A Conversational Course in Qur'ānic Arabic

لُغَةُ القُرْآنِ

Phase 3 · Chapter Seventeen

الْمَاضِي (١)

The Past Tense, Part One — He / She / I

Eleven chapters without a single verb — and you can already say a great deal. Now meet your first verbs: five sound (regular) roots straight from Qur'ānic vocabulary, conjugated for he/she/I only, so you can focus entirely on the pattern before adding more pronouns next chapter.

Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.

BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

Conjugate five common verbs in the past tense for هو / هي / أنا
Recognise that Arabic verbs change their ending, not a helper word, to show who acted
Build simple sentences describing a completed action
Read a verse using one of this chapter's verbs, in its plainest form

TEACHER NOTES

Pacing: 50 min

Prerequisite check: Present tense from Ch.9–10 makes the contrast with past tense clearer.

Watch out for: أَمْسِ (yesterday) is the natural anchor word — build the whole drill around it.

01 — LISTEN & REPEAT

حِوَارٌDialogue

Maryam tells Yūsuf what happened this morning. Listen twice, then read aloud.

YŪSUF

مَاذَا حَدَثَ الْيَوْمَ؟

mādhā ḥadatha-l-yawm?

What happened today?

MARYAM

قَرَأْتُ دَرْسًا جَدِيدًا فِي الصَّبَاحِ.

qara’tu darsan jadīdan fi-ṣ-ṣabāḥ.

I read a new lesson in the morning.

YŪSUF

وَهَلْ كَتَبَ أَخُوكِ الْوَاجِبَ؟

wa hal kataba akhūki-l-wājib?

And did your brother write the homework?

MARYAM

نَعَمْ، كَتَبَهُ. وَسَمِعَ دَرْسًا أَيْضًا.

na‘am, katabahu. wa sami‘a darsan ayḍan.

Yes, he wrote it. And he heard a lesson too.

YŪSUF

خَلَقَ اللَّهُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ بِعِلْمٍ.

khalaqa-llāhu kulla shay’in bi-‘ilm.

Allah created everything with knowledge.

02 — CORE WORDS

الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary

Watch the ending change as the pronoun changes — the root itself stays fixed.

Arabic	Says	Meaning	Note
NEWخَلَقَ	khalaqa	he created	Extremely common in Qur'ānic creation-verses.
NEWرَزَقَ	razaqa	he provided	Root ر-ز-ق, as in رِزْقٌ (provision).
REVIEWكَتَبَ	kataba	he wrote	—
NEWقَرَأَ	qara’a	he read	—
NEWسَمِعَ	sami‘a	he heard	—
NEWهِيَ خَلَقَتْ / قَرَأَتْ	hiya khalaqat / qara’at	she created / she read	The ‑تْ ending marks ‘she’.
REVIEWأَنَا خَلَقْتُ / قَرَأْتُ	anā khalaqtu / qara’tu	I created / I read	The ‑تُ ending marks ‘I.’
NEWحَدَثَ	ḥadatha	it happened	مَاذَا حَدَثَ؟ — what happened?

Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading.

Arabic	Says	Meaning	Note
EARLYالْوَاجِبُ	al-wājib	the homework, the duty	—
EARLYأَمْسِ	amsi	yesterday	The obvious time word for a past-tense chapter.
EARLYإِنْسَانٌ	insān	a human being	—
EARLYخَبَرٌ	khabar	news	Different word from خَيْرٌ, "good," from Chapter One.
EARLYعَجِيبٌ	‘ajīb	strange, amazing	—
EARLYلَقَدْ	laqad	indeed, certainly	Placed before a past-tense verb for emphasis.
EARLYكَبِيرٌ	kabīr	big, old (in years)	Pairs with صَغِيرٌ from Chapter Fifteen.

03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS

رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner

The past tense changes its ending. Every Arabic verb has a three-letter root; the past tense attaches an ending to that root's plain ‘he did’ form to show who acted.

هُوَ قَرَأَ

huwa qara’a
he read (the root form — no extra ending)

هِيَ قَرَأَتْ

hiya qara’at
she read

أَنَا قَرَأْتُ

anā qara’tu
I read

Notice قَرَأَ never changes its three root letters ق-ر-أ — only the ending changes. Next chapter you'll add “you” and “we” to complete the pattern.

Quick check: how would you say “she wrote,” starting from كَتَبَ? (كَتَبَتْ.)

04 — READING THE SOURCE

وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection

One of the Qur'ān's most-repeated creation verbs, in the plain ‘he’ form you just learned.

SŪRAT AL-A‘RĀF — 7:54 (PHRASE)

الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ

...who created the heavens and the earth.

الَّذِي

alladhī

who

خَلَقَ

khalaqa

created

السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ

as-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ

the heavens and the earth

خَلَقَ is exactly the plain ‘he’ form from this chapter's grammar box — he (Allah) created. This root خ-ل-ق appears throughout the Qur'ān; you already know its noun form خَلْقٌ from Chapter Fourteen's verse.

05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE

عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases

Common past-tense expressions.

مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ، كَبِرْتَ!

mā shā’a-llāh, kabirt! — Māshā’Allāh, you've grown!

لَقَدْ فَهِمْتُ

laqad fahimtu — I have indeed understood

مَا حَدَثَ؟

mā ḥadath? — what happened?

سَمِعْتُ خَبَرًا جَمِيلًا

sami‘tu khabaran jamīlan — I heard beautiful news

قَرَأْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ

qara’tu ‘an dhālik — I read about that

كَتَبْتُ اسْمِي

katabtu ismī — I wrote my name

رَزَقَنَا اللَّهُ خَيْرًا

razaqanā-llāhu khayran — Allah provided us with good

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ

al-ḥamdu lillāhi-lladhī khalaqa — praise be to Allah who created

SKILLS PRACTICE

الِاسْتِمَاعُListening

Audio track 12.1

Salmā tells Aḥmad about her morning. Listen first, script second.

SALMĀ

قَرَأْتُ دَرْسًا جَمِيلًا الْيَوْمَ.

AḨMAD

عَنْ مَاذَا؟

SALMĀ

عَنْ رَجُلٍ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ لَهُ رِزْقًا عَجِيبًا.

AḨMAD

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ! سَمِعْتُ قِصَّةً مِثْلَهَا أَمْسِ.

What did Salmā read today?
What was the lesson about?
What does Aḥmad say he heard yesterday?

Reveal answers

1. A beautiful lesson. 2. A man for whom Allah created an amazing provision. 3. A similar story.

SKILLS PRACTICE

التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking

Pair work

Partner drill. Tell your partner one thing you did today, using قَرَأْتُ، كَتَبْتُ، or سَمِعْتُ.

Recycling round. Name what you read/wrote/heard using a Ch.4 or Ch.12 noun — كِتَابًا، دَرْسًا، رِسَالَةً — rather than leaving the verb without an object.

Letters	Word 1	Word 2	Tip
قَرَأَ vs قَرَأَتْ	هُوَ قَرَأَ	هِيَ قَرَأَتْ	The تْ ending is the entire difference between ‘he read’ and ‘she read.’

SKILLS PRACTICE

الْقِرَاءَةُReading

Read silently, then aloud

Read once for meaning, then aloud.

خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ. رَزَقَ اللَّهُ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ رِزْقَهُ. قَرَأْتُ هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ أَمْسِ، وَسَمِعْتُ تَفْسِيرَهَا مِنْ أُسْتَاذِي. كَتَبَ أَخِي كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فِي دَفْتَرِهِ.

1) مَاذَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ حَسَبَ النَّصِّ؟

أ) الْحَيَوَانَاتِ فَقَطْب) السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَج) الْبُيُوتَد) الْأَشْجَارَ

2) مَتَى قَرَأَ الْكَاتِبُ هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ؟

أ) الْيَوْمَب) أَمْسِج) غَدًاد) الْأُسْبُوعَ الْمَاضِيَ

3) مَاذَا كَتَبَ أَخُو الْكَاتِبِ؟

أ) لَا شَيْءَب) كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فِي دَفْتَرِهِج) رِسَالَةً فَقَطْد) اسْمَهُ فَقَطْ

Reveal answers

1. ب — السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ 2. ب — أَمْسِ 3. ب — كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فِي دَفْتَرِهِ

SKILLS PRACTICE

الْكِتَابَةُWriting

On paper or in your notebook

Sentence building. Put these words in the correct order, then translate.

السَّمَاوَاتِ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ
الْوَاجِبَ كَتَبَ أَخِي
دَرْسًا قَرَأْتُ جَدِيدًا

Guided writing. Write three sentences about what you, your brother/sister, or Allah did/does, using خَلَقَ, قَرَأَ, كَتَبَ, or سَمِعَ.

06 — CHAPTER EXERCISES

التَّدْرِيبَاتُExercises

1اخْتَرِ الْإِجَابَةَ الصَّحِيحَةَChoose the correct answer

1. The past tense in Arabic is used for:

a) future actionb) completed actionc) commandsd) ongoing action

2. The ending for ‘she’ in the past tense is:

a) ‑تُb) ‑تْc) ‑نَاd) ‑وا

3. “I read” is:

a) قَرَأَb) قَرَأَتْc) قَرَأْتُd) قَرَأْنَا

4. خَلَقَ means:

a) he readb) he heardc) he createdd) he wrote

Reveal answers

1. b 2. b 3. c 4. c

2صِلْ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ بِمَعْنَاهَاMatch each item to its meaning

خَلَقَ
رَزَقَ
كَتَبَ
قَرَأَ
سَمِعَ

he heard
he read
he wrote
he provided
he created

Reveal answers

1–e, 2–d, 3–c, 4–b, 5–a

3تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْإِنْجِلِيزِيَّةِTranslate into English

Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.

قَرَأْتُ دَرْسًا جَدِيدًا.
كَتَبَ أَخِي الْوَاجِبَ.
خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ.
سَمِعَتْ خَبَرًا جَمِيلًا.

Reveal answers

1. I read a new lesson.
2. My brother wrote the homework.
3. Allah created the heavens.
4. She heard beautiful news.

4تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِTranslate into Arabic

Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.

I wrote the homework.
Allah created everything.
She read a new lesson.

Reveal answers

١) كَتَبْتُ الْوَاجِبَ.
٢) خَلَقَ اللَّهُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ.
٣) قَرَأَتْ دَرْسًا جَدِيدًا.

5أَكْمِلِ الْحِوَارَComplete the dialogue

Word bank: قَرَأْتُ — كَتَبَ — سَمِعَ — خَلَقَ

يوسف: مَاذَا حَدَثَ الْيَوْمَ؟
مريم: دَرْسًا جَدِيدًا.
يوسف: هَلْ أَخُوكِ الْوَاجِبَ؟
مريم: نَعَمْ، وَ دَرْسًا أَيْضًا.
يوسف: اللَّهُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ بِعِلْمٍ.

Reveal answers

قَرَأْتُ — كَتَبَ — سَمِعَ — خَلَقَ

6صَحِيحٌ أَمْ خَطَأٌ؟True or false? (based on the reading passage)

مَرْيَمُ لَمْ تَقْرَأْ شَيْئًا الْيَوْمَ.true / false

أَخُو مَرْيَمَ كَتَبَ الْوَاجِبَ.true / false

أَخُو مَرْيَمَ سَمِعَ دَرْسًا أَيْضًا.true / false

Reveal answers

1. False — she read a new lesson. 2. True. 3. True.

SKILLS PRACTICE

قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading

Hover to check — no test, just read

A short passage using only words you've met so far. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.

Word Sentence

أَمْسِ كَتَبْتُ دَرْسًا جَدِيدًا. وَقَرَأْتُ خَبَرًا عَجِيبًا. سَمِعَ أَخِي الْخَبَرَ أَيْضًا. هِيَ قَرَأَتْ كِتَابًا عَنِ إِنْسَانٍ كَبِيرٍ. لَقَدْ حَدَثَ هَذَا أَمْسِ. اللَّهُ خَلَقَ وَرَزَقَ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ. الْوَاجِبُ كَانَ طَوِيلًا أَمْسِ.

SKILLS PRACTICE — NEW

مُحَادَثَةٌ حُرَّةٌConversation Practice

Chat with Yūsuf or Maryam using only what you've learned so far — type it or say it out loud, your choice.

تَمَّ الدَّرْسُ السَّابِعَ عَشَرَ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ

Chapter Seventeen complete — next chapter: Past Tense, Part Two (الماضي (٢))

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