Something Going On in the Past

Level 4

The action in progress takes می‌, and the short event that cut in stays in the simple past.

How It Works

You already know می‌ with the past stem for what used to happen every day: هر روز می‌رفتیم (we went every day). The same form also pictures one action in progress at a moment in the past.

Name the moment with a second verb in the simple past. Join the two with وقتی (when) or که.

DariMeaning
وقتی احمد آمد، ما نان چاشت می‌خوردیم.When Ahmad came, we were having lunch.
چای می‌خوردم که تیلفون زنگ زد.I was drinking tea when the phone rang.

The longer action takes می‌. The short event that cut in stays in the simple past: آمد, زنگ زد.

Two long actions at once both take می‌: من درس می‌خواندم و مادرم نان می‌پخت. (I was studying and my mother was baking bread.)

Put می‌ on both verbs after وقتی, and the meaning changes to "whenever": وقتی احمد می‌آمد، ما نان می‌خوردیم. (Whenever Ahmad came, we ate.)

Dari does not use داشتم for this. Say نان می‌خوردم and leave out داشتم. A formal text can also say در حال خوردن بودم.

Examples (5)

  1. وقتی احمد آمد، ما نان چاشت می‌خوردیم.

    When Ahmad came, we were having lunch.

    می‌خوردیم pictures lunch in progress, and آمد is the event that cut in.

  2. چای می‌خوردم که تیلفون زنگ زد.

    I was drinking tea when the phone rang.

    که links the action in progress to the event that cut in.

  3. دیروز ساعت پنج بجه در باغ بابر قدم می‌زدیم.

    Yesterday at five o'clock we were walking in Babur's Garden.

    A clock time names the moment, so می‌زدیم shows that the walk had already started.

  4. وقتی برق رفت، شاگردان درس می‌خواندند.

    When the power went out, the students were studying.

    رفت is the event, and می‌خواندند is the longer action.

  5. وقتی باران شروع شد، ما از مکتب به خانه می‌رفتیم.

    When the rain started, we were on our way home from school.

    شروع شد names the moment, and می‌رفتیم shows the trip was in progress.

Common Mistakes

  • Using داشتم to say "was doing", as Iranian Persian does.

    من داشتم نان می‌خوردم.
    من نان می‌خوردم.

    Dari builds "was doing" with می‌ alone. The verb داشتم is not part of it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Something Going On in the PastLevel 4

Learn This First

The past habit and در حال give the idea of something going on.