed event, followed by the next event
Что вы де́лали? asks about an activity in progress or a general account of how time was spent. Что вы сде́лали? asks about a specific completed action with a result. Both questions are useful, and the aspect of your answer should match the aspect of the question, though a natural conversation may move between both questions.
Sequencing Past Events New
Connect a series of past actions using sequencing words. Perfective verbs are especially common for narrating a chain of completed events, since each action is presented as finished before the next one begins.
- Снача́ла я вста́л(а), пото́м поза́втракал(а), и зате́м пошёл/пошла́ на рабо́ту.First I got up, then I had breakfast, and then I went to work.снача́ла, пото́м, зате́м; sequence of perfective actions
- В конце́ дня мы отдохну́ли до́ма.At the end of the day we rested at home.в конце́ + genitive; final event in the sequence
Negation in the Past New
Negated past-tense verbs follow the same gender and number agreement as affirmative past-tense verbs. Choice of aspect under negation is a receptive concern in this volume; for now, negate whichever verb your sentence already uses.
- Я не убра́л(а) кварти́ру вчера́.I did not clean the apartment yesterday.не + perfective past
- Он не рабо́тал в суббо́ту.He did not work on Saturday.не + imperfective past
Model Dialogue: Как прошли́ выходны́е?
Context: Ири́на, Серге́й, and Ната́ша meet for coffee on Monday morning before Ната́ша's train home.
Notice how the dialogue moves between imperfective forms for ongoing activities, such as гуля́ла and сиде́ли, and perfective forms for completed actions, such as купи́л, убра́л, and уви́дела, connected with снача́ла, пото́м, and зате́м.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text to speech tool to read the passage below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- What did the speaker do in the morning, and how is that verb different in aspect from купи́л and постира́л later in the passage?
- How long did the speaker walk in the park with a friend?
- Which task did the speaker not complete, and how do you know?
Speaking Practice
Управля́емая пра́ктика — Controlled practice: yesterday's schedule
With a partner, take turns describing three things you did yesterday, in order, using снача́ла, пото́м, and зате́м. Use at least two perfective verbs and one imperfective verb.
Коммуникати́вное зада́ние — Communicative task: How was your weekend?
With a partner, role-play a conversation like the Model Dialogue. Ask each other Что вы де́лали в суббо́ту? and Что вы де́лали в воскресе́нье?, and answer with a short connected narrative that includes at least one completed action with a clear result.
Самостоя́тельная пра́ктика — Solo alternative
Record yourself narrating your last free day from start to finish, using at least four past-tense verbs, a mix of imperfective and perfective, and at least two sequencing words.
Reading Practice
Сообще́ние в чат дру́гу — A chat message to a friend
Приве́т! Извини́, что не писа́л(а) ра́ньше, у меня́ была́ о́чень заня́тая неде́ля. В понеде́льник и вто́рник я рабо́тал(а) до́лго и почти́ не отдыха́л(а). В сре́ду ве́чером я наконе́ц сде́лал(а) все дела́: купи́л(а) проду́кты, убра́л(а) кварти́ру и написа́л(а) не́сколько пи́сем. В четве́рг я встре́тился/встре́тилась с колле́гами по́сле рабо́ты, и мы у́жинали в кафе́ почти́ три часа́. В пя́тницу я уста́л(а) и лёг/легла́ спать о́чень ра́но. А в выходны́е я наконе́ц отдохну́л(а) и прочита́л(а) всю кни́гу, кото́рую купи́л(а) ме́сяц наза́д!
Зада́ние по чте́нию — Reading task:
- Which day did the writer finally complete all the errands, and what exactly did the writer complete?
- How long did the writer have dinner with colleagues on Thursday, and is that verb imperfective or perfective?
- What did the writer finally finish over the weekend, and how do you know it was completed rather than just started?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order. This workshop develops the past tense, the imperfective/perfective past contrast, sequencing words, and time markers introduced in this chapter.
Зада́ние 1 — Complete the sentence: Choose the correct past-tense form to complete each sentence.
Зада́ние 2 — A connected narrative: Write eight to ten sentences describing your last free day, or a memorable weekend, from morning to evening. Use снача́ла, пото́м, and зате́м to connect at least four events, and include both imperfective and perfective past verbs.
- Review the Core Vocabulary tables above. Confirm the meaning of any new word you intend to use.
- Choose a simple storyline. For example, a weekend of errands, a relaxing day off, or a busy day at work or school.
- Draft your narrative. Decide, for each action, whether you are describing a process or duration, imperfective, or a completed result, perfective.
- Read your narrative aloud once. Listen for correct gender and number agreement on each past-tense verb.
- Check each verb against the Grammar section. Confirm that your aspect choice matches your intended meaning.
Спи́сок прове́рки — Editing checklist:
- Every past-tense verb agrees in gender and number with its subject.
- Imperfective verbs are used for process, duration, or repetition, and perfective verbs are used for completed results.
- At least two sequencing words, such as снача́ла, пото́м, or зате́м, connect the events.
- At least one time marker, such as вчера́ or на про́шлой неде́ле, situates the narrative in time.
- Vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1 through 15 are used correctly where they appear.
Culture and Communication
Asking how someone's weekend went, and giving a short account in return, is a common way to open a conversation among friends and colleagues across Russian-speaking communities, much as it is in many other communities. Some speakers give a brief general summary, while others enjoy narrating several specific events in sequence, as in the Model Dialogue above. Both approaches are natural, and the right level of detail depends on the relationship and the setting.
It can be tempting to treat imperfective as "past continuous" and perfective as "simple past," borrowing categories from English. Russian aspect does not map onto English tense categories this way. An imperfective past verb can describe a single action that took time, a repeated action, or even a completed action when the process itself, not the result, is what matters to the speaker. Focus on what the speaker wants to emphasize, process or result, rather than translating an English tense directly.
Common Mistakes
Error: A woman saying Я купи́л проду́кты instead of Я купи́ла проду́кты.
Correction: The past-tense verb must agree with the gender of the subject, not simply follow the pronoun я automatically: a woman says Я купи́ла проду́кты, and a man says Я купи́л проду́кты.
Error: Saying Я прочита́л кни́гу два часа́ instead of Я чита́л кни́гу два часа́.
Correction: A perfective verb presents an action as a single completed whole and does not naturally combine with an expression of ongoing duration such as два часа́. Use the imperfective verb for duration: Я чита́л кни́гу два часа́, not Я прочита́л кни́гу два часа́.
Error: Assuming чита́л and прочита́л mean exactly the same thing, only with чита́л sounding more "basic."
Correction: Both чита́л and прочита́л are past-tense forms, but they express different meanings: чита́л describes reading as a process, without confirming the book was finished, while прочита́л confirms that the reading was completed. Choose based on meaning, not on formality.
Chapter Review
Past-tense formation
Forms past-tense verbs with -л, -ла, -ло, and -ли, agreeing with the gender and number of the subject.
Imperfective/perfective past contrast
Chooses imperfective for process, duration, or repetition, and perfective for a single completed result.
Sequencing and time markers
Uses снача́ла, пото́м, зате́м, в конце́, and expressions such as вчера́ and на про́шлой неде́ле.
Negation in the past
Negates past-tense verbs correctly while maintaining gender and number agreement.
Часть A — Понима́ние (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- What did each person do on Saturday, and which of their verbs are perfective?
- What did Ири́на not finish, and how does the dialogue show this?
Часть B — Пи́сьменная речь (Writing)
1. Write four sentences about yesterday, using at least two perfective and two imperfective past-tense verbs.
2. Write one sentence using не with a past-tense verb.
Часть C — Чте́ние (Reading)
1. Return to the chat message to a friend, and list, in order, the events of the writer's week.
Часть D — Говоре́ние (Speaking)
1. With a partner, narrate your last weekend, in order, using at least three sequencing words.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 16 Practical Task
Как прошёл ваш день: How Your Day Went
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, drawing on the past tense, aspect contrast, and sequencing from this chapter, together with material from Chapters 1 through 15.
- Read the Model Dialogue and the chat message to a friend. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Describe your morning yesterday. Use at least one imperfective past verb for an activity in progress.
- Describe two or three specific things you finished yesterday or last week. Use perfective past verbs and connect them with снача́ла, пото́м, or зате́м.
- Say one thing you did not finish, and why. Use не with a past-tense verb.
- Ask a partner, or answer for yourself, Что вы де́лали вчера́? and Что вы сде́лали вчера́? Give a different kind of answer for each question.
- Write your eight to ten sentence narrative from the Writing Workshop. Apply the editing checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Past-tense agreement | The learner correctly forms past-tense verbs with gender and number agreement. |
| Aspect accuracy | The learner correctly chooses imperfective or perfective verbs based on process versus completed result. |
| Sequencing accuracy | The learner correctly uses сна́чала, пото́м, зате́м, or в конце́ to connect events. |
| Time marker accuracy | The learner correctly places time expressions such as вчера́ or на про́шлой неде́ле. |
| Connected narration | The learner produces a coherent multi-sentence account of past events, drawing on Chapters 1 through 15. |
This task assesses the new productive systems of Chapter 16 together with recycled material from Chapters 1 through 15.
Answer Key
Listening — Comprehension
- In the morning the speaker slept and then got up and had breakfast, using imperfective verbs for the ongoing morning routine; купи́л and постира́л are perfective, describing completed errands.
- The speaker walked in the park with a friend for about an hour.
- The speaker did not clean the apartment; the passage states this directly with не убра́л кварти́ру.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Ната́ша walked around the city and met friends (imperfective for walking, perfective встре́тилась for meeting up); Серге́й bought groceries, cleaned the apartment, and wrote a letter, all perfective, completed errands.
- Ири́на did not finish reading the whole book; she states не прочита́ла всю кни́гу.
Writing
- 1. чита́л/чита́ла (either is correct depending on the speaker's gender). 2. написа́ла. 3. де́лали. 4. купи́л. 5. жи́ли.
- Sample answer: Вчера́ у меня́ был свобо́дный день. У́тром я до́лго спал(а), а пото́м гото́вил(а) за́втрак. Днём я сде́лал(а) дела́: купи́л(а) проду́кты и постира́л(а). Пото́м я встре́тился/встре́тилась с дру́гом, и мы гуля́ли в па́рке о́коло ча́са. Ве́чером я написа́л(а) письмо́ и прочита́л(а) не́сколько страни́ц но́вой кни́ги. Я не убра́л(а) кварти́ру, но я хорошо́ отдохну́л(а). Other combinations using material from Chapters 1 through 16 are also correct.
Reading
- The writer finally completed all the errands on Wednesday evening: buying groceries, cleaning the apartment, and writing several letters.
- The writer had dinner with colleagues for almost three hours; у́жинали is imperfective, emphasizing the duration of the meal.
- The writer finally finished a book bought a month earlier; the verb прочита́л confirms completion, rather than an imperfective verb that would only describe reading in progress.
Looking Ahead
Что вы уже уме́ете — What you can do now
You can form the past tense of Russian verbs with correct gender and number agreement, choose between imperfective and perfective verbs based on whether you are describing a process or a completed result, connect a sequence of past events using снача́ла, пото́м, and зате́м, and ask and answer both Что вы де́лали? and Что вы сде́лали?