See
also: Simple past explained, Be careful,
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Talk about the Past.
Use the simple past to express
one point in the past.
There is subject-verb agreement
when conjugating verbs.
Example:
أنا
دَخَلْتُ = "I entered" takes the ending (تُ) نَحْنُ
دَخَلْنا = "we entered" takes the ending (نا)
The subjects
I
and we
have different verb endings.
Endings are frequently referred to as
suffixes.
Here is an example of a verb conjugated in the simple past
(keep
an eye on the endings attached to the verbs in the Arabic text).
Simple Past Verb
Conjugated
أنا دَخَلْتُ
أنا دَخَلْتْ 1
ana dakhalt I entered
نَحْنُ دَخَلْنا
إحْنا دَخَلْنا 2
iḥna
dakhalna we entered
أنْتَ دَخَلْتَ
إنْتَ دَخَلْتْ 3
inta dakhalt you entered
أنْتُم دَخَلْتُم
إنْتُمْ دَخَلْتوا
4
intu(um)dakhaltu(um) you entered
(plural masc.
or masc. & fem.)
5-2
أنْتِ دَخَلْتِ
إنْتِ دَخَلْتي 5
inti dakhalti you entered
أنْتُما
دَخَلْتُما
you
(dual masc./fem.)
5-1
أنْتُنَّ
دَخَلْتُنَّ you
(plural fem.) you entered
هُوَ دَخَلَ
هُوَّ دَخَلْ 6
howwa dakhal he entered
هُمْ دَخَلوا
هُمَّ دَخَلوا 7
homma
dakhal
u
they entered (plural masc. or masc. & fem.)
8-2
هِيَ دَخَلَتْ
هِيَّ
دَخَلِتْ
8
hiyya dakhalit
she entered
هُما دَخَلا they entered (dual
masc./fem.)
8-1
هُنّ دَخَلْنَ
they entered
(plural fem.)
Beware: *intum dakhaltum
and intum dakhaltu are both usable.
*intu dakhaltum
and intu dakhaltu
are both usable.
Beware
of the
"Pausal Rule" for MSA/Classical:
Youwill
notice for the above table
of verbs the last vowel is written but not pronounced with the
exception of the feminine inti dakhalti.
All vowels are pronounced
except the last vowel in a sentence, phrase, or word list.
Here is another example of a
conjugated verb in the simple past…
1- Even though the past tense suffixes (i.e. endings shown
above in
red) are
regular the internal structure of the verb might
change while conjugating it into the past tense.
Relax. You will pick-up unique internal structures with each
word you experience.
2- When you learn a verb learn it in
BOTH its simple past and present tense form.
