دَرْسُ الفِعْلِ المَاضِي

The Lesson of the Past Tense

الفصل الأول | Chapter One

دَخَلَتِ المَرْأَةُ الغُرْفَةَ بِخُطُواتٍ بَطِيئَةٍ. كَانَتْ تَلْبَسُ ثَوْبًا حَرِيرِيًّا أَسْوَدَ يَكْشِفُ عَنْ مَفَاتِنِهَا الوَافِرَةِ.

The woman entered the room with slow steps. She was wearing a black silk dress that revealed her abundant charms.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

الفِعْلُ المَاضِي (al-fi'l al-māḍī) - The Past Tense Verb

The past tense in Classical Arabic is formed with specific patterns. Notice:

دَخَلَتْ (dakhalat) - "she entered" - فَعَلَتْ pattern for feminine singular
Root: د-خ-ل (d-kh-l) meaning "to enter"
The تْ (t) at the end indicates feminine singular subject

قَالَتْ لَهُ: "أَجْلِسْ يَا فَتَى. سَنَدْرُسُ اليَوْمَ الأَفْعَالَ المَاضِيَةَ."

She said to him: "Sit down, young man. Today we shall study the past tense verbs."

جَلَسَ الشَّابُّ عَلَى الأَرِيكَةِ، وَقَلْبُهُ يَخْفِقُ بِقُوَّةٍ.

The young man sat on the couch, his heart beating powerfully.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

تصريف الفعل الماضي - Past Tense Conjugation

| الضمير | Pronoun | الفعل | Translation | |--------|---------|-------|-------------| | أَنَا | I | جَلَسْتُ | I sat | | أَنْتَ | you (m) | جَلَسْتَ | you sat | | أَنْتِ | you (f) | جَلَسْتِ | you sat | | هُوَ | he | جَلَسَ | he sat | | هِيَ | she | جَلَسَتْ | she sat |

الفصل الثاني | Chapter Two

اِقْتَرَبَتْ مِنْهُ وَهَمَسَتْ فِي أُذُنِهِ: "أَخْبِرْنِي... مَاذَا فَعَلْتَ البَارِحَةَ؟"

She approached him and whispered in his ear: "Tell me... what did you do yesterday?"

اِرْتَجَفَ جَسَدُهُ مِنْ قُرْبِهَا. أَجَابَ بِصَوْتٍ مُرْتَعِشٍ: "دَرَسْتُ... قَرَأْتُ... كَتَبْتُ..."

His body trembled from her closeness. He answered with a shaking voice: "I studied... I read... I wrote..."

ضَحِكَتْ ضَحْكَةً نَاعِمَةً. "أَحْسَنْتَ! اِسْتَخْدَمْتَ الفِعْلَ المَاضِي بِشَكْلٍ صَحِيحٍ."

She laughed a soft laugh. "Excellent! You used the past tense correctly."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

الأفعال الثلاثية - Triliteral Verbs

Most Arabic verbs have three root letters. In the past tense for "I" (أَنَا):

دَرَسْتُ (darastu) - "I studied" from د-ر-س
قَرَأْتُ (qara'tu) - "I read" from ق-ر-أ
كَتَبْتُ (katabtu) - "I wrote" from ك-ت-ب

The ـتُ (-tu) ending indicates first person singular.

الفصل الثالث | Chapter Three

وَضَعَتْ يَدَهَا عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَسَأَلَتْهُ: "وَالآنَ، صَرِّفْ لِي فِعْلَ 'لَمَسَ' فِي المَاضِي."

She placed her hand on his thigh and asked him: "And now, conjugate for me the verb 'to touch' in the past tense."

اِبْتَلَعَ رِيقَهُ وَبَدَأَ: "لَمَسْتُ، لَمَسْتَ، لَمَسْتِ، لَمَسَ، لَمَسَتْ..."

He swallowed his saliva and began: "I touched, you (m) touched, you (f) touched, he touched, she touched..."

"مُمْتَازٌ!" قَالَتْ وَهِيَ تُحَرِّكُ يَدَهَا بِبُطْءٍ. "أَلَمْ تَنْسَ شَيْئًا؟"

"Excellent!" she said while moving her hand slowly. "Did you forget something?"

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

التصريف الكامل للفعل 'لَمَسَ' - Full Conjugation of "to touch"

| المفرد | Singular | المثنى | Dual | الجمع | Plural | |--------|----------|--------|------|-------|--------| | لَمَسْتُ | I touched | - | - | - | - | | لَمَسْتَ | you (m.s.) | لَمَسْتُمَا | you two | لَمَسْتُمْ | you (m.pl.) | | لَمَسْتِ | you (f.s.) | لَمَسْتُمَا | you two | لَمَسْتُنَّ | you (f.pl.) | | لَمَسَ | he | لَمَسَا | they two (m) | لَمَسُوا | they (m) | | لَمَسَتْ | she | لَمَسَتَا | they two (f) | لَمَسْنَ | they (f) |

الفصل الرابع | Chapter Four

أَجَابَ وَهُوَ يَلْهَثُ: "لَمَسْنَا... لَمَسْتُمَا... لَمَسُوا... لَمَسْنَ..."

He answered while panting: "We touched... you two touched... they (m) touched... they (f) touched..."

اِبْتَسَمَتْ اِبْتِسَامَةً رَاضِيَةً. "هَكَذَا يَتَعَلَّمُ الطَّالِبُ النَّجِيبُ."

She smiled a satisfied smile. "This is how a bright student learns."

نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا بِعُيُونٍ مُلْتَهِبَةٍ. "مَاذَا فَعَلْتِ بِي يَا سَيِّدَتِي؟"

He looked at her with burning eyes. "What have you done to me, my lady?"

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

الأوزان المختلفة - Different Verb Forms

Notice how the question uses فَعَلْتِ (fa'alti) - past tense, feminine singular "you":

فَعَلَ (fa'ala) - base form "he did"
فَعَلْتِ (fa'alti) - "you (feminine) did"

The kasra (ِ) under the ت indicates addressing a female.

الفصل الخامس | Chapter Five

قَامَتْ وَمَشَتْ نَحْوَ النَّافِذَةِ. "سَنُكْمِلُ الدَّرْسَ غَدًا."

She stood and walked toward the window. "We shall continue the lesson tomorrow."

غَادَرَ الشَّابُّ وَهُوَ يَتَذَكَّرُ: قَامَتْ، مَشَتْ، غَادَرَ... كُلُّهَا أَفْعَالٌ مَاضِيَةٌ.

The young man left while remembering: she stood, she walked, he left... all of them past tense verbs.

وَتَعَلَّمَ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَوْمِ أَنَّ النَّحْوَ العَرَبِيَّ لَذِيذٌ حِينَ تَكُونُ المُعَلِّمَةُ جَمِيلَةً.

And he learned on that day that Arabic grammar is delicious when the teacher is beautiful.

ملخص القواعد | Grammar Summary

الفعل الماضي - The Past Tense Verb:

البناء الأساسي - Base construction: فَعَلَ (fa'ala)
علامة المؤنث - Feminine marker: ـتْ (at the end)
ضمائر الرفع المتصلة - Connected subject pronouns are added to show person/number
الحركة الأخيرة - Final vowel changes based on subject:
- هُوَ: فَعَلَ (fatha)
- هِيَ: فَعَلَتْ (sukun on ت)
- أَنَا: فَعَلْتُ (damma on ت)

تمارين | Exercises

صَرِّفِ الأَفْعَالَ التَّالِيَةَ فِي المَاضِي: Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense:

ذَهَبَ (to go)
شَرِبَ (to drink)
نَامَ (to sleep)
أَكَلَ (to eat)
أَحَبَّ (to love)

انتهى الدرس الأول End of the First Lesson