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Root Verb
صَامَ
sama
to fast
ص و م
This is a Form I hollow verb with a waw root, so the middle radical becomes a damma in the first and second person past tense (sumtu) and a waw in the present tense (yasumu).
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Past Affirmative
أنا
I — "I fasted"
How these tenses work
The present tense
Person prefixes, plus the dialect's marker for "now" or "usually".
The past tense
One stem, eight endings.
The future
One small prefix or word in front of the present.
Saying "not"
Negating verbs, nouns and adjectives.
Roots and verb forms (Form I–X)
How three root letters and a pattern make a verb.
Verb classes: sound, hollow, defective, doubled
Why some verbs change shape when they conjugate.