Session 26 — Talking About Yesterday: The Past Tense¶
20-hour method — Phase 2, Session 6
Duration: ~2 hours
Main objective: talk about what you did yesterday using the Levantine past tense.
This is a major milestone. Until now, you've mostly described:
what you want
what you do
what is happening
Today you start saying:
what you did
The goal is not to learn the entire Arabic past-tense system. You will learn a small, highly useful set of patterns and immediately use them in conversation.
1. 0:00–0:15 — Warm-up: yesterday vs today¶
You already know:
brou7 3a sh-shoghol.
I go to work.
Now:
re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
I went to work.
Today:
bākul fṭūr.
I eat breakfast.
Yesterday:
akalet fṭūr.
I ate breakfast.
Today:
beshrob ahwe.
I drink coffee.
Yesterday:
sherebet ahwe.
I drank coffee.
Notice the fundamental distinction:
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| brou7 | re7et |
| bākul | akalet |
| beshrob | sherebet |
| bshūf | shoft |
Don't worry yet about why each form looks different.
Memorize the pairs.
2. 0:15–0:30 — “Yesterday”¶
مبارح — mbāre7¶
yesterday
This is one of the most important words today.
mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
Yesterday I went to work.
mbāre7 akalet jāj.
Yesterday I ate chicken.
mbāre7 sherebet ahwe.
Yesterday I drank coffee.
Put mbāre7 at the beginning of the sentence. This makes your meaning immediately clear.
3. 0:30–0:45 — The basic past pattern¶
For many verbs, the first-person singular past ends in:
-et
Examples:
re7 + et → re7et
I went.
shereb + et → sherebet
I drank.
ishtagh al + et → ishtaghlet
I worked.
raja3 + et → raja3et
I returned.
This gives you a useful practical rule:
I did X → often X + et
But not every verb behaves exactly this way, so don't try to mechanically convert every present verb.
4. 0:45–1:00 — Your first 10 past-tense verbs¶
| Past | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| رحت | re7et | I went |
| أكلت | akalet | I ate |
| شربت | sherebet | I drank |
| شفت | shoft | I saw / watched |
| اشتغلت | ishtaghlet | I worked |
| رجعت | raja3et | I returned |
| نمت | nemet | I slept |
| فقت | fe2et | I woke up |
| طبخت | ṭbakhet | I cooked |
| تمرّنت | tmarranet | I exercised |
These ten are enough to start having conversations.
5. 1:00–1:15 — “I went”¶
Present:
brou7
I go.
Past:
re7et
I went.
Examples:
mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
Yesterday I went to work.
re7et 3al-maṭ3am.
I went to the restaurant.
re7et 3a Beirut.
I went to Beirut.
Important¶
The past verb re7et already means I went.
You do not need a separate word meaning "I" every time.
re7et 3a Beirut.
is enough.
6. 1:15–1:30 — “I ate”¶
Present:
bākul
I eat.
Past:
akalet
I ate.
Examples:
akalet fṭūr.
I ate breakfast.
akalet jāj.
I ate chicken.
akalet salṭa.
I ate salad.
mbāre7 akalet samak.
Yesterday I ate fish.
7. 1:30–1:45 — “I drank”¶
Present:
beshrob
I drink.
Past:
sherebet
I drank.
Examples:
sherebet ahwe.
I drank coffee.
sherebet may.
I drank water.
mbāre7 sherebet shāy.
Yesterday I drank tea.
8. 1:45–2:00 — “I saw / watched”¶
Present:
bshūf
I see / watch.
Past:
shoft
I saw / watched.
Examples:
shoft film.
I watched a movie.
shoft TV.
I watched TV.
mbāre7 shoft film 7لو.
Yesterday I watched a good movie.
Notice that shoft does not look like bshūf.
This is a verb you should simply memorize as a pair:
bshūf → shoft
9. 2:00–2:15 — “I worked”¶
Present:
beshteghil
I work.
Past:
ishtaghlet
I worked.
Examples:
ishtaghlet mbāre7.
I worked yesterday.
ishtaghlet min et-tmāne la-khamṣe.
I worked from eight to five.
mbāre7 ishtaghlet kteer.
Yesterday I worked a lot.
10. 2:15–2:30 — “I came back”¶
Present:
barja3
I come back.
Past:
raja3et
I came back.
Example:
raja3et 3a l-bēt.
I came home.
mbāre7 raja3et 3a l-bēt 3a s-sitte.
Yesterday I came home at six.
11. 2:30–2:45 — “I slept”¶
Present:
bnām
I sleep.
Past:
nemet
I slept.
mbāre7 nemet بكير.
Yesterday I went to sleep early.
بكير — bakīr¶
early
Opposite:
mta2akher
late
nمت mta2akher.
I went to sleep late.
12. 2:45–3:00 — “I woke up”¶
Present:
bfi2
I wake up.
Past:
fe2et
I woke up.
Example:
fe2et s-sā3a sab3a.
I woke up at seven.
mbāre7 fe2et بكير.
Yesterday I woke up early.
Again, memorize:
bfi2 → fe2et
13. 3:00–3:15 — The past with time¶
You already learned time in Session 25.
Now combine it with the past:
mbāre7 fe2et s-sā3a sab3a.
Yesterday I woke up at seven.
akalet fṭūr s-sā3a sab3a w-noṣ.
I ate breakfast at 7:30.
re7et 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne.
I went to work at eight.
raja3et 3a l-bēt s-sā3a sitte.
I came home at six.
nمت s-sā3a 11.
I went to sleep at eleven.
14. 3:15–3:30 — “Then”¶
You already know:
ba3dēn
then
Now use it with the past.
fe2et s-sā3a sab3a. ba3dēn sherebet ahwe.
I woke up at seven. Then I drank coffee.
ba3dēn akalet fṭūr.
Then I ate breakfast.
ba3dēn re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
Then I went to work.
This is the beginning of telling stories, rather than producing isolated sentences.
15. 3:30–3:45 — Yesterday: complete morning¶
Build the sequence:
mbāre7 fe2et s-sā3a sab3a.
Yesterday I woke up at seven.
sherebet ahwe w-akalet fṭūr.
I drank coffee and ate breakfast.
ba3dēn re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
Then I went to work.
ishtaghlet min et-tmāne la-khamṣe.
I worked from eight to five.
That's already a coherent story.
16. 3:45–4:00 — Afternoon and evening¶
Continue:
ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt.
After work I came home.
b3adēn bṭbakhet 3asha.
Then I cooked dinner.
akalet 3asha.
I ate dinner.
shoft film.
I watched a movie.
ba3dēn nemet.
Then I went to sleep.
17. 4:00–4:15 — Your first complete past story¶
Read this aloud several times:
mbāre7 fe2et s-sā3a sab3a. sherebet ahwe w-akalet fṭūr. ba3dēn re7et 3a sh-shoghol. ishtaghlet min et-tmāne la-khamṣe. ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt. bṭbakhet 3asha w-akalet. ba3dēn shoft film w-nemet s-sā3a 11.
Translation:
Yesterday I woke up at seven. I drank coffee and had breakfast. Then I went to work. I worked from eight to five. After work I came home. I cooked dinner and ate. Then I watched a movie and went to sleep at eleven.
This is now a real conversational narrative.
18. 4:15–4:30 — The question: “What did you do?”¶
شو عملت؟ — shu 3melt?¶
What did you do?
This is one of today's most important expressions.
shu 3melt mbāre7?
What did you do yesterday?
Possible answer:
re7et 3a sh-shoghol w-b3adēn raja3et 3a l-bēt.
I went to work and then came home.
19. 4:30–4:45 — “Where did you go?”¶
لوين رحت؟ — la-wēn re7et?¶
Where did you go?
la-wēn re7et mbāre7?
Where did you go yesterday?
Answer:
re7et 3a Beirut.
I went to Beirut.
re7et 3al-maṭ3am.
I went to the restaurant.
ma re7et 3a shi.
I didn't go anywhere.
20. 4:45–5:00 — “What did you eat?”¶
شو أكلت؟ — shu akalet?¶
What did you eat?
shu akalet mbāre7?
What did you eat yesterday?
Answer:
akalet jāj w-salṭa.
I ate chicken and salad.
akalet samak.
I ate fish.
ma akalet kteer.
I didn't eat much.
21. 5:00–5:15 — “What did you drink?”¶
shu sherebet?
What did you drink?
sherebet ahwe.
I drank coffee.
sherebet may.
I drank water.
sherebet shāy.
I drank tea.
22. 5:15–5:30 — “Did you...?”¶
This is where we introduce a very useful past-tense question pattern.
re7et 3a sh-shoghol?
Did you go to work?
akalet?
Did you eat?
sherebet ahwe?
Did you drink coffee?
shoft film?
Did you watch a movie?
The question is often indicated by intonation.
You don't need a separate equivalent of English "did" here.
Answer:¶
eh, re7et.
Yes, I went.
la2, ma re7et.
No, I didn't go.
23. 5:30–5:45 — Negating the past¶
This is important.
Present:
brou7.
I go.
Negative:
ma بروح.
I don't go.
Past:
re7et.
I went.
Negative:
ma re7et.
I didn't go.
Examples:
ma akalet.
I didn't eat.
ma sherebet.
I didn't drink.
ma shoft film.
I didn't watch a movie.
ma ishtaghlet mbāre7.
I didn't work yesterday.
This is a very useful pattern:
ma + past verb
24. 5:45–6:00 — Yes/no conversation¶
A¶
re7et 3a sh-shoghol mbāre7?
Did you go to work yesterday?
B¶
eh, re7et.
Yes, I did.
A¶
akalet fṭūr?
Did you eat breakfast?
B¶
eh, akalet.
Yes, I did.
A¶
sherebet ahwe?
Did you drink coffee?
B¶
la2, ma sherebet.
No, I didn't.
A¶
shoft film bil-lēl?
Did you watch a movie at night?
B¶
eh, shoft film.
Yes, I watched a movie.
25. 6:00–6:15 — Past tense: useful pattern¶
You are now seeing two broad groups.
Group 1 — regular-ish forms¶
Often:
verb stem + et
Examples:
shereb → sherebet
ishtagh al → ishtaghlet
raja3 → raja3et
ṭabakh → ṭbakhet
tmarran → tmarranet
Group 2 — common irregular/high-frequency verbs¶
These must be learned individually:
rā7 → re7et
akal → akalet
shāf → shoft
nām → nemet
fī2 → fe2et
Do not try to derive every past form from the present.
For now, treat frequent verbs as pairs.
26. 6:15–6:30 — Past-tense pairs¶
Memorize these as flashcard-style pairs:
| Present | Past | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| brou7 | re7et | go → went |
| bākul | akalet | eat → ate |
| beshrob | sherebet | drink → drank |
| bshūf | shoft | see/watch → saw/watched |
| beshteghil | ishtaghlet | work → worked |
| barja3 | raja3et | return → returned |
| bnām | nemet | sleep → slept |
| bfi2 | fe2et | wake up → woke up |
| bṭbukh | ṭbakhet | cook → cooked |
| btmarran | tmarranet | exercise → exercised |
The exercise is:
Look at the present → immediately say the past.
27. 6:30–6:45 — Translation challenge¶
Translate without looking back.
1¶
Yesterday I woke up at seven.
2¶
I drank coffee.
3¶
I ate breakfast.
4¶
I went to work.
5¶
I worked from eight to five.
6¶
I came home after work.
7¶
I cooked dinner.
8¶
I watched a movie.
9¶
I went to sleep at eleven.
10¶
What did you do yesterday?
11¶
Where did you go?
12¶
What did you eat?
13¶
Did you drink coffee?
14¶
No, I didn't.
15¶
Yes, I did.
28. 6:45–7:00 — Reconstruct the story¶
You are given only keywords:
mbāre7 — 7:00 — wake up
coffee — breakfast
8:00 — work
8 → 5
home
dinner
film
11:00 — sleep
Turn them into a complete story.
Don't translate from English.
Construct it directly in Arabic.
29. 7:00–7:15 — Tell me about yesterday¶
Now imagine I ask:
shu 3melt mbāre7?
Answer for one full minute.
Use:
mbāre7...
ba3dēn...
ba3d sh-shoghol...
bil-masa...
b3adēn...
Try to include at least six past-tense verbs.
30. 7:15–7:30 — Make it personal¶
Use your actual yesterday.
Fill this structure:
mbāre7 fe2et s-sā3a _____.
sherebet _____.
akalet _____.
re7et 3a _____.
ishtaghlet _____.
ba3d sh-shoghol _____.
bil-masa _____.
shoft _____.
nمت s-sā3a _____.
Now say it aloud without reading.
31. 7:30–7:45 — Conversation challenge¶
I ask you:
shu 3melt mbāre7?
You answer.
Then:
la-wēn re7et?
You answer.
Then:
shu akalet?
You answer.
Then:
shu sherebet?
You answer.
Then:
shoft shi film?
You answer.
Then:
emta nemet?
You answer.
The objective is to answer immediately, without mentally constructing an English sentence first.
32. 7:45–8:00 — Final test¶
Without looking at the lesson, translate:
Yesterday I woke up at 7.
Then I drank coffee.
I ate breakfast.
I went to work at 8.
I worked until 5.
After work, I came home.
I cooked dinner.
I ate with my daughter.
Then I watched a movie.
I went to sleep at 11.
You don't need to use complicated grammar.
Simple Arabic is the goal.
Session 26 — Core vocabulary¶
| Levantine | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| مبارح | mbāre7 | yesterday |
| رحت | re7et | I went |
| أكلت | akalet | I ate |
| شربت | sherebet | I drank |
| شفت | shoft | I saw/watched |
| اشتغلت | ishtaghlet | I worked |
| رجعت | raja3et | I returned |
| نمت | nemet | I slept |
| فقت | fe2et | I woke up |
| طبخت | ṭbakhet | I cooked |
| تمرّنت | tmarranet | I exercised |
| عملت | 3melt | I did |
| لوين | la-wēn | where to |
| شو | shu | what |
| بعدين | ba3dēn | then |
| بعد | ba3d | after |
| بكير | bakīr | early |
| متأخر | mta2akher | late |
The 12 chunks to memorize¶
mbāre7...
Yesterday...shu 3melt mbāre7?
What did you do yesterday?la-wēn re7et?
Where did you go?shu akalet?
What did you eat?shu sherebet?
What did you drink?re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
I went to work.akalet fṭūr.
I ate breakfast.sherebet ahwe.
I drank coffee.shoft film.
I watched a movie.raja3et 3a l-bēt.
I came home.ma re7et.
I didn't go.eh, re7et.
Yes, I went.
Homework¶
1. Record yesterday¶
Make a 1–2 minute voice recording describing yesterday.
Target:
8–12 sentences.
Don't write a French/English script first.
Use the Arabic you already know.
2. Past-tense pairs¶
Practice these until you can respond almost instantly:
brou7 → re7et
bākul → akalet
beshrob → sherebet
bshūf → shoft
beshteghil → ishtaghlet
barja3 → raja3et
bnām → nemet
bfi2 → fe2et
3. Ask yourself 5 questions¶
shu 3melt mbāre7?
la-wēn re7et?
shu akalet?
shu sherebet?
emta nemet?
Answer them aloud.
Session 26 checkpoint¶
You can now make the fundamental distinction:
Habit / present¶
brou7 3a sh-shoghol kell yōm.
I go to work every day.
Yesterday / past¶
mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
Yesterday I went to work.
And you can turn that into a short narrative:
mbāre7 fe2et s-sā3a sab3a. sherebet ahwe w-akalet fṭūr. ba3dēn re7et 3a sh-shoghol. ishtaghlet min et-tmāne la-khamṣe. ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt. bṭbakhet 3asha w-shoft film. b3adēn nemet s-sā3a 11.
That is the skill to consolidate now: not merely knowing the past tense, but using it to tell someone what happened.
Next — Session 27¶
Talking about tomorrow and future plans.
We'll introduce the very useful Levantine future pattern:
ra7...
and combine it with what you already know:
ra7 rou7... — I'm going to go...
ra7 اشتغل... — I'm going to work...
ra7 shūf... — I'm going to watch/see...
Then we'll build a yesterday / today / tomorrow conversation.