Past Tense in Arabic ( Fa‘l Māḍī )
Introduction to Past Tense
In Arabic grammar, Past Tense (Fa‘l Māḍī) is used to describe an action that has already happened in the past.
It tells us that the action is completed.
For example:
نَصَرَ
He helped
In this example, the action already happened in the past.
Understanding Past Tense Forms
In Arabic, past tense verbs change according to :
- Person : first, second, third
- Number : singular, dual, plural
- Gender : masculine or feminine
Because of this, the verb ending changes depending on who performed the action.
Past Tense – Third Person
Third person refers to someone who is not the speaker and not the listener.
Example
|
Arabic
|
Meaning
|
|---|---|
|
فَعَلَ
|
He did
|
|
فَعَلَتْ
|
She did
|
|
فَعَلَا
|
They two did
|
|
فَعَلُوا
|
They did (masculine)
|
|
فَعَلْنَ
|
They did (feminine)
|
Example sentences :
|
Word
|
Meaning
|
|---|---|
|
كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ
|
The student wrote
|
|
ذَهَبَتِ البِنْتُ
|
The girl went
|
Past Tense – Second Person
Second person refers to the person you are speaking to.
In Arabic, second person verbs change depending on :
- Singular
- Dual
- Plural
- Masculine / Feminine
Example
|
Word
|
Meaning
|
|---|---|
|
فَعَلْتَ
|
You did (male)
|
|
فَعَلْتِ
|
You did (female)
|
|
فَعَلْتُمَا
|
You two did
|
|
فَعَلْتُمْ
|
You all did (male)
|
|
فَعَلْتُنَّ
|
You all did (female)
|
Example
|
Word
|
Meaning
|
|---|---|
|
كَتَبْتَ
|
You wrote
|
|
كَتَبْتِ
|
You wrote (female)
|
Past Tense – First Person
First person refers to the speaker.
In Arabic past tense, there are two forms for first person.
|
Word
|
Meaning
|
|---|---|
|
فَعَلْتُ
|
I did
|
|
فَعَلْنَا
|
We did
|
Example
|
Word
|
Meaning
|
|---|---|
|
كَتَبْتُ
|
I wrote
|
|
كَتَبْنَا
|
We wrote
|
Understanding Past Tense
1. Past tense shows an action that already happened.
2. Arabic verbs change according to person, number, and gender.
3. Verb endings help identify who performed the action.
4. Past tense is commonly used in stories, history, and daily conversation.