Lesson 5

Question 1

How is the past tense in Levantine Arabic compared to the present tense?

Answer 1

The past tense is simpler; the verb root stays mostly the same, and endings change based on the subject.

Question 2

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘I went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 2

ana rāḥit (أنا رحت)

Example: The Verb ‘To Go’ (Rāḥ - راح)

Question 3

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘you (m) went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 3

inta rāḥit (إنتَ رحت)

Question 4

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘you (f) went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 4

inti rāḥti (إنتِ رحتي)

Question 5

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘he went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 5

huwwe rāḥ (هو راح)

Question 6

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘she went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 6

hiyye rāḥat (هي راحت)

Question 7

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘we went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 7

iḥna rāḥna (إحنا رحنا)

Question 8

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘you (pl) went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 8

intu rāḥtu (إنتو رحتو)

Question 9

What is the past tense of ‘to go’ for ‘they went’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 9

humme rāḥu (هم راحوا)

Question 10

What is a tip for using past tense verbs in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 10

Many past tense verbs follow the same pattern!

Question 11

How do you say ‘I ate’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 11

ana akalt (أنا أكلت)

Question 12

How do you say ‘I drank’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 12

ana shribt (أنا شربت)

Question 13

How do you say ‘I slept’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 13

ana nimt (أنا نمت)

Question 14

How do you say ‘I studied’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 14

ana darast (أنا درست)

Question 15

How do you say ‘I worked’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 15

ana ishtaghalt (أنا اشتغلت)

Question 16

How do you say ‘I saw’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 16

ana shuft (أنا شفت)

Question 17

How do you say ‘I spoke’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 17

ana ḥkēt (أنا حكيت)

Question 18

How do you say ‘I wrote’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 18

ana katabt (أنا كتبت)

Question 19

How do you say ‘I bought’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 19

ana ishtarayt (أنا اشتريت)

Question 20

How do you say ‘I visited’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 20

ana zurt (أنا زرت)

Question 21

How do you make a negative past sentence in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 21

Add ‘ma’ before the verb.

Example: I didn’t go. → Ma rāḥit. (ما رحت.)

Question 22

How do you say ‘yesterday’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 22

مبارح (mbāreḥ)

Question 23

How do you say ‘Yesterday, I went to the market’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 23

Mbāreḥ, rāḥit ʿa s-sūq. (مبارح رحت عالسوق.)

Question 24

How do you say ‘Yesterday, I ate at a restaurant’ in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 24

Mbāreḥ, akalt bī maṭʿam. (مبارح أكلت بمطعم.)

Question 25

How do you ask 'Where did you go?' to a male in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 25

Wēn rāḥit? (وين رحت؟)

Question 26

How do you ask 'Where did you go?' to a female in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 26

Wēn rāḥti? (وين رحتي؟)

Question 27

How do you ask 'What did you do?' to a male in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 27

Shu ʿmilt? (شو عملت؟)

Question 28

How do you ask 'What did you do?' to a female in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 28

Shu ʿmilti? (شو عملتي؟)

Question 29

How do you ask 'Did you eat?' in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 29

Akalt? (أكلت؟)

Question 30

How do you ask 'Did you study?' in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 30

Darast? (درست؟)

Question 31

How do you describe your day yesterday in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 31

Mbāreḥ, rāḥit ʿal-madrase w badrast. ## Footnote (Yesterday, I went to school and studied.)

Question 32

How do you ask a friend what they did yesterday in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 32

Shu ʿmilt mbāreḥ? ## Footnote (What did you do yesterday?)

Question 33

How do you say what you ate and drank yesterday in Levantine Arabic?

Answer 33

Akalt mānqūshe w shribt shāy. ## Footnote (I ate a manoushe and drank tea.)