Understanding Arabic Verb Tenses: Past vs. Present

Past vs. Present Verbs

Navigating Time in Arabic Grammar

Arabic verbs are built from a three-letter root. Most verbs in their simplest form are in the past tense, 3rd person masculine ("He did"). To change the tense, we add "add-ons" to the beginning or the end of this root.

1. The Past Tense (اَلْفِعْلُ الْمَاضِي)

The Past Tense represents completed actions. Changes are made using suffixes (endings).

• He wrote: كَتَبَ (Kataba) - The root/base form
• She wrote: كَتَبَتْ (Katabat) - Added a silent 'T'
• I wrote: كَتَبْتُ (Katabtu) - Added a 'tu'

2. The Present Tense (اَلْفِعْلُ الْمُضَارِعُ)

The Present Tense represents ongoing or future actions. Changes are made using prefixes (beginnings) and sometimes suffixes.

• He writes: يَكْتُبُ (Yaktubu) - Starts with 'Ya'
• She writes: تَكْتُبُ (Taktubu) - Starts with 'Ta'
• I write: أَكْتُبُ (Aktubu) - Starts with 'Alif'

Conjugation Comparison

Subject	Past (Completed)	Present (Ongoing)
He (هُوَ)	كَتَبَ	يَكْتُبُ
She (هِيَ)	كَتَبَتْ	تَكْتُبُ
I (أَنَا)	كَتَبْتُ	أَكْتُبُ

Bonus: The Future Tense

In Arabic, the future is very easy to form! Just add the prefix Sa- (سَـ) to the beginning of any present tense verb.

يَكْتُبُ → سَيَكْتُبُ

(Yaktubu → Sa-yaktubu)
He writes → He will write.

Practice: Using the root Jalasa (جَلَسَ) meaning "To Sit," try to form the word for "I am sitting."
Answer: أَجْلِسُ (Ajlisu).