5.2. The Past Tense

In Ukrainian we have two verb forms of the past tense: the past iind the pluperfect tenses (минулий та давноминулий).

The past tense is formed from the base of the infinitive with the help of the suffix -в (-л) as well as gender flexions: the zero flexion for the masculine gender, -a for the feminine gender and -o for the neuter gender. When the base of the infinitive finishes with the consonant, then the suffix -в is absent by the masculine gender (e.g.: нести — Hie, emmu - cm, везти - вгз, but грати - грае). If the base of the infinitive contains the suffix -ну it is omitted in the past tense: мерзнути - мерз, сохнути - cox (except the stressed position: тягнути — тягнув).

The Ukrainian pluperfect tense (давноминулий) is created analytically by combining the forms of the past tense form of the verb - the carrier of the lexical meaning, with the corresponding form of the past tense of the auxiliary verb бути, e.g.: ходив буе, ходила була, ходили були; niuioe буе, позичив буе. Such forms are more often created from imperfective verbs and are used to denote the action which happened a long time ago, or to denote the action which happened before another past action or was completed under the influence of another subsequent action.

In modern Ukrainian forms of the pluperfect tense are gradually becoming less used, being substituted by usual past forms. Very often the pluperfect tense can be met in the deformed form: the help verb бути is used in similar impersonal form було in singular and in plural for all genders, e.g.: Коли було вт приходив до нас ...; Коли було вона ствола ...; Коли було вони спитаютъ ... According to its meaning this form renders the common or the repeated action in the past.

In English we have two aspect forms of the past tense: the Past Indefinite and the Past Continuous tenses. Besides there are two forms of the past tense that reveal the category of the tense reference: the Past Perfect and the Past Perfect Continuous.

The Past Indefinite tense denotes the action which happened during the period of time including the moment of speaking. This verb

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form is widely used in narrations, where it renders the subsequent bound with each other events. According to the formation of its aspect-tense form all English verbs are subdivided into two groups of regular and irregular verbs.

The Past Continuous tense underlines that the action is in the process and shows its concrete character. It usually shows the simultaneous course of action with another past action or some definite past moment. This verb form can be compared with the past form of the imperfective aspect, but the latter one has a wider meaning, which is not limited by the simultaneous character of the action.

Of the two relative past tenses Past Perfect is more often used, showing that the action happened till another past action or till some definite moment in the past. The characteristic feature of this tense form is its ability to render the complete character of the action, whereas the Ukrainian pluperfect, means first of all the uncompleted action, and secondly it only stresses the remoteness of some past action comparing to the moment of speaking. Formally these two tenses differentiate themselves also by different help verbs (had in English and - буе Ukrainian).

Another relative past tense - the Past Perfect Continuous -renders the course of the action from its beginning till the end in the past; the starting point of such an action is usually indicated and goes before some definite moment upon which actually the action is centered. This tense form is used rather seldom.

The expressive form of the past tense is also widely used. It is formed from the auxiliary verb "to do" in the past tense ("did") and the base of the infinitive, e.g.: But he did see them. - Але eiu токи побачив гх. In Ukrainian such shades of meaning are rendered with the help of the corresponding situation as well as lexical means -adverbs дтсно, cnpaedi, particles токи, же, ж and others [5; 80-82].