Verbs: Simple Past

01

Building It

Take the infinitive, drop the final ⁧ـَن⁩ (-an), and you have the past stem.

• ⁧⁧رَفتَن⁩⁩ (raftanraftanrftn) to go, gives ⁧⁧رَفت⁩⁩ (raftraftrft)
• ⁧⁧خَریدَن⁩⁩ (xaridankharidanxrydn) to buy, gives ⁧⁧خَرید⁩⁩ (xaridkharidxryd)
• ⁧⁧دیدَن⁩⁩ (didandidandydn) to see, gives ⁧⁧دید⁩⁩ (diddiddyd)
• ⁧⁧کَردَن⁩⁩ (kardankardankrdn) to do, gives ⁧⁧کَرد⁩⁩ (kardkardkrd)

No exceptions, no learning required. Then add the endings.

• ⁧رَفتَم⁩

  raftamraftamrftm

  I went

• ⁧رَفتی⁩

  raftiraftirfty

  you went

• ⁧رَفت⁩

  raftraftrft

  he went

• ⁧رَفتیم⁩

  raftimraftimrftym

  we went

• ⁧رَفتید⁩

  raftidraftidrftyd

  you went

• ⁧رَفتَند⁩

  raftandraftandrftnd

  they went

02

The Third Person Has No Ending

Notice the third one. Where the present has ⁧ـَد⁩ (-ad), the past has nothing at all - the bare stem is the third person singular.

• ⁧چِه اِتِّفاقی اُفتاد؟⁩

  če ettefâqi oftâdche ettefâqi oftâdč attfaqy aftad

  What happened?

• ⁧دوستَم بِه مادَرَش هَدیِه داد.⁩

  dustam be mâdaraš hadiye dâddustam be mâdarash hadiye dâddvstm b madrš hdyy dad

  My friend gave her mother a present.

03

In Use

The simple past is for a finished action at a definite time - what English would put in "I went", "I bought", "I saw".

• ⁧دیروز چِه کار کَردی؟⁩

  diruz če kâr kardidiruz che kâr kardidyrvz č kar krdy

  What did you do yesterday?

• ⁧بِه مَرکَزِ خَرید رَفتَم.⁩

  be markaz-e xarid raftambe markaz-e kharid raftamb mrkz-a xryd rftm

  I went to the shopping centre.

• ⁧مَوادِ غَذایی وَ یِک ساعَتِ نُو خَریدَم.⁩

  mavâd-e ġaḏâyi va yek sâʿat-e no xaridammavâd-e ghazâyi va yek sâ'at-e no kharidammvad-a ġḏayy v yk saʿt-a n xrydm

  I bought groceries and a new watch.

• ⁧هَفتِه‌یِ گُذَشتِه بِه نیویورک آمَدَم.⁩

  hafte-ye goḏašte be nyuyurk âmadamhafte-ye gozashte be nyuyurk âmadamhft-y gḏšt b nyvyvrk amdm

  Last week I came to New York.

04

Negating It

The prefix ⁧نَ⁩ (na-) goes on the front, and nothing else changes.

• ⁧نَدیدَمَش.⁩

  nadidamašnadidamashndydmš

  I did not see it.

• ⁧با وُجودِ اینکِه دَرس نَخواندَم، دَر اِمتِحان قَبول شُدَم.⁩

  bâ vojud-e inke dars naxândam dar emteḥân qabul šodambâ vojud-e inke dars nakhândam dar emtehân qabul shodamba vjvd-a aynk drs nxandm dr amtḥan qbvl šdm

  Although I did not study, I passed the exam.