The past tense: robiłem, robiłam — gender in every form
The past tense is one word ending in -łem or -łam. A man says robiłem, a woman says robiłam, and both mean I did. For example: “Wczoraj padał deszcz” — Yesterday it rained. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The past tense is one word ending in -łem or -łam. A man says robiłem, a woman says robiłam, and both mean I did.
The plural shows gender too. robiliśmy is we did when at least one man is in the group; robiłyśmy is for women only. It is the same split as in oni and one.
Word order is free: Wczoraj byłem w Krakowie and Byłem wczoraj w Krakowie mean the same. To say no, put nie in front as a separate word: nie byłem.
Table
| Who | did (robić) | was (być) |
|---|---|---|
| I (a man) | robiłem | byłem |
| I (a woman) | robiłam | byłam |
| you (a man) | robiłeś | byłeś |
| he / she | robił / robiła | był / była |
| we (men or mixed) | robiliśmy | byliśmy |
| we (women) | robiłyśmy | byłyśmy |
| I did not | nie robiłem | nie byłem |
By example
- Wczoraj padał deszczYesterday it rained
- W zeszłym roku byłem w PolsceLast year I was in Poland
- Nie miałam czasuI had no time (a woman speaking)
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The past tense: how does it work in Polish?
The past tense is one word ending in -łem or -łam. A man says robiłem, a woman says robiłam, and both mean I did.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Wczoraj padał deszcz” — Yesterday it rained. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.