Free exercises · Verbs
Polish past tense exercises
Polish past tense exercises with real sentences: the past form for the person and the gender of the subject, in both aspects, with the English and the rule after every answer. Choose your level and how to answer, then fill in the verb.
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The past tense
Both aspects have a past. The ending shows the person and the gender of the subject: a woman and a man say “I wrote” differently, and in the plural a group with any men in it has its own form.
| Subject | Imperfective: pisać | Perfective: napisać |
|---|---|---|
| ja ♂ | pisałem | napisałem |
| ja ♀ | pisałam | napisałam |
| ty ♂ | pisałeś | napisałeś |
| ty ♀ | pisałaś | napisałaś |
| on | pisał | napisał |
| ona | pisała | napisała |
| my ♂ | pisaliśmy | napisaliśmy |
| my ♀ | pisałyśmy | napisałyśmy |
| wy ♂ | pisaliście | napisaliście |
| wy ♀ | pisałyście | napisałyście |
| oni | pisali | napisali |
| one | pisały | napisały |
♂ a man or a group with a man in it · ♀ a woman or a group of women.
Codziennie pisałyśmy list.
Every day we wrote a letter.
A habit, repeated — imperfective past. pisać → pisałyśmy: non-masculine-personal, first person plural.
W sobotę zrobiłyśmy kawę.
On Saturday we made coffee.
A single, finished event — perfective past. zrobić → zrobiłyśmy: non-masculine-personal, first person plural.
W sobotę przeczytałam książkę.
On Saturday I read a book.
A single, finished event — perfective past. przeczytać → przeczytałam: feminine, first person singular.
Wczoraj zjedli śniadanie.
Yesterday they ate breakfast.
A one-off action that got done — perfective past. zjeść → zjedli: masculine-personal, third person plural.
Wczoraj kupiliśmy chleb.
Yesterday we bought bread.
A one-off action that got done — perfective past. kupić → kupiliśmy: masculine-personal, first person plural.
How these exercises work
- Each question is a real Polish sentence with a gap, and its English meaning above it.
- Choose the answer, or switch to Type to write it yourself (the Polish letters are on buttons under the gap).
- After every answer you see the right form, the full sentence and the rule behind it.
- Rounds of ten, as many as you like, with new sentences each time. Free, with no sign-up.
Remember it next week, too
PolishUp’s today’s practice brings back every form you met, right before you would forget it, mixed with a few new ones. Ten minutes a day.
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