Three tenses: kaana, yafʿal, sa-yafʿal
There are two tenses here, and the third is a device. The past is the form itself: "nasiya" — he forgot, "wulidtu" — I was born. The present-future is another shape of the same root: "yansaa" — he forgets, "yabdaʾ" — he begins. The future comes from the prefix sa- or the word sawf: "sa-ansaa" — I will forget, "sawf yadhhab" — he will go. For example: “في الطفولة كنا نلعب عند البحر، والآن أعمل” — In childhood we…
How it works
There are two tenses here, and the third is a device. The past is the form itself: "nasiya" — he forgot, "wulidtu" — I was born. The present-future is another shape of the same root: "yansaa" — he forgets, "yabdaʾ" — he begins. The future comes from the prefix sa- or the word sawf: "sa-ansaa" — I will forget, "sawf yadhhab" — he will go.
Kaana — was — turns the present into a lasting past: "kaana yaʿmal" — he was working then. And in the past the negation takes maa: "maa nasiitu" — I did not forget. The present is negated by laa, the future by lan: "lan ansaa" — I will not forget. Three negations — three tenses; mixing them is answering "did not forget" to "what will you forget?"
The order in the sentence is free, but the verb loves the first place. "Yesterday" — "kaana al-jaww khaaniq" — yesterday the air was stuffy. Words of time stand at the beginning or the end.
Table
| tense | pattern | arabic | reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| past | the verb form | نسيت | nasiitu |
| past, negation | maa + form | ما نسيت | maa nasiitu |
| lasting past | kaana + present | كان يلعب | kaana yalʿab |
| present | the verb form | يحفظ | yahfuz |
| present, negation | laa + form | لا يحفظ | laa yahfuz |
| future | sa- / sawf + form | سأحفظ | sa-ahfuz |
| future, negation | lan + form | لن أنسى | lan ansaa |
By example
- في الطفولة كنا نلعب عند البحر، والآن أعملфи ат-туфууля кунна налʿаб ʿинд аль-бахр, ва-ль-аан аʿмальIn childhood we played by the sea, and now I work
- نسيت كتابي، سأعود إليه بعد ساعةнасииту китаабий, са-аууду иляйхи баʿд сааʿаI forgot the book; I will come back for it in an hour
- ما قرّرت بعد، سأفكّر إن أمكنма каррарту баад, са-афаккиру ин амканаI have not decided yet; I will think, if possible
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The tenses in Arabic?
Kaana — was — turns the present into a lasting past: "kaana yaʿmal" — he was working then. And in the past the negation takes maa: "maa nasiitu" — I did not forget. The present is negated by laa, the future by lan: "lan ansaa" — I will not forget. Three negations — three tenses; mixing them is…
How to say it was in Arabic?
Kaana — was — turns the present into a lasting past: "kaana yaʿmal" — he was working then. And in the past the negation takes maa: "maa nasiitu" — I did not forget. The present is negated by laa, the future by lan: "lan ansaa" — I will not forget. Three negations — three tenses; mixing them is…
Lan vs laa in Arabic?
Kaana — was — turns the present into a lasting past: "kaana yaʿmal" — he was working then. And in the past the negation takes maa: "maa nasiitu" — I did not forget. The present is negated by laa, the future by lan: "lan ansaa" — I will not forget. Three negations — three tenses; mixing them is…
How to say I forgot in Arabic?
Kaana — was — turns the present into a lasting past: "kaana yaʿmal" — he was working then. And in the past the negation takes maa: "maa nasiitu" — I did not forget. The present is negated by laa, the future by lan: "lan ansaa" — I will not forget. Three negations — three tenses; mixing them is…
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“في الطفولة كنا نلعب عند البحر، والآن أعمل” (фи ат-туфууля кунна налʿаб ʿинд аль-бахр, ва-ль-аан аʿмаль) — In childhood we played by the sea, and now I work. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.