The past tense is the simplest Arabic tense: one stem, with an ending for each person.
Endings
Here is kteb (he wrote):
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | -t | ktebt |
| nta (you m) | -ti | ktebti |
| nti (you f) | -ti | ktebti |
| huwa (he) | (none) | kteb |
| hiya (she) | -at | ketbat |
| 7na (we) | -na | ktebna |
| ntuma (you pl) | -tiw | ktebtiw |
| huma (they) | -u | ketbu |
"You (m)" and "you (f)" are the same in the past. "He" has no ending, so it's the form you'll find in the verb tables.
- كتبت البرا البارحktebt l-bra l-bare7I wrote the letter yesterday.
- هي خرجات بكريhiya khrjat bekriShe went out early.
- شربنا أتايshrebna atayWe drank tea.
Verbs that change shape
Verbs with w or y in the root change shape before the endings:
- شاف / شفتshaf / shfthe saw / I saw
- نسا / نسيتnsa / nsithe forgot / I forgot
- حل / حليت7ell / 7llithe opened / I opened
See verb classes for why, and the verb tables for full conjugations.