Past Tense With He and She

Level 1

In the past tense, the 'he' form (huwa) is the simplest form of the verb. To say 'she' (hiya), you add a silent 't' (ـتْ) to the end.

How It Works

The past tense in Arabic is usually built from a three-letter root.

1. The Masculine Form (هو - He)
This is the most basic form of the verb. It consists of the root letters, usually with a fatḥa (ـَ) on the last letter. For example, the root K-T-B becomes كَتَبَ (he wrote). In Modern Standard Arabic, the final vowel is often dropped in speech, but it remains the grammatical foundation.

2. The Feminine Form (هي - She)
To change the verb to feminine, add the suffix ـَتْ (a tāʾ with a sukūn) to the masculine form. For example, كَتَبَتْ (she wrote).

3. Hollow Verbs
For hollow verbs like قَالَ (he said) or زَارَ (he visited), the long vowel in the middle is retained in the 'she' form: قَالَتْ and زَارَتْ.

4. The Liaison Rule (Phonology)
If the feminine verb is followed by a word starting with the definite article (al-), the silent tāʾ changes its vowel to a kasra (ـَتِ) to make the transition smoother.
Example: katabat + al-bintu becomes كَتَبَتِ البِنْتُ.

5. Weak Verbs
If a defective verb ends in an alif or alif maqṣūra (ى), that letter is dropped when adding the feminine suffix.
Example: رَمَى (he threw) becomes رَمَتْ (she threw). However, if the final letter is a voweled yāʾ, it is kept.
Example: رَضِيَ (he was pleased) becomes رَضِيَتْ.

Examples (4)

  1. كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الوَاجِبَ.

    The student (m) wrote the homework.

    Word by Word: Wrote the student the homework.

    This shows the base masculine form 'kataba' in a standard VSO sentence.

  2. ذَهَبَتِ البِنْتُ إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ.

    The girl went to the school.

    Word by Word: Went the girl to the school.

    Note how the 't' in 'dhahabat' takes a kasra (dhahabati) because it is followed by the definite article 'al-'.

  3. قَالَتْ لَيْلَى: «أَنَا جَائِعَةٌ».

    Layla said: "I am hungry."

    Word by Word: Said Layla: "I hungry."

    In 'hollow' verbs (with a middle weak letter), the long vowel remains in the 'she' form (qālat).

  4. رَمَتِ الكُرَةَ.

    She threw the ball.

    Word by Word: Threw (she) the ball.

    For the verb 'ramā' (to throw), the final weak letter is dropped before adding the feminine suffix.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'she' (-at) with 'you feminine' (-ti).

    هِيَ كَتَبْتِ الرِّسَالَةَ.
    هِيَ كَتَبَتِ الرِّسَالَةَ.

    Learners often use the suffix -ti (which means 'you fem.') when they mean 'she'. Remember that 'she' ends in a silent 't' (or -at), not a 'ti' sound, unless followed by 'al-'.

  • Keeping the weak letter in defective verbs ending in alif.

    رَمَاتْ البِنْتُ الكُرَةَ.
    رَمَتِ البِنْتُ الكُرَةَ.

    When a verb ends in a weak letter like 'alif' or 'alif maqṣūra', you must drop it before adding the feminine suffix -at. However, if the verb ends in a voweled yā', like رَضِيَ, the letter is kept: رَضِيَتْ.

  • Incorrectly dropping the long vowel in hollow verbs.

    قَلَتْ البِنْتُ الحَقِيقَةَ.
    قَالَتِ البِنْتُ الحَقِيقَةَ.

    In the 'she' form of hollow verbs (verbs with a long vowel in the middle), the long vowel is retained. Learners often confuse this with other past tense forms where the vowel is dropped.

How It Connects

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Past Tense With He and SheLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand past tense conjugation for 'he' and 'she', a learner must first understand the general concept of the past tense, be familiar with singular personal pronouns, and recognize the feminine marker used to distinguish gender in Arabic words.

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