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 personal endings - ⁧ـَم⁩ (-am), ⁧ـی⁩ (-i) and the rest, as in the present.

• ⁧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

In the simple past the third person singular stands out. 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 oftâdčh atfaqy aftad

  What happened?

• ⁧دوستَم بِه مادَرَش هَدیِه داد.⁩

  dustam be mâdaraš hadiye dâddustam be mâdarash hadiye dâddvstm bh madrš hdyh 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 čh kar krdy

  What did you do yesterday?

• ⁧بِه مَرکَزِ خَرید رَفتَم.⁩

  be markaz-e xarid raftambe markaz-e kharid raftambh 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 nv xrydm

  I bought groceries and a new watch.

• ⁧هَفتِه‌یِ گُذَشتِه بِه نیویورک آمَدَم.⁩

  hafte-ye goḏašte be nyuyurk âmadamhafte-ye gozashte be nyuyurk âmadamhfth-y gḏšth bh nyvyvrk amdm

  Last week I came to New York.

04

Negating It

The prefix ⁧نَ⁩ (na-) goes on the front of the simple past, 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 aynkh drs nxvandm dr amtḥan qbvl šdm

  Although I did not study, I passed the exam.

05

After 'When' and 'If'

In a clause with ⁧⁧وَقتی⁩⁩ (vaqtivaqtivqty), "when", or ⁧⁧اَگَر⁩⁩ (agaragaragr), "if", the simple past can point to the future: it pictures the event as already done by the time the main verb happens. English uses a present there.

• ⁧وَقتی رَسیدَم، بَرایَت کارت‌پُستال می‌فِرِستَم.⁩

  vaqti rasidam barâyat kârt-postâl mi-ferestamvaqti rasidam barâyat kârt-postâl mi-ferestamvqty rsydm brayt kart-pstal my-frstm

  When I arrive, I will send you a postcard.

• ⁧اَگَر چیزی نیاز داشتید، با مَن تَماس بِگیرید.⁩

  agar čizi niyâz dâštid bâ man tamâs begiridagar chizi niyâz dâshtid bâ man tamâs begiridagr čyzy nyaz daštyd ba mn tmas bgyryd

  If you need anything, call me.

The past also stands in conditions and wishes that are not real - ⁧⁧اَگَر ثِروَتمَند بودَم⁩⁩ (agar ṯervatmand budamagar servatmand budamagr ṯrvtmnd bvdm), "if I were rich". That use belongs with the past imperfective and the conditional sentences.