Yesterday: the past tense
The familiar form in -ނީ is "now": ދަނީ (go), ވެހެނީ (pour). For the past, Divehi changes not the ending but the whole tail of the verb, and the only way to learn it is in pairs — the way English keeps go/went. For example: “އިއްޔެ ވާރޭ ވެހުނު” — Yesterday it rained. A rule from the Maldivian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The familiar form in -ނީ is "now": ދަނީ (go), ވެހެނީ (pour). For the past, Divehi changes not the ending but the whole tail of the verb, and the only way to learn it is in pairs — the way English keeps go/went.
The good news is the same as in the present: the form does not change with the person. ދިޔަ (dhiya) is "I went", "he went" and "we went" alike. Who exactly went, the pronoun or the situation will say.
Apart stands the form in -އްޖެ (-ejje). It means not simply "it happened" but "it has already happened, and here is the result": ހަލާކުވެއްޖެ (halaakuvejje) — "it broke (and does not work now)", ލަސްވެއްޖެ (lasvejje) — "ran late (and it is already too late)". This is the form you hear in complaints and apologies most often.
Time words — އިއްޔެ (yesterday), މިދިޔަ އަހަރު (last year) — go to the front and do not touch the verb at all.
Table
| now | past | translation |
|---|---|---|
| ދަނީ (dhanee) | ދިޔަ (dhiya) | to go |
| ކަނީ (kanee) | ކެއި (kei) | to eat |
| ބޮނީ (bonee) | ބުއި (bui) | to drink |
| ވެހެނީ (vehenee) | ވެހުނު (vehunu) | to pour (of rain) |
By example
- އިއްޔެ ވާރޭ ވެހުނުiyye vaarey vehunuYesterday it rained
- ފެރީ ދިޔަferee dhiyaThe ferry has left
- މިއަދު ހެނދުނު ސައި ބުއިންmiadhu hendhunu sai buinThis morning I drank tea
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
Yesterday: how does it work in Maldivian?
The familiar form in -ނީ is "now": ދަނީ (go), ވެހެނީ (pour). For the past, Divehi changes not the ending but the whole tail of the verb, and the only way to learn it is in pairs — the way English keeps go/went.
What does it look like in an example sentence Maldivian?
“އިއްޔެ ވާރޭ ވެހުނު” (iyye vaarey vehunu) — Yesterday it rained. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.