Language/Moroccan-arabic/Grammar/Past-Tense

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Moroccan Arabic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Past Tense

Welcome to the lesson on the past tense in Moroccan Arabic! Understanding how to use the past tense is crucial for effective communication, especially when sharing stories or discussing events that have already occurred. In this lesson, we will explore how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense, enabling you to articulate your experiences and narratives more fluently.

We will break down the lesson into several sections:

• Understanding the Past Tense

• Conjugation of Regular Verbs

• Examples of Conjugation

• Practice Exercises

• Solutions and Explanations

By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid grasp of how to form and use the past tense in Moroccan Arabic. Let's dive right in!

Understanding the Past Tense

The past tense in Moroccan Arabic allows you to talk about actions or situations that happened before the present moment. Whether you want to tell someone about your last vacation or share what you did yesterday, mastering the past tense is essential. Moroccan Arabic has a straightforward way of forming the past tense for regular verbs, which we'll explore in detail.

Conjugation of Regular Verbs

In Moroccan Arabic, regular verbs typically follow a predictable pattern when conjugated in the past tense. The basic structure involves changing the verb endings according to the subject pronoun. Here is a simple overview of how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense:

1. Identify the root of the verb.

2. Remove the infinitive ending (usually "-ar", "-ir", "-er").

3. Add the appropriate past tense endings based on the subject pronoun.

The endings for regular verbs in the past tense are as follows:

• I (أنا): -ت (ta)

• You (masc) (أنت): -ت (ta)

• You (fem) (أنتِ): -تِ (ti)

• He (هو): - (no ending)

• She (هي): -ت (t)

• We (نحن): -نا (na)

• You (plural) (أنتم): -توا (twa)

• They (هم): -وا (wa)

Let’s take a regular verb, such as "to write" (كتب, ktib), and see how it conjugates in the past tense.

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كتبت (كتبت)	ktibt	I wrote
كتبت (كتبت)	ktibt	You (masc) wrote
كتبتِ (كتبتِ)	ktibti	You (fem) wrote
كتب (كتب)	ktib	He wrote
كتبت (كتبت)	ktbat	She wrote
كتبنا (كتبنا)	ktibna	We wrote
كتبتم (كتبتم)	ktibtu	You (plural) wrote
كتبوا (كتبوا)	ktibu	They wrote

Examples of Conjugation

Let's expand our understanding by looking at a few more regular verbs in the past tense. Here are 20 different verbs conjugated in the past tense with their English translations:

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
أكلت (أكلت)	akalt	I ate
أكلت (أكلت)	akalt	You (masc) ate
أكلتِ (أكلتِ)	akalti	You (fem) ate
أكل (أكل)	akal	He ate
أكلت (أكلت)	aklat	She ate
أكلنا (أكلنا)	akalna	We ate
أكلتم (أكلتم)	akaltu	You (plural) ate
أكلوا (أكلوا)	akalu	They ate
شربت (شربت)	shribt	I drank
شربت (شربت)	shribt	You (masc) drank
شربتِ (شربتِ)	shribti	You (fem) drank
شرب (شرب)	shrib	He drank
شربت (شربت)	shrbat	She drank
شربنا (شربنا)	shribna	We drank
شربتم (شربتم)	shribtu	You (plural) drank
شربوا (شربوا)	shribu	They drank
لعبت (لعبت)	laibt	I played
لعبت (لعبت)	laibt	You (masc) played
لعبتِ (لعبتِ)	laibti	You (fem) played
لعب (لعب)	laab	He played
لعبت (لعبت)	laabat	She played
لعبنا (لعبنا)	laibna	We played
لعبتم (لعبتم)	laibtu	You (plural) played
لعبوا (لعبوا)	laibu	They played

Through these examples, you can see how the patterns in the conjugation remain consistent across different verbs. Now that you have a solid understanding of the rules, it's time to practice!

Practice Exercises

Here are some exercises to help you apply what you've learned about the past tense in Moroccan Arabic. Try to conjugate the following verbs in the past tense according to the subject pronouns provided.

1. (to see) رأى:

• I saw

• You (masc) saw

• You (fem) saw

• He saw

• She saw

• We saw

• You (plural) saw

• They saw

2. (to go) مشى:

• I went

• You (masc) went

• You (fem) went

• He went

• She went

• We went

• You (plural) went

• They went

3. (to buy) شرا:

• I bought

• You (masc) bought

• You (fem) bought

• He bought

• She bought

• We bought

• You (plural) bought

• They bought

4. (to talk) هدر:

• I talked

• You (masc) talked

• You (fem) talked

• He talked

• She talked

• We talked

• You (plural) talked

• They talked

5. (to work) خدم:

• I worked

• You (masc) worked

• You (fem) worked

• He worked

• She worked

• We worked

• You (plural) worked

• They worked

6. (to listen) سمع:

• I listened

• You (masc) listened

• You (fem) listened

• He listened

• She listened

• We listened

• You (plural) listened

• They listened

7. (to wait) صبر:

• I waited

• You (masc) waited

• You (fem) waited

• He waited

• She waited

• We waited

• You (plural) waited

• They waited

8. (to dance) رقص:

• I danced

• You (masc) danced

• You (fem) danced

• He danced

• She danced

• We danced

• You (plural) danced

• They danced

9. (to learn) تعلم:

• I learned

• You (masc) learned

• You (fem) learned

• He learned

• She learned

• We learned

• You (plural) learned

• They learned

10. (to show) ورى:

• I showed

• You (masc) showed

• You (fem) showed

• He showed

• She showed

• We showed

• You (plural) showed

• They showed

Solutions and Explanations

Now, let's go through the exercises with the correct answers and explanations:

1. (رأى)

• I saw: شفت (shuft)

• You (masc) saw: شفت (shuft)

• You (fem) saw: شفتي (shifti)

• He saw: شاف (shaf)

• She saw: شافت (shafat)

• We saw: شفنا (shufna)

• You (plural) saw: شفتوا (shuftu)

• They saw: شافوا (shafu)

2. (مشَى)

• I went: مشيت (mshit)

• You (masc) went: مشيت (mshit)

• You (fem) went: مشيتي (mshiti)

• He went: مشى (msha)

• She went: مشات (mshat)

• We went: مشينا (mshina)

• You (plural) went: مشيتوا (mshitou)

• They went: مشوا (mshou)

3. (شرا)

• I bought: شريت (shrit)

• You (masc) bought: شريت (shrit)

• You (fem) bought: شريتي (shriti)

• He bought: شرا (shra)

• She bought: شرات (shrat)

• We bought: شرا (shrina)

• You (plural) bought: شريتو (shritou)

• They bought: شراوا (shraw)

4. (هدر)

• I talked: هضرت (hdart)

• You (masc) talked: هضرت (hdart)

• You (fem) talked: هضرتي (hdarti)

• He talked: هضر (hdar)

• She talked: هضرات (hdarat)

• We talked: هضرا (hdarna)

• You (plural) talked: هضرتوا (hdartou)

• They talked: هضروا (hdaru)

5. (خدم)

• I worked: خدمت (khdamt)

• You (masc) worked: خدمت (khdamt)

• You (fem) worked: خدمتِ (khdamti)

• He worked: خدم (khda)

• She worked: خدمات (khdamat)

• We worked: خدمنا (khdamna)

• You (plural) worked: خدمتوا (khdamtou)

• They worked: خدموا (khdamu)

6. (سمع)

• I listened: سمعت (sma't)

• You (masc) listened: سمعت (sma't)

• You (fem) listened: سمعتي (sma'ti)

• He listened: سمع (sma)

• She listened: سمعات (smaat)

• We listened: سمعنا (sma'na)

• You (plural) listened: سمعتم (sma'tou)

• They listened: سمعوا (sma'u)

7. (صبر)

• I waited: صبرت (sabr't)

• You (masc) waited: صبرت (sabr't)

• You (fem) waited: صبرتي (sabr'ti)

• He waited: صبر (sabr)

• She waited: صبرت (sabr't)

• We waited: صبرنا (sabrna)

• You (plural) waited: صبرتم (sabr'tou)

• They waited: صبروا (sabr'u)

8. (رقص)

• I danced: رقصت (rqast)

• You (masc) danced: رقصت (rqast)

• You (fem) danced: رقصتي (rqasti)

• He danced: رقص (rqas)

• She danced: رقصت (rqast)

• We danced: رقصنا (rqasna)

• You (plural) danced: رقصتم (rqastou)

• They danced: رقصوا (rqas'u)

9. (تعلم)

• I learned: تعلمت (ta'allamt)

• You (masc) learned: تعلمت (ta'allamt)

• You (fem) learned: تعلمتي (ta'allamti)

• He learned: تعلم (ta'allam)

• She learned: تعلمت (ta'allamat)

• We learned: تعلمنا (ta'allamna)

• You (plural) learned: تعلمتم (ta'allamtou)

• They learned: تعلموا (ta'allamu)

10. (ورى)

• I showed: وريت (writ)

• You (masc) showed: وريت (writ)

• You (fem) showed: وريتي (writi)

• He showed: ورى (wara)

• She showed: ورات (warat)

• We showed: ورينا (wirna)

• You (plural) showed: وريتو (writou)

• They showed: وروا (waru)

Congratulations! You've made it through the lesson on the past tense in Moroccan Arabic! Practice makes perfect, so keep using these conjugations in your daily conversations to reinforce your learning.

Table of Contents - Moroccan Arabic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction

• Alphabet and Writing
• Pronunciation

  ---

Greetings and Basic Phrases

• Introducing Yourself and Others
• Asking for Directions
• Numbers and Counting

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Gender and Plurals
• Demonstratives
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Food and Drink

• Ordering Food in a Restaurant
• Describing Food
• Beverages and Ordering Drinks

  ---

Verbs

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

House and Home

• Rooms and Furniture
• Household Chores
• Renting an Apartment

  ---

Adjectives

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  ---

Traditions and Customs

• Weddings and Celebrations
• Greetings and Etiquette

  ---

Prepositions

• Directional Prepositions
• Temporal Prepositions

  ---

Transportation

• Taking a Taxi
• Public Transportation

  ---

Imperative Mood

• Affirmative Imperative
• Negative Imperative

  ---

Shopping and Bargaining

• Shopping for Clothes
• At the Market
• Bargaining and Haggling

  ---

Historical Sites and Landmarks

• The Medina
• Kasbahs

  ---

Relative Clauses

• Direct and Indirect Object Clauses
• Relative Pronouns

  ---

Health and Emergencies

• At the Hospital
• Emergencies and First Aid

  ---

Passive Voice

• Formation of Passive Constructions
• Uses of the Passive

  ---

Leisure and Entertainment

• Music and Dance
• Sports and Activities

  ---

Holidays and Festivals

• Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha
• Ramadan

  ---

Conditional Mood

• Formation of the Conditional
• Uses of the Conditional

  ---

Regional Dialects

• Darija and Other Dialects
• Language Use and Social Context

  ---

Indirect Speech

• Reported Speech
• Indirect Questions

  ---

Weather and Climate

• Describing the Weather
• Seasons and Climate

Other Lessons

• Verbs "to have", "to be" and "to do"
• Uses of the Passive
• Conditional Mood
• Directional Prepositions
• Uses of the Conditional
• The verb "To learn"
• Negation
• Future Tense
• The verb "To eat"
• Give your Opinion

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