Language/Central-pashto/Grammar/Past-Simple

Central Pashto → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Past Tense → Past Simple

Introduction

In Central Pashto, the past simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. In this lesson, you will learn how to form the past simple tense in Central Pashto, including the different verb endings for each pronoun. You will also practice conjugating verbs and using them in sentences to describe completed actions in the past.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Nouns & Subject Object Verb.

Forming the Past Simple Tense

To form the past simple tense in Central Pashto, you need to understand the basic structure of the past tense. The past simple tense consists of a subject, a past tense verb, and an object (if there is one). For example:

• زه مينه ورشلم. (I washed my face.)
• ته کولو پخله خوري. (You ate a delicious meal.)
• هغه مرغ به زما کپره وورکول. (That chicken flew over my head.)

In Central Pashto, verbs are either regular or irregular. Regular verbs add "-ېد" (-eid) to the stem of the verb, while irregular verbs may have a different conjugation in the past tense.

Here is an example of a regular verb in the past simple tense:

Central Pashto	Pronunciation	English
زه کتاب وخونم.	Zə ktab uxʊnam.	I read a book.
ته راټله کړې.	Tə rāţəla kəre.	You rode a bicycle.
هغه سپین ورکشت.	Hağa spīn wərkaşt.	She cooked spinach.

In this example, the verb stem is "وخون" (uxʊn), "کړ" (kər), and "ورکشت" (wərkaşt). To add the past tense ending, "-ېد"(-eid), you simply add it to the end of the verb stem. The final conjugated verbs are "وخونېد" (uxʊneid), "کړېد" (kəreid), and "ورکشتېد" (wərkaşteid).

Irregular verbs, on the other hand, have a different conjugation in the past tense. Here are some examples:

Central Pashto	Pronunciation	English
زه خوشه لګولم.	Za xoşa lağwalam.	I drank tea.
ته وختېد.	Ta uxteid.	You stood up.
هغه بدمست شو.	Hağa badmǝst śo.	He became angry.

In these examples, the past tense of the verbs "لګولېد" (lağweleid), "ستول" (stol), and "شي شوېد" (şi şoeid) are irregular. You will need to memorize their conjugation in the past tense.

Negation in the Past Simple Tense

To form a negative sentence in the past simple tense, you need to add the negative prefix "نا-" (nā-) in front of the past tense verb. For example:

• زه ناوخوندې. (I did not read.)
• ته ناستول. (You did not stand up.)
• هغه ناخوشه ورسات. (She did not drink tea.)

You can also use the negative particle "نه" (na) to form a negative sentence in the past tense. For example:

• زه کتاب وخونم نه کړم. (I did not read a book.)
• ته راټله نه کړې. (You did not ride a bicycle.)
• هغه سپین نه ورکشت. (She did not cook spinach.)

Questions in the Past Simple Tense

To form a yes/no question in the past simple tense, you need to change the word order of the subject and verb, and add the question particle "هل" (hal) at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

• هل زه کتاب وخوني؟ (Did I read a book?)
• هل ته راټله خوندي؟ (Did you ride a bicycle?)
• هل هغه سپین ورکړ؟ (Did she cook spinach?)

To form a wh-question in the past simple tense, you need to change the word order and use the appropriate question word (who, what, when, where, why, how). For example:

• د څو موضوع يې څخه نويد کوم، هله د کاپور خوراک پخله کړ؟ (What did you buy, did you eat the soup?)
• هل ته پاره خپل ولسمې له ویاړو یاد شوی؟ (Have you ever visited your village?)

Verb Conjugation Practice

Now it's time to practice conjugating verbs in the past simple tense. Here are some verbs for you to practice with:

• لګول (lağwol) - to drink
• کو (kaw) - to go
• خپلول (xpalol) - to wear
• بدلیدل (badlēdol) - to change
• هلیدل (halēdol) - to say

Here are some examples of each verb conjugated in the past simple tense:

Central Pashto	Pronunciation	English
زه خوشه لګوم.	Za xoşa lağwom.	I drank tea.
ته د کور ته کوې.	Ta da kor ta kwe.	You went to the house.
هغه درې خپلې.	Hağa darē xapele.	She wore a dress.
زما خانم پوښيدل.	Zma xānum pucelol.	My wife changed.
دا د فکرتونو په کښې ټول کېسې کړې، دا نه دي.	Dā da fikrtunəw pe khe toł kēse kəre, dā nay de.	I didn't say anything about your thoughts.

Practice conjugating these verbs with different pronouns and using them in sentences to describe actions that happened in the past.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you learned how to form the past simple tense in Central Pashto. You learned about the basic structure of the past tense, regular and irregular verbs, negation, and how to form questions. You also practiced conjugating past tense verbs and using them in sentences. Congratulations, you have now reached an A1 level in Central Pashto!

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Common Prepositions & Give your Opinion.

Table of Contents - Central Pashto Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Personal Pronouns

• Subject Pronouns
• Object Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Counting

• Numbers 1-10
• Numbers 11-20

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Object-Verb
• Negation

  ---

Common Verbs

• Action Verbs
• State Verbs

  ---

Present Tense

• Present Simple
• Present Continuous

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Common Drinks

  ---

Questions

• Yes/No Questions
• Wh-Questions

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives

• Possessive Pronouns
• Possessive Adjectives

  ---

House and Home

• Rooms and Furniture
• Household Chores

  ---

Prepositions

• Common Prepositions
• Prepositions of Place

  ---

Hobbies and Activities

• Common Hobbies
• Sports

  ---

Past Tense

• Past Simple
• Past Continuous

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Essentials

  ---

Pashtun Customs and Traditions

• Traditional Clothing
• Pashtun Cuisine

Other Lessons

• Present Simple
• Conditional Mood
• Negation
• Pronouns
• Past Continuous
• Possessive Pronouns
• Present Continuous
• How to Use Be
• 0 to A1 Course