In a nutshell: Arabic tenses are straightforward, focusing on past (الماضي) and present (المضارع), with the future indicated by prefixes. The command form (الأمر) is used for orders. The language’s root system makes tense conjugation logical and easy to learn.

I’ll let you in on a secret, when I started learning English as an Arab kid I was shocked at how many tenses there were, 12! Wow! And you’ll understand why in a moment. So, I know what you might be thinking: Arabic verbs, Arabic tenses, Arabic conjugations… sounds scary, right?

Breathe a sigh of relief my dear Arabic learner, our Arabic tenses are actually simpler than you might think. English is obsessed with when exactly something happened, on the other hand, Arabic focuses more on whether an action is finished or ongoing.

Forget your past perfect continuous and your future perfect simple. In Arabic, we mainly deal with two basic tenses: the past (الماضي) and the present (المضارع). Yes, you heard that right! Just two, I’ll make this clear. 

However, there’s a twist! Arabic grammar can be a bit… how do you say… “fluid”?  Actually there are different opinions on how many Arabic tenses truly exist. 

Without further ado! get ready to experience a new world of linguistic expression!

Introduction to the Arabic Root System to Understand the Tense in Arabic

As I see it, I find it very important to begin with Arabic root system in order to clarify Arabic tenses. 

In Arabic, words are not just random letters put together. Arabic words grow from a root, usually three consonants (sometimes four), which gives the basic meaning. This is جذر (jadhr) in Arabic, meaning “root.”

For example, let’s take the root d-r-s (درس). This root is all about studying. Now, watch how many words we can “grow” from this root:

• darasa (دَرَس): he studied 
• dars (دَرْس): lesson 
• daris (دارس): student 
• madrasa (مدرسة): school 
• mudarris (مُدرِّس): teacher 
• dirasa (دراسة): studying (noun)

See? One root, so many words! Understanding this root system helps us understand the verbs and how they change in different tenses.

How does this Arabic root system help with Arabic tenses?

ِAh, good question! The Arabic root gives us the basic action of the verb. Then, we add vowels and letters around the root to change the tense, the person doing the action, and more. 

Let me show you with the verb “to study” from the root d-r-s:

• Past tense: darasa (دَرَس) – he studied 
• Present tense: yadrusu (يدرس) – he studies 
• Future Tense: sayadrusu (سيدرس) – he will study
• Command tense: idrus! (ادرس!) – study!

See how the root d-r-s د – ر – س stays the same? And the core meaning of knowledge stays the same, but the prefixes and vowels adjust to show time or mood. This root system is efficient, and once you grasp it, Arabic tenses start to look logical.

How Many Verb Tenses in Arabic?

There are three main tenses in Arabic that are used to describe actions and events:

1. Past Tense (الماضي – al-madi)
2. Present Tense (المضارع – al-mudari’)
3. Future Tense (المستقبل – al-mustaqbal) – 

BUT…

Actually, ancient Arab linguists did not consider “المستقبل” a tense because they did not find an independent conjugation for its verbs in Arabic. It is only the present tense verb preceded by: “سوف” or the augmentative letter: “س” as we will see later in this article!

That’s why I said in the introduction that in Arabic, you’re essentially dealing with only two main verb tenses, not three.

Wait! there’s more!

Arabic also has a Command Form or Imperative Mood (الأمر – al-amr) which is considered a seperate tense by Arabic grammarians (And I will explain the reasoning behind Arab linguists’ classification of the command form as a tense in the section of the article dedicated to the imperative):

4. A Command form (الأمر al-‘amr): This is for giving orders or making requests. Like, “Eat!” “Go!” “Study!”.

My Advice: Don’t get too worried about the number of Arabic tenses. Focus particularly on mastering the past and present forms at the beginning, and how to use them in different situations.

Now, let’s go through each tense with practical examples to see how they operate.

Past Tense in Arabic: 

Okay, now we will focus on the Past Tense (الماضي al-madi). We use Past Tense all the time to tell stories, share experiences, and talk about history. 

How to Form the Past Tense in Arabic

Remember our root system? To form the past tense (الماضي – al-madi), we typically begin with the three root letters (أحرف الجذر – ahruf al-jadhr) and add suffixes and vowels (حركات – harakat) around them. The exact vowels depend on the verb and the subject, but there are some common patterns. 

See the following chart to deepen your understanding with examples.

Uses of Past Tense in Arabic

The past tense in Arabic serves to describe events that have fully occurred. 

It is used similarly to the simple past in English but has broader application. 

For example, it covers actions that happened recently, long ago, or even hypothetically in the past. Here are some main uses:

1. Use Past Tense in Arabic to Express Completed Actions

Used to express something finished, no matter when it happened.

• كتبَ (kataba) – “he wrote”
• درستُ (darastu) – “I studied”
  

2. Use Past Tense in Arabic in Stories and Narratives

In storytelling, the past tense is essential. Each action in a story, like walking, speaking, or discovering, is expressed in the past tense in Arabic.

• قالت الفتاة: رأيتُ قطةً سوداءَ في الحديقةِ أمس

This translates to: The girl said: “I saw a black cat in the garden yesterday.”

3. Use Past Tense in Arabic with Hypothetical or Unreal Conditions

In certain cases, the past tense in Arabic is used for hypothetical statements, like “If he had studied, he would have succeeded.”

• لو درَسَ لَنجَحَ (law darasa lanjaḥa) – “If he studied, he would succeed”

Negating the Past Tense in Arabic

To say that something did not happen in the past in Arabic, it’s very easy. We use the particle ما (mā) before the verb. This particle negates the past tense without changing the verb’s form, unlike in some languages where additional conjugation or auxiliary verbs are needed. The pattern is simple and efficient for learners.

• ما كتبَ (mā kataba) – “he did not write”
• ما دَرَستُ (mā darastu) – “I did not study”

For example, if someone asks, هل ذهبت إلى مركز كلمة؟ “Did you go to Kalimah center?” You could reply with, ما ذهبت إلى مركز كلمة  “I did not go to Kalimah center.”

Also, we can add لم (lam) before the verb, but here you have to use the present form of the verb: لم أذهب إلى مركز كلمة  “I did not go to Kalimah center.”

However, I think you should visit Kalimah center if you want to learn Arabic properly 😄. You’ll find skilled native teachers there who can help you.

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Conjugating the Past Tense in Arabic

Conjugation in the past tense relies on adding suffixes to the root form to indicate the subject.

Here’s Arabic past tense conjugation chart that shows how the root د ر س (d-r-s) changes in the Arabic past tense:

Pronoun (ضمير – dameer)	Past Tense Verb (فعل ماضي – fi’l maadi)	Transliteration	Translation	Explanation
هو (he)	دَرَسَ	darasa	He studied	This is the basic form, often found in dictionaries.
هي (she)	دَرَسَتْ	darasat	She studied	Added a ‘t’ sound (ـتْ) at the end.
أنا (I)	دَرَسْتُ	darastu	I studied	Added a ‘tu’ sound (ـتُ) at the end.
أنتَ (you – masculine)	دَرَسْتَ	darasta	You (m) studied	Added a ‘ta’ sound (ـتَ) at the end.
أنتِ (you – feminine)	دَرَسْتِ	darasti	You (f) studied	Added a ‘ti’ sound (ـتِ) at the end.
نحنُ (we)	دَرَسْنَا	darasnaa	We studied	Added ‘naa’ (ـنا) at the end.
هُمَا (they – two)	دَرَسَا	darasaa	They (two) studied	Added ‘aa’ (ـا) at the end.
هُمْ (they – masculine plural)	دَرَسُوا	darasoo	They (m) studied	Added ‘oo’ (ـوا) at the end.
هُنَّ (they – feminine plural)	دَرَسْنَ	darasna	They (f) studied	Added ‘na’ (ـنَ) at the end.

Present Tense in Arabic: 

The present tense, known as المضارع (al-mudari’), is used to express actions happening now, actions that happen regularly, or even actions in the near future. 

It is a very flexible tense and an important part of Arabic, especially when describing daily routines, habitual actions, or current events. 

Let’s look into the details of how to use it with examples:

Uses of Present Tense in Arabic

As we said, the present tense in Arabic covers actions occurring now or actions that are ongoing. Here are some primary uses:

1. Use Arabic Present Tense to Express Actions Happening Now

This is the most straightforward use.

• “أنا أكتب رسالة الآن”
  “I am writing a letter now.”
• “هم يلعبون في الحديقة”
  “They are playing in the garden.”

2. Use Arabic Present Tense to Express General Truths

The present tense is also used for things that are always true.

• “تشرق الشمس من الشرق”
  “The sun rises from the east.”

3. Use Arabic Present Tense to Express Habits and Routines

We use the present tense to talk about things we do regularly.

• “يقرأ القرآن كل يوم”
  “He reads the Quran every day.”

4.  Use Arabic Present Tense to Express Future Actions

We may use the present tense to talk about things we will do in the future.

• “نذهب إلى السينما في المساء”
  “We will go to the cinema in the evening.”
  (literally: “We go to the cinema in the evening”)

Negating the Present Tense in Arabic

To make the Arabic present tense negative, we simply add لا (lā) before the verb.

• “أنا لا أكتب رسالة الآن”
  “I am not writing a letter now.”
• “هم لا يلعبون في الحديقة”
  “They are not playing in the garden.”

So, If someone asks,  هل تدرس العربية في مركز كلمة؟ “Are you studying Arabic at the Kalimah Center?” You could answer, لا، لا أدرس العربية في مركز كلمة “No, I am not studying Arabic at the Kalimah Center.”

I hate to say it again, but seriously, I think the answer should be نعم، أدرس العربية في مركز كلمة “Yes, I am studying Arabic at the Kalimah Center” if you really want to learn Arabic the right way. 😅

Enjoy a FREE trial class and see for yourself. 

Conjugating the Present Tense in Arabic

Conjugating Arabic verbs in the present tense requires using prefixes and sometimes suffixes to indicate who is performing the action.

For example, in the following Arabic present tense conjugation chart, you can see أ (a-) prefix for “I,” ي (ya-) prefix for “he,” and ت (ta-) prefix for “you” (singular) and “she.”

Here’s how to conjugate درس (d-r-s) in the present tense:

Pronoun (ضمير – dameer)	Present Tense Verb (فعل مضارع – *fi’l mudari`)	Transliteration	Translation	Explanation
هو (he)	يَدْرُسُ	yadrusu	He studies	Prefix ‘ya’ (يـ) and ‘u’ sound at the end.
هي (she)	تَدْرُسُ	tadrusu	She studies	Prefix ‘ta’ (تـ) and ‘u’ sound at the end.
أنا (I)	أَدْرُسُ	adrusu	I study	Prefix ‘a’ (أَ) and ‘u’ sound at the end.
أنتَ (you – masculine)	تَدْرُسُ	tadrusu	You (m) study	Same as ‘she’ but different pronoun.
أنتِ (you – feminine)	تَدْرُسِينَ	tadruseena	You (f) study	Prefix ‘ta’ (تـ) and ‘eena’ (ـينَ) at the end.
نحنُ (we)	نَدْرُسُ	nadrusu	We study	Prefix ‘na’ (نَـ) and ‘u’ sound at the end.
هُمَا (they – two)	يَدْرُسَانِ	yadrusani	They (two) study	Prefix ‘ya’ (يـ) and ‘ani’ (ـانِ) at the end.
هُمْ (they – masculine plural)	يَدْرُسُونَ	yadrusoona	They (m) study	Prefix ‘ya’ (يـ) and ‘oona’ (ـونَ) at the end.
هُنَّ (they – feminine plural)	يَدْرُسْنَ	yadrusna	They (f) study	Prefix ‘ya’ (يـ) and ‘na’ (ـنَ) at the end.

Read also: Arabic irregular verbs

Future Tense in Arabic

In Arabic, we have a clever way to talk about the future. It’s like adding a little “will” to our present tense verbs. We take the present tense and add a little something extra to show that the action will happen later. 

The سـ (sa-) is shorter and more commonly used in conversational Arabic, while سوف (sawfa) is more formal or emphatic.

Uses of Future Tense in Arabic

Here are some uses of future tenses in Arabic, with examples for further illustration as we have done with the previous two sentences. 

1. Use Arabic future Tense to Express Definite Future Plans

When you know what you will do, use the future tense.

• “سأزورُ صديقي غداً“
  “I will visit my friend tomorrow.”
  
• “سوف يسافرون إلى مصر الشهر القادم“
  “They will travel to Egypt next month.”
  

2. Use Arabic future Tense to Express Predictions and Possibilities

You can also use the future tense for things you think might happen.

• “أظن أنها ستمطر اليوم“
  “I think it will rain today.”
  
• “ربما ستنجحُ في الامتحان“
  “Maybe you will succeed in the exam.”
  

3. Use Arabic future Tense to Express Promises and threats

The future tense can be used to express strong intentions.

• “سأفعلُ ما بوسعي لمساعدتك“
  “I will do my best to help you.”
  
• “لن أسمحَ لك بفعل ذلك مرة أخرى“
  “I will not allow you to do that again.”

Future Tense Negation in Arabic

To negate the future tense, we use لن (lan) before the verb. This gives a strong sense of “will not” or “shall not.”

• “لن أذهبَ إلى الحفلة“
  “I will not go to the party.”
  
• “لن ينجحوا في هذه المهمة“
  “They will not succeed in this mission.”
  

So, if someone asks, هل ستدرس العربية في مركز كلمة الشهر القادم؟ “Will you study Arabic at the Kalima Center next month?” You could respond, لا، لن أدرسها هناك “No, I will not study it there.”

I bet you think I’m going to tell you that the ‘right’ answer here for your Arabic learning journey should be نعم سأدرس العربية في مركز كلمة الشهر القادم ‘Yes, I’ll go to the Kalimah Center next month.’ But nope! I’m going to defy your expectations and not say that. At least, not as long as  you’ve reviewed the curriculum of the Arabic language course! 😁

Conjugating the Future Tense in Arabic

As I explained, the Arabic future tense conjugation is based on the present tense form but with سـ (sa-) or سوف (sawfa) added as a prefix to indicate the future. 

Here’s how to conjugate درس (d-r-s) in the future tense:

Pronoun (ضمير – dameer)	Future Tense Verb (فعل مستقبل – fi’l mustaqbal)	Transliteration	Translation	Explanation
هو (he)	سَيَدْرُسُ / سوف يَدْرُسُ	sayadrusu / sawfa yadrusu	He will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
هي (she)	سَتَدْرُسُ / سوف تَدْرُسُ	satadrusu / sawfa tadrusu	She will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
أنا (I)	سَأَدْرُسُ / سوف أَدْرُسُ	sa’adrusu / sawfa adrusu	I will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
أنتَ (you – masculine)	سَتَدْرُسُ / سوف تَدْرُسُ	satadrusu / sawfa tadrusu	You (m) will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
أنتِ (you – feminine)	سَتَدْرُسِينَ / سوف تَدْرُسِينَ	satadruseena / sawfa tadruseena	You (f) will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
نحنُ (we)	سَنَدْرُسُ / سوف نَدْرُسُ	sanadrusu / sawfa nadrusu	We will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
هُمَا (they – two)	سَيَدْرُسَانِ / سوف يَدْرُسَانِ	sayadrusani / sawfa yadrusani	They (two) will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
هُمْ (they – masculine plural)	سَيَدْرُسُونَ / سوف يَدْرُسُونَ	sayadrusoona / sawfa yadrusoona	They (m) will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.
هُنَّ (they – feminine plural)	سَيَدْرُسْنَ / سوف يَدْرُسْنَ	sayadrusna / sawfa yadrusna	They (f) will study	Prefix ‘sa’ or ‘sawfa’ + present tense.

Command Tense (Imperative Mood):

Alright, I need you to REALLY focus on this part as it’s crucial and will explain a great deal of the ambiguity in how Arabic divides its tenses

Arab linguists, in their classification of tenses, relied on the concept of independent ‘buildings’ or ‘constructions’ for the verb. Arabic has a specific ‘form’ for the present tense, another for the past, and yet another when constructing the imperative (which is why it’s treated as a tense!)

Uses of the Command Tense in Arabic

The command form in Arabic does not include the subject in the verb itself; it’s assumed the listener is the subject. The Arabic imperative mood is used mainly to:

1. Use the Arabic Command Tense with Direct Commands

This is when you tell someone to do something directly.

• “اكتب!” (iktub!) – “Write!” (to a male)
• “افتح الباب!” (iftaḥ al-bāb!) – “Open the door!”
• “اشرب الماء!” (ishrab al-māʾ!) – “Drink the water!”

2. Use the Arabic Command Tense with Polite Requests

To make a request sound nicer, we often add “من فضلك (min faḍlik)” – “please.”

• “من فضلك، اكتب اسمك” (min faḍlik, iktub ismak) – “Please write your name.”
• “من فضلك، افتح النافذة” (min faḍlik, iftaḥ al-nāfidha) – “Please open the window.”

4. Use the Arabic Command Tense with Instructions and directions

The command tense is also great for giving instructions.

• “اذهب إلى اليمين” (idhhab ilā al-yamīn) – “Go to the right.”
• “خذ الدواء ثلاث مرات في اليوم” (khuḏh al-dawāʾ thalāth marrāt fī al-yawm) – “Take the medicine three times a day.”

Command Tense Negation in Arabic

To tell someone not to do something, we use لا (lā) with a special form of the present tense. This is a bit tricky, so pay attention!

• “لا تكتب!” (lā taktub!) – “Don’t write!”
• “لا تفتح الباب!” (lā taftaḥ al-bāb!) – “Don’t open the door!”
• “لا تشرب الماء!” (lā tashrab al-māʾ!) – “Don’t drink the water!”

 Conjugating the Command Tense in Arabic

To conjugate the imperative form in Arabic, we base it on the second-person forms in the present tense, but we drop the prefix تـ (ta-) and adjust the vowel endings. Here’s a breakdown of how it works using the verb درس (darasa – “to study”):

Pronoun (ضمير – dameer)	Imperative Verb (فعل أمر – fi’l amr)	Transliteration	Translation	Explanation
أنتَ (you – masculine singular)	اُدْرُسْ	udrus	Study! (to a male)	Prefix ‘u’ (اُ) and remove the final vowel.
أنتِ (you – feminine singular)	اُدْرُسِي	udrusi	Study! (to a female)	Prefix ‘u’ (اُ), keep the ‘i’ vowel.
أنْتُمَا (you – two)	اُدْرُسَا	udrusii	Study! (to two people)	Prefix ‘u’ (اُ) and add ‘aa’ (ـا).
أنْتُمْ (you – masculine plural)	اُدْرُسُوا	udrusoo	Study! (to a group of males)	Prefix ‘u’ (اُ) and add ‘oo’ (ـوا).
أنْتُنَّ (you – feminine plural)	اُدْرُسْنَ	udrusna	Study! (to a group of females)	Prefix ‘u’ (اُ) and add ‘na’ (ـنَ).

Arabic Regular Verbs & Healthy Salim Verbs and Their Relation with Arabic Tenses

We have different categories of Arabic verbs based on their root letters. The most common type is called الفِعْلُ الصَّحِيْح (al-fi’lu al-ṣaḥīḥ), which means “sound verb” or “regular verb.”

What are Regular Verbs in Arabic?

A regular verb in Arabic is a verb whose root letters don’t change when you conjugate it. This means the three root letters stay the same in the past, present, and command tenses.

Think of the verb رَحَلَ (raḥala) – “to depart” or “to travel”. Its root is r-ḥ-l. Look how these letters stay the same in all the tenses:

• Past: raḥala (رَحَلَ) – he departed/traveled
• Present: yarḥalu (يرحلُ) – he departs/travels
• Command: irḥal (اِرْحَلْ) – depart/travel!

Healthy Salim Verbs in Arabic

Now, within the regular verbs, we have a group called الفعل الصحيح السالم (al-fi’l al-ṣaḥīḥ al-salīm). These are “healthy” verbs because they are easy to conjugate.

What makes a verb “salim”?

A “salim” verb has three conditions:

1. It’s a regular verb (root letters don’t change)
2. It doesn’t have a hamza (ء) in its root.
3. It doesn’t have a wāw (و) or yāʾ (ي) as one of its root letters.

Examples of Salim verbs:

• كتب (kataba) – he wrote
• جلس (jalasa) – he sat
• فتح (fataḥa) – he opened

Why is this important for Arabic tenses?

Understanding the types of verbs helps you predict how they will change in different tenses. Regular verbs are predictable, so you can apply the conjugation rules you learned earlier.

* Excerpted from Kalimah’s Droos nahwiyah mena Al Moqaddemah Al AAjourromiyah, which is used in our online Arabic course.

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Why Learn Arabic Tenses with Kalimah Center?

To truly understand and use Arabic tenses correctly, you need more than just theory. You need practice, guidance, and a supportive learning environment.

That’s what Kalimah Center provides. Our online Arabic courses will help you:

• Build a strong foundation: Start with our Arabic Alphabet course to master the basics.
• Learn Arabic grammar naturally: We’ll guide you through Arabic tenses in a clear, easy-to-understand way.
• Practice speaking confidently: Our interactive lessons and experienced teachers will help you use different tenses in real-life conversations.

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Conclusion:

Arabic tenses are simpler than they may initially seem, as they primarily focus on whether an action is finished or ongoing, rather than on specific time frames like in English. The core tenses in Arabic are the past (الماضي) and present (المضارع), with the future expressed by modifying the present tense verb using prefixes like “سـ” (sa-) or “سوف” (sawfa).

• The past tense in Arabic is used to describe completed actions and is formed by adding suffixes to the verb root, depending on the subject. 
• The present tense conveys ongoing actions, habitual routines, or current truths, with negation achieved by adding “لا” before the verb.
•  To express future actions, the future tense uses the present verb with a prefix, where “سـ” or “سوف” signifies the future. 
• While Arabic includes a command form (الأمر) for giving orders, it is often treated as a separate mood rather than a full tense.

FAQs about Arabic Tenses