Negative Past Tense (Maadhi Manfi) - Active and Passive

1. What Is Maadhi Manfi?

Maadhi Manfi is the negative form of a past-tense verb.
It tells us that an action did not happen in the past.
Compare:
ضَرَبَ
He hit.
مَا ضَرَبَ
He did not hit.
The basic idea is simple: add مَا before the past-tense form.

2. Maa Changes the Meaning, Not the Form

The negative particle مَا is non-governing here.
That means it does not change the letters or vowel marks of the past-tense form after it.

NegativePositive
مَا فَعَلَفَعَلَ
مَا فَعَلْتَفَعَلْتَ
مَا فَعَلْنَافَعَلْنَا

Only the meaning changes from positive to negative.

3. Negative Past Active

To make the active past negative, place مَا before the familiar active form.

MeaningNegative form
he did not doمَا فَعَلَ
they two men did not doمَا فَعَلَا
they men did not doمَا فَعَلُوا
you (one man) did not doمَا فَعَلْتَ
I did not doمَا فَعَلْتُ

The underlying active form stays exactly the same.

4. Full Active Negative Pattern

PluralDualSingularGroup
مَا فَعَلُوامَا فَعَلَامَا فَعَلَMasculine Ghaa'ib
مَا فَعَلْنَمَا فَعَلَتَامَا فَعَلَتْFeminine Ghaa'ib
مَا فَعَلْتُمْمَا فَعَلْتُمَامَا فَعَلْتَMasculine Haadhir
مَا فَعَلْتُنَّمَا فَعَلْتُمَامَا فَعَلْتِFeminine Haadhir
مَا فَعَلْنَا—مَا فَعَلْتُMutakallim

Shortcut: keep the whole active-past grid and simply add مَا before each form.

5. Negative Past Passive

The same rule works with passive forms.
Place مَا before the passive past form:

MeaningNegative passive
he was not acted uponمَا فُعِلَ
they two men were not acted uponمَا فُعِلَا
you (one man) were not acted uponمَا فُعِلْتَ
I was not acted uponمَا فُعِلْتُ

Again, مَا changes the meaning, not the passive form itself.

6. Full Passive Negative Pattern

PluralDualSingularGroup
مَا فُعِلُوامَا فُعِلَامَا فُعِلَMasculine Ghaa'ib
مَا فُعِلْنَمَا فُعِلَتَامَا فُعِلَتْFeminine Ghaa'ib
مَا فُعِلْتُمْمَا فُعِلْتُمَامَا فُعِلْتَMasculine Haadhir
مَا فُعِلْتُنَّمَا فُعِلْتُمَامَا فُعِلْتِFeminine Haadhir
مَا فُعِلْنَا—مَا فُعِلْتُMutakallim

Nothing new has to be invented: passive positive form + مَا = passive negative form.

7. Four Forms, One Verb

Using the verb “to hit”, compare the four possibilities for “I”:

MeaningTypeArabic form
I hitActive positiveضَرَبْتُ
I was hitPassive positiveضُرِبْتُ
I did not hitActive negativeمَا ضَرَبْتُ
I was not hitPassive negativeمَا ضُرِبْتُ

First ask: active or passive? Then ask: positive or negative?

8. The Main Rule to Remember

Remember just three points:
• مَا placed before a past-tense form makes its meaning negative.
• The past-tense form itself keeps the same letters and vowel marks.
• This works with both active and passive past forms.
So:
فَعَلَ → مَا فَعَلَ
فُعِلَ → مَا فُعِلَ
If this is clear, the whole level is under control.