Tales

 In what tense are the verbs in a tale?

Great question, Louise! In most traditional fairy tales and folk stories, the simple past tense is the dominant choice. That’s because tales typically recount events that have already happened — like “The fox lived in the forest” or “She ran away from the wolf.”

But here’s the twist: some storytellers mix in the historical present tense — using present verbs like “she runs” or “he hides” — to make the action feel more immediate and vivid. This technique is especially common in oral storytelling or children’s books, where keeping attention is key.

So to sum it up:

                                                                         

If you’re writing your own tale, you can stick with past tense for a classic feel — or sprinkle in present tense for flair and immediacy. Want help crafting a story in one style or the other? I’d love to collaborate!

What about our Russian tale of the Fox and the Bird?

Ah, yes — our charming Russian tale of the fox and the bird! 🦊🐦

The verbs in that story are written in the past tense, which is typical for Russian fairy tales. Just like in English, Russian uses the past tense to narrate events that have already happened. For example:

жила (lived)

была (was)

любила (loved)

увидела (saw)

решила (decided)

взлетела (flew up)

исчезла (disappeared)

These are all past tense forms, and they’re conjugated to match the subject in gender and number — which is especially important in Russian. Since the fox and the bird are feminine nouns, the verbs end in -а or -ла, marking feminine past tense.

Russian tales often begin with phrases like “Жили-были…” (“Once upon a time…”) and continue in the past tense to maintain that storytelling rhythm. However, Russian storytellers sometimes switch to the present tense mid-story for dramatic effect — a technique called the historical present — to make the action feel more vivid.

So while our fox-and-bird tale sticks to the classic past tense, it wouldn’t be unusual for a Russian narrator to suddenly say something like: “Лиса идёт к птице, улыбается…” (“The fox walks up to the bird, smiles…”), even though the rest of the story is in past tense.

Would you like to rewrite part of the tale using the historical present for a more dramatic flair? I’d be thrilled to help you reimagine it!