Language/Iranian-persian/Grammar/Lesson-14:-Past-tense-of-regular-verbs

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◀️ Lesson 13: Talking about food and drink — Previous Lesson	Next Lesson — Lesson 15: Word order in past tense sentences ▶️

Iranian Persian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Unit 7: Past tense and regular verbs conjugation → Lesson 14: Past tense of regular verbs

In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense and describe past events and actions. The past tense is used to talk about actions that have already happened. It is an essential part of building your Persian language skills and expanding your ability to communicate effectively.

Past Tense Conjugation[edit | edit source]

To conjugate regular verbs in the past tense, you need to understand the verb stem and the appropriate verb endings. In Persian, there are three verb stems: the present stem, the past stem, and the infinitive stem. The past stem is used to form the past tense.

To find the past stem, remove the infinitive ending "-an" from the infinitive form of the verb. For example, let's take the verb "kardan" (to do):

Infinitive form: kardan
Past stem: kar

Once you have the past stem, add the appropriate verb endings to conjugate the verb in the past tense. The verb endings depend on the subject pronoun and the gender of the subject. Here are the verb endings for regular verbs in the past tense:

Subject Pronoun	Masculine Verb Ending	Feminine Verb Ending
man (I)	-am	-am
to (you)	-i	-i
u (he/she)	-	-
mā (we)	-im	-im
šomā (you all)	-id	-id
ānhā (they)	-and	-and

Let's conjugate the verb "kardan" (to do) in the past tense with the subject pronouns:

Man kardam. (I did.)
To kardi. (You did.)
U kard. (He/she did.)
Mā kardim. (We did.)
Šomā kardid. (You all did.)
Ānhā kardand. (They did.)

You can see that the verb endings match the subject pronouns. It is important to note that the verb endings do not change based on the gender of the subject. Therefore, the verb endings for masculine and feminine subjects are the same.

Describing Past Events[edit | edit source]

Now that you know how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense, let's learn how to describe past events and actions in Persian. To form a simple sentence in the past tense, follow this structure:

Subject + Verb in the Past Tense + Object

For example:

Man ketāb rā xaridam. (I bought a book.)
To namāz rā kardi. (You prayed.)
U ʃām rā xord. (He/she ate dinner.)
Mā film rā didim. (We watched a movie.)
Šomā dars rā xandid. (You all studied a lesson.)
Ānhā xabar rā dādand. (They gave the news.)

In Persian, the word order is generally subject-object-verb (SOV). However, in the past tense, the verb comes before the object. This is the most common word order for simple sentences in the past tense.

It is also important to note that Persian does not have a separate word for "did" (past tense of "to do"). Instead, the verb "kardan" (to do) is used to express the past tense in a wide range of contexts.

Practice Exercise[edit | edit source]

Now, let's practice conjugating regular verbs in the past tense. Conjugate the following verbs with the appropriate subject pronouns:

1. xaridan (to buy) 2. didan (to see) 3. kardan (to do) 4. ʃostan (to drink) 5. xordan (to eat)

Here are the correct conjugations:

1. Man xaridam. (I bought.) 2. To didi. (You saw.) 3. U kard. (He/she did.) 4. Mā ʃodim. (We drank.) 5. Šomā xordid. (You all ate.)

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

In this lesson, you have learned how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense and describe past events and actions. You now have the tools to communicate effectively in Persian and express yourself in the past tense. Keep practicing and expanding your vocabulary to become more proficient in Persian.

Table of Contents - Iranian Persian Course - 0 to A1[edit source]

Course Presentation

Unit 1: Basic greetings and introductions

Unit 2: Sentence structure and basic verb conjugation

Unit 3: Talking about daily routines

Unit 4: Object pronouns and possessive pronouns

Unit 5: Persian culture and customs

Unit 6: Food and drink

Unit 7: Past tense and regular verbs conjugation

Unit 8: Persian literature and arts

Unit 9: Travel and transportation

Unit 10: Imperative mood, infinitives and complex sentences

Unit 11: Persian history and geography

Unit 12: Leisure and entertainment

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

◀️ Lesson 13: Talking about food and drink — Previous Lesson	Next Lesson — Lesson 15: Word order in past tense sentences ▶️

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