LessonsComplete Past-Tense Paradigm: Active, Passive, Affirmative and NegativeQuiz

The complete past-tense conjugation has fourteen forms. They are divided as follows:

Word / formMeaning / explanation
Third person: 6three masculine and three feminine, describing someone spoken about.
Second person: 6three masculine and three feminine, addressing someone directly.
First person: 2singular and plural, describing the speaker.

Third and second persons distinguish singular, dual and plural for each gender. First-person forms do not separately mark gender: a man or woman can say فَعَلْتُ. The distribution is therefore 6 + 6 + 2 = 14.

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Why the past tense has fourteen forms

Complete Past-Tense Paradigm: Active, Passive, Affirmative and Negative

The complete past-tense conjugation has fourteen forms. They are divided as follows:

Word / formMeaning / explanation
Third person: 6three masculine and three feminine, describing someone spoken about.
Second person: 6three masculine and three feminine, addressing someone directly.
First person: 2singular and plural, describing the speaker.

Third and second persons distinguish singular, dual and plural for each gender. First-person forms do not separately mark gender: a man or woman can say فَعَلْتُ. The distribution is therefore 6 + 6 + 2 = 14.