Past tense in Arabic

A verb in the past tense refers to an action that was finished some time in the past (before speaking); e.g. محمد ذهبَ إلى المدرسة = Mohammad went to school.  

The root verb in Arabic is always in the past tense; e.g. كَتَبَ = he wrote.

Verbs are categorized according to their minimum root number of letters.

  1 – A Threefold Verb الفعل الثلاثى  : that which has three letters as its root; كتبَ = He wrote

       2 – A Fourfold Verb الفعل الرباعى : that which has four letters as its root; أطلقَ = He launched.

(These two types are called Mojarrad Verbs الأفعال المجردة )

3 – A Fivefold Verb الفعل الخماسى : that which has five letters as its root; تعلَّمَ = He learnt.

       4 – A Sixfold Verb الفعل السداسى : that which has six letters as its root;  استخرجَ = He took/dug out.

(These two types of Verbs belong to the Mazeed Verbs الأفعال المزيدة )

• Since a verb must agree with its subject in gender and number, the shape of the above verbs changes in the past tense as follows:

	كتبَ	أطلقَ	تعلّمَ	اِستخرجَ
First Person ( I= أنا )	كَتبْتُ	أطلقْتُ	تعلَّمْتُ	اِستخرجْتُ	Verb + Taa of the Subject (with Damma)
First Person (We = نحنُ )	كتَبْنَا	أطلقْنَا	تعلَّمْنَا	اِستخرجْنَا	Verb + Naa’ of the Speakers
Second Person (You = أنتَ )	كتبْتَ	أطلقْتَ	تعلَّمْتَ	استخرجْتَ	Verb + Taa of the Person Spoken to (with a Fatha)
Second Person (You = أنتِ )	كتبْتِ	أطلقْتِ	تعلَّمْتِ	اِستخرجْتِ	Verb + Taa of the Person Spoken to (With a Kasra)
Second Person (You = أنتما )	كتَبتُمَا	أطلقتُمَا	تعلَّمْتُمَا	استخرَجْتُمَا	Verb + Taa of the Person Spoken to + Dual Alif
Second Person (You = أنتُم )	كتبتُم	أطلقتُم	تعلَّمتُم	استخرجتُم	Verb + Taa of the Person Spoken to (M. Plural)
Second Person (You = أنتُنَّ )	كتبْتُنَ	أطلقتُنَ	تعلَّمْتُنَ	استخرجْتُنَ	Verb + Taa of the Person Spoken to + Noon of the Feminine.
Third Person  (He = هو )	كتَبَ	أطلقَ	تعلَّمَ	استخرجَ	Root or base verb
Third Person (She = هى )	كتبَتْ	أطلقَتْ	تعلَّمَتْ	استخرجَتْ	Verb + The Ta’neeth Taa (With Sukoon)
Third Person (He Both = هما )	كتَبَا	أطلقَا	تعلَّمَا	استخرجَا	Verb + Dual Alif
Third Person (She Both = هما )	كتَبَتَا	أطلقَتَا	تعلَّمَتَا	استخرجَتَا	Verb + Ta’neeth Taa + Dual Alif
Third Person  (They = هم )	كتبُوا	أطلقُوا	تعلَّمُوا	استخرجُوا	Verb + Waw of the Masculine Plural
Third person (They = هُنَّ )	كتَبْنَّ	أطلقْنَّ	تعلَّمْنَّ	استخرجْنَّ	Verb + Noon of the Feminine Plural

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