The past tense is the simplest Arabic tense: one stem, with an ending for each person.
Endings
Here is katab (he wrote):
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | -t | katabt |
| inta (you m) | -t | katabt |
| inti (you f) | -ti | katabti |
| huwwe (he) | (none) | katab |
| hiyye (she) | -it | katbit |
| ni7na (we) | -na | katabna |
| intu (you pl) | -tu | katabtu |
| hinne (they) | -u | katabu |
"He" has no ending, so it's the form you'll find in dictionaries and in the verb tables.
- كتبت الرسالة مبارحkatabt ir-risaale mbaare7I wrote the letter yesterday.
- هيّي طلعت بكيرhiyye tal3it bakkiirShe went out early.
- شربنا شايsharabna shaayWe drank tea.
Verbs that change shape
Verbs with w or y in the root change shape before the endings:
- شاف / شفتshaaf / shifthe saw / I saw
- نسي / نسيتnisi / nsiithe forgot / I forgot
- حبّ / حبّيت7abb / 7abbeithe loved / I loved
See verb classes for why, and the verb tables for full conjugations.