polski · A2 · verb · 4 minutes
Iść: past tense
Use szedł-/szła- stems for one directed past walk.
Understand the choice
Motion verbs preserve direction and encode gender in past forms. Iść describes the journey in progress or one direction; perfective pójść presents setting off/completion.
Core rule: The past of iść is suppletive: szedł for masculine singular, szła for feminine, szli masculine-personal plural, szły other plural.
Notice it in context
Wczoraj szłam pieszo do centrum.
Yesterday I walked downtown.
Szłam marks a female speaker; pieszo gives manner; do centrum genitive destination.
Szedłeś długo przez park?
Did you walk through the park for long?
Szedłeś addresses a male ty; przez park accusative path.
Dzieci szły do szkoły, a rodzice szli do pracy.
The children walked to school, and parents to work.
Szły is non-masculine-personal; szli masculine-personal.
What to remember
- Poszedłem/poszłam is perfective “went/set off.”
- The masculine singular cluster szedł is pronounced with final ł as /w/.
Common trap: Do not form idłem from present idę.