The simple past is easier than the present, because the past stem is just the infinitive without its final -an: raftan (to go) gives raft, didan (to see) gives did. Add the personal endings and you are done, with no mi- needed.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| رفتم | raftam | I went |
| رفتی | rafti | you went |
| رفت | raft | he/she went (no ending) |
| رفتیم | raftim | we went |
| رفتید | raftid | you went (polite) |
| رفتن | raftan | they went (spoken) |
Common verbs in the past
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| دیدم | didam | I saw |
| خوردم | khordam | I ate |
| خریدم | kharidam | I bought |
| گفتم | goftam | I said |
| کردم | kardam | I did |
| اومدم | umadam | I came (written: âmadam) |
| بودم | budam | I was |
| داشتم | dâshtam | I had |
The negative adds na-: naraftam (I didn’t go), nadidam (I didn’t see). Put mi- in front of the past to describe something ongoing or habitual: miraftam (I was going, I used to go).
Time words
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| دیروز | diruz | yesterday |
| دیشب | dishab | last night |
| هفته پیش | hafte-ye pish | last week |
| پارسال | pârsâl | last year |
| قبلاً | ghablan | before, previously |
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| دیروز به بازار رفتم | diruz be bâzâr raftam | yesterday I went to the bazaar |
| دیشب کباب خوردیم | dishab kabâb khordim | last night we ate kebab |
Practise
- Say three things you did yesterday.
- Say “I didn’t see the metro”.
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