Lesson 106 · كَانَ يَفْعَلُ
Used to, was doing, had done: كَانَ with another verb
Put كَانَ before a present verb to talk about a past habit or something that was going on: كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ (I used to play every day) · كُنْتُ أَقْرَأُ حِينَ اتَّصَلْتَ (I was reading when you called). Both verbs change for the person.
Learn with pictures
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Examples
كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍkuntu alʿabu kulla yawminI used to play every day.
كُنْتُ أَقْرَأُ حِينَ اتَّصَلْتَkuntu aqra’u ḥiina ttaṣaltaI was reading when you called.
كَانَ أَبِي يُصَلِّي فِي الْمَسْجِدِkaana abii yuṣallii fi l-masjidiMy father used to pray in the mosque.
كَانَ الْقِطَارُ قَدْ غَادَرَkaana l-qiṭaaru qad ghaadaraThe train had left.
عِنْدَمَا وَصَلْتُ كَانَ الدَّرْسُ قَدْ بَدَأَʿindamaa waṣaltu kaana d-darsu qad bada’aWhen I arrived, the lesson had begun.
سَأَكُونُ أَنْتَظِرُكَsa-akuunu antaẓirukaI will be waiting for you.
Key points
- Habit or ongoing action: كَانَ أَبِي يُصَلِّي فِي الْمَسْجِدِ (my father used to pray in the mosque) · كَانُوا يَدْرُسُونَ (they were studying). The Quran: كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ (they used to sleep but little of the night, 51:17).
- The past before the past (“had done”) is كَانَ + قَدْ + a past verb: كَانَ الْقِطَارُ قَدْ غَادَرَ (the train had left) · عِنْدَمَا وَصَلْتُ كَانَ الدَّرْسُ قَدْ بَدَأَ (when I arrived, the lesson had begun).
- سَيَكُونُ works the same way for the future: سَأَكُونُ أَنْتَظِرُكَ (I will be waiting for you) · سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَصَلَ (he will have arrived). And مَا كَانَ + present means “never used to”: مَا كُنْتُ أَشْرَبُ الْقَهْوَةَ (I never used to drink coffee).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “We used to live in Lahore.”
كُنَّا نَسْكُنُ فِي لَاهُورَ kunnaa naskunu fii laahuura
Say “She was cooking.”
كَانَتْ تَطْبُخُ kaanat taṭbukhu
Say “The plane had landed.” Land: هَبَطَ.
كَانَتِ الطَّائِرَةُ قَدْ هَبَطَتْ kaanati ṭ-ṭaa’iratu qad habaṭat
