Language/Tunisian-arabic/Grammar/Past-Tense-Regular-Verbs
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Past Tense Regular Verbs in Tunisian Arabic
Hello everyone, welcome to the Tunisian Arabic course! In this lesson, we will learn about the past tense of regular verbs in Tunisian Arabic. This is an important aspect of Tunisian Arabic grammar as it enables you to talk about events and actions that have already happened in the past.
Structure of the Past Tense Regular Verbs
The past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding the -ت (-it) suffix to the stem of the verb. This suffix is added to the end of the stem for the second person singular (you), third person singular (he/she/it), and the second person plural (you plural). For the first person singular (I), we add the suffix -ت (-t) to the stem of the verb, without the -ي (-i) as in the present tense for example.
Here is a table that summarizes the structure of the past tense regular verbs in Tunisian Arabic:
| Person | Suffix | Example verb ( | Meaning) | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | -ت (-t) | كَتَبْ (!! he wrote) | كَتَبْتَ (!! I wrote) | |
| You (singular, male) | -ت (-t) | كَتَبْتَ (!! you wrote) | كَتَبْتَ (!! you wrote) | |
| You (singular, female) | -تي (-ti) | كَتَبْتِي (!! you wrote) | كَتَبْتِي (!! you wrote) | |
| He/She/It | -ت (-t) | كَتَب (!! he wrote) | كَتَبَتْ (!! he/she/it wrote) | |
| We | -نا (-na) | كَتَبْنَا (!! we wrote) | كَتَبْنَا (!! we wrote) | |
| You (plural) | -تو (-tu) | كَتَبْتُو (!! you wrote) | كَتَبْتُو (!! you wrote) | |
| They | -وا (-u) | كَتَبُو (!! they wrote) | كَتَبُوا (!! they wrote) |
As we can see in the table above, the suffix -ت (-t) is used for the first, second (male), and third person singular, while the suffix -تي (-ti) is used for the second person singular (female). The plural suffix -نا (-na) is used for the first person plural, -تو (-tu) is used for the second person plural, and -وا (-u) is used for the third person plural.
Example Sentences
Now, let's look at some example sentences using the past tense regular verbs in Tunisian Arabic:
- نَحْنُ درَسْنا الْيَوْم (Nahnu darasna elyom) - We studied today.
- أَنْتَ أَكَلْتِ الْوَلّا (Anta akalti lwalla) - You (female) ate the cake.
- هُوَ نَامَ عَلَى السَّرِير (Howa nema ala essariir) - He slept on the bed.
- أَنَا شَرِبْتُ شَاي (Ana charibtu chay) - I drank tea.
Practice Exercise
Let's practice conjugating some regular verbs in the past tense. Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense and form complete sentences with them:
- شَرِبَ (chariba) - He drank
- عَمِلَ (amila) - She worked
- أَكَلَ (akala) - You (male) ate
- نَامَ (nema) - We slept
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have completed the lesson on past tense regular verbs in Tunisian Arabic. You have learned how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense and form complete sentences using them. Keep practicing and using Tunisian Arabic, and stay tuned for our next lesson!
Now that you've completed this lesson, don't stop learning! Check out these related topics: Conditional Mood & Questions.
Other Lessons
- Possessive Pronouns
- Past Participle in Tunisian Arabic
- Conjunctions Used in Tunisian Arabic
- Common Prepositions
- Statement Construction
- Imperative Mood
- Indefinite Articles in Tunisian Arabic
- Basic Noun Structure
- Negation Usage in Tunisian Arabic
- Interrogation and Question Indicators
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| ◀️ Present Tense Regular Verbs — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Irregular Verbs ▶️ |