Arabic/Basics of Conjugation/Past tense

Conjugating the Past Tense

For basic past tense conjugation, called الماضي in Arabic, the root of the verb, that is دَرَسَ or سَكَنَ, is then followed by a suffix according to who or what it is referring to.

When looking at an Arabic-English dictionary the verb will be listed under the root. This root is also the singular male form of the verb. It is very important to note what form the root of the verb takes (this is for when one wants to become advanced). This can cause the root of the verb to change in accordance to the conjugation.

The past tense can be negated by placing “لا” or "ليس" in front of the word, "ما" in Levantine Arabic.

The Past Tense Conjugation

	English Pronoun	Arabic Pronoun	دَرَسَ (study)	سَكَنَ (live)
Singular	I	أَنا	دَرَسْتُ	سَكَنْتُ
Singular	You (m.)	أَنْتَ	دَرَسْتَ	سَكَنْتَ
Singular	You (f.)	أَنْتِ	دَرَسْتِ	سَكَنْتِ
Singular	He	هُوَ	دَرَسَ	سَكَنَ
Singular	She	هِيَ	دَرَسَتْ	سَكَنَتْ
Plural	We	نَحْنُ	دَرَسْنا	سَكَنَّا
Plural	You (m. pl.)	أنْتُمْ	دَرَسْتُم	سَكَنْتُم
Plural	You (f. pl.)	َّأَنْتُن	دَرَستُنَّ	سَكَنْتُنَّ
Plural	They (m.)	هُم	دَرَسوا	سَكَنُوا
Plural	They (f.)	هُنَّ	دَرَسنَ	سَكَنَّ