The Simple Past

Level 2

رفتم means I went, while رفت means that person went. Third-person singular has no added person ending in this tense.

How It Works

PersonSimple past of رفتن
منرفتم
تورفتی
اورفت
مارفتیم
شمارفتید
آن‌هارفتند

The past stem رفت comes from removing final ن from رفتن. Add ـم for the speaker, ـی for a familiar singular listener, and the matching plural-shaped endings for other persons.

In دیروز به تهران رفتم, the time word anchors the event in yesterday. In سارا کتاب را خواند, the third-singular past خواند is already complete without a final ـد person ending; that د belongs to the past stem.

For a compound, conjugate its light verb: کار کردم, “I worked.” The nonverbal word stays in the predicate.

می‌ plus a past stem has different uses, including habits and background situations. Compare رفتم, “I went,” with می‌رفتم, which needs its context to mean “I used to go” or “I was going.”

Examples (4)

  1. دیروز به تهران رفتم.

    I went to Tehran yesterday.

    The past stem رفت takes first-singular ـم.

  2. سارا کتاب را خواند.

    Sara read the book.

    خواند is a complete third-singular simple past.

  3. ما کار کردیم.

    We worked.

    The compound inflects کرد with first-plural ـیم.

  4. شما آمدید؟

    Did you come?

    The plural-shaped ending can respectfully address one listener.

How It Connects

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The Simple PastLevel 2

Learn This First

Use the past stem with the subject’s ending, remembering the zero third-singular form and the distinct می‌ past construction.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.