Lesson 37 · كَتَبُوا
The past tense for everyone: we, you all, they
Every past verb is built on the “he” form, such as كَتَبَ (he wrote), with an ending for each person. You met كَتَبْتُ (I wrote) in lesson 11; here is the full set.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
ذَهَبْنَا إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِdhahabnaa ila l-masjidiWe went to the mosque.
هَلْ فَهِمْتُمُ الدَّرْسَ؟hal fahimtumu d-darsa?Did you all understand the lesson?
الطُّلَّابُ خَرَجُوا مِنَ الْفَصْلِaṭ-ṭullaabu kharajuu mina l-faṣliThe students left the class.
الْبَنَاتُ كَتَبْنَ الدَّرْسَal-banaatu katabna d-darsaThe girls wrote the lesson.
ذَهَبَ الطُّلَّابُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِdhahaba ṭ-ṭullaabu ila l-maktabatiThe students went to the library.
أَيْنَ جَلَسْتُمْ؟ayna jalastum?Where did you all sit?
Key points
- Singular: كَتَبْتُ I · كَتَبْتَ you (m) · كَتَبْتِ you (f) · كَتَبَ he · كَتَبَتْ she.
- Plural: كَتَبْنَا we · كَتَبْتُمْ you all (m) · كَتَبْتُنَّ you all (f) · كَتَبُوا they (m) · كَتَبْنَ they (f).
- The alif at the end of كَتَبُوا is written but not pronounced. When the verb comes before its subject it stays singular: ذَهَبَ الطُّلَّابُ (the students went).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “We wrote the lesson.”
كَتَبْنَا الدَّرْسَ katabnaa d-darsa
Say “They (m) went home.”
ذَهَبُوا إِلَى الْبَيْتِ dhahabuu ila l-bayti
Ask a group of men “Did you eat?”
هَلْ أَكَلْتُمْ؟ hal akaltum?