This is a lesson about past simple in Farsi. Forming a past simple verb in
Farsi is very easy. So first, you need to know the infinitive. For example, the very
important verb, "کردن". To do. Now you want to form the past simple of this one:
I did or he did or she did. So in order to form
the past simple, you just need to drop "ن" or sometimes you can say "ان",
because this is part of the infinitive form. So you can say dropping "ن" or
dropping "ان", the short sounds "ah" and "noon." And then adding the personal endings.
That starts with first person "ام". So you have "کردم". You add personal
ending "ام". So "کردم" and conjugate it:
کردم، کردی، کرد. کردیم، کردید، کردند.
So just dropping "ن" and adding personal endings.
Another example: "خوردن".
You drop "ن" and then conjugate it, adding personal endings. So,
خوردم، I ate.
خوردی، you ate.
خورد, he or she ate.
خوردیم، we ate.
خوردید، you, plural, ate.
خوردند، they ate.
So as you can see, in my conjugation, for the third person, there
is no ending. "خوردم، خوردی". The second person is "ی" and the
third person is just no ending.
خوردم، خوردی، خورد.
So in fact, when we drop "ن", we have the third person singular "خورد".
Or "کرد". He or she did or he or she ate. Another example with an infinitive ends
in "تن", like g"گفتن".
You need to drop "ن" and add personal ending. You say
گفتم، گفتی، گفت.
No ending.
گفتیم، گفتید، گفتند.
The personal endings for past tense:
گفتم، ام.
گفتی، ی.
گفت، no ending.
گفتیم، we said.
گفتید، you plural .said
گفتند، they said.
So as you can see, it's very easy to form a past simple in Farsi: dropping "ن" and adding
personal endings:
ام، ای، nothing. ایم، اید، اند.
The main usage of past
simple is about an action which is done in the past and now it's done.
It's finished. For example,
من دیروز غذا خوردم.
So I, yesterday, ate food. I, yesterday, ate food. A action, if
now this is present, an action which is done in the past and finished. Nothing to
do with the present tense. So this is the main usage. There are other usages for
past tense, which you will learn about in more advanced lessons: the usage
of past things in conditional form, or other usages in advanced Farsi.