7.1: Negating the Past Tense in Arabic with "ما"
- Page ID
- 278261
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- Negate past tense actions using "ما" followed by a past tense verb across various subject pronouns.
- Recognize the structure, apply correct verb conjugations, and express negative statements about past events in both written and spoken forms.
Introduction
When talking about past events in Arabic, it’s important to say what happened and what did not happen. Whether you want to say, “I didn’t eat breakfast” or “She didn’t cook dinner,” Arabic gives you two useful ways to negate past tense verbs. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to use ما and لم to express negative actions in the past. These two structures are essential for everyday communication and will help you describe your experiences more accurately.
Negating the Past Tense with "ما"
This is the most straightforward way to negate something that happened in the past. "ما" is followed by a verb in the past tense, and the verb stays in its regular past form.
Structure: ما + past tense verb
Examples:
- َما أكلتُ الفطور
- I did not eat breakfast.
- ما شَرِبْنا العصيرَ
- We didn’t drink the juice.
- ما سافَرتْ لينا إلى مِصر
- Lina did not travel to Egypt.
Check the table below about negating the past tense with the tool "ما" using the verb "فعل."
| Negating with "ما" | Affirmative (Past) | Subject Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| ما فَعَلْتُ | فَعَلْتُ |
أنا (I) |
| ما فَعَلْنا | فَعَلْنا | (We) نحن |
| ما فَعَلْتَ | فَعَلْتَ |
أنتَ (You, m) |
| ما فَعَلْتِ | فَعَلْتِ |
أنتِ (You, f) |
| ما فَعَلْتُما | فَعَلْتُما | (You, dual) أنتما |
| ما فَعَلْتُما | فَعَلْتُم | (You all, m) أنتم |
| ما فَعَلْتُنَّ | فَعَلْتُنَّ | (You all, f) أنتنَّ |
| ما فَعَلَ | فَعَلَ |
هو (He) |
| ما فَعَلَتْ | فَعَلَتْ |
هي (She) |
| ما فَعَلَا | فَعَلَا |
هما (They dual, m) |
| ما فَعَلَتا | فَعَلَتا |
هما (They dual, f) |
| ما فَعَلُوا | فَعَلُوا |
هم (They, m) |
| ما فَعَلْنَ | فَعَلْنَ |
هنَّ (They, f) |
Practice negating the past tense with ما:
Answer the following using ما + past tense. Using نعم or لا.
- هل أكلتَ الفطور، يا آدم؟
- هل طبخْتِ العشاء أمس، يا مها؟
- هل شربَ الطلابُ القهوة؟
- هل اِشْترى والدكَ الطعام؟
- هل ذهبوا إلى المطعم في الأسبوع الماضي؟
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