A1 Verb System 4 min read Leicht

Persisches Präteritum: Ich tat, Er ging (-am, -i, -)

To speak in the past, drop the 'an' from any verb and add your personal ending.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The simple past describes completed actions; just add the correct personal ending to the past stem of the verb.

  • Find the past stem by removing '-an' from the infinitive (e.g., raftan -> raft).
  • Add the personal ending: -am, -i, - (none), -im, -id, -and.
  • For negatives, add the prefix 'na-' to the beginning of the verb.
Past Stem + Personal Ending = Completed Action (e.g., رفت + م = رفتم)

Overview

Fühlst du dich auch manchmal, als wäre die englische Vergangenheitsform ein Chaos? Denk an bought oder caught. Persisch ist da viel entspannter.
Das Präteritum (Simple Past) ist das Fundament deiner persischen Reise. So erzählst du Freunden von deinem Wochenende oder erklärst, warum du zu spät zum Zoom-Meeting kommst. Im Persischen ist die Vergangenheit unglaublich regelmäßig.
Sobald du den Vergangenheitsstamm eines Verbs gefunden hast, hast du 90 % der Arbeit erledigt. Es ist wie das Bauen mit LEGO-Steinen.

How This Grammar Works

Jedes persische Verb hat eine geheime Identität: den Infinitiv. Diese enden immer auf an (ـن). Um zur Vergangenheit zu gelangen, schneiden wir einfach diese Endung ab.
Was übrig bleibt, ist der Vergangenheitsstamm. Zum Beispiel wird aus raftan (gehen) einfach raft. Dieser Stamm bleibt für alle Personen gleich.
Egal ob ich ging, du gingst oder sie gingen, das Wort raft bleibt genau gleich. Du fügst nur ein kleines Suffix am Ende hinzu.

Formation Pattern

1
Folge diesen drei einfachen Schritten:
2
Beginne mit dem Infinitiv, z. B. khordan (essen).
3
Entferne das finale an (ـن), um den Stamm zu erhalten: khord (خورد).
4
Füge die Personalendungen hinzu:
5
Ich: -am -> khordam (ich aß)
6
Du: -i -> khordi (du aßt)
7
Er/Sie/Es: KEINE ENDUNG -> khord (er aß)
8
Wir: -im -> khordim (wir aßen)
9
Ihr/Sie (höflich): -id -> khordid (ihr aßt)
10
Sie (Plural): -and -> khordand (sie aßen)
11
Der dritte Singular ist also einfach nur der Stamm. Minimalismus pur!

When To Use It

Nutze diese Zeitform für alles, was abgeschlossen ist.
  • Social Media:
    Ich habe eine Story gepostet
    (estori gozashtam).
  • Alltag:
    Ich habe Brot gekauft
    (nan kharidam).
  • Netflix:
    Ich habe die ganze Staffel gesehen
    (tamam-e fasl-o didam).

Common Mistakes

Der häufigste Fehler ist, der 3. Person Singular eine Endung geben zu wollen. Sag nicht raft-esh. Im Präteritum heißt Er ging einfach raft. Verwechsle auch nicht den Präsensstamm mit dem Vergangenheitsstamm. Und denk an das höfliche Sie (-id), wenn du mit Fremden sprichst.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

Persisch hat wie Deutsch das Präteritum (raftam) und das Perfekt (rafte-am). Wenn du Anfänger bist, bleib beim Präteritum. Es ist das Arbeitstier der Sprache. Verwechsle es nicht mit dem Imperfekt (ich ging gerade), das ein mi- benötigt.

Quick FAQ

F: Ist der Stamm immer regelmäßig?

Ja! Einfach an vom Infinitiv streichen.

F: Wie verneine ich?

Einfach ein na- davor setzen. naraftam (ich ging nicht).

F: Brauche ich Pronomen wie 'man' (ich)?

Meistens nicht, die Endung verrät alles.

Meanings

The simple past is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.

1

Completed Action

An action that happened and finished in the past.

“او کتاب را خواند”

“ما ناهار خوردیم”

2

Narrative Past

Used in storytelling to sequence events.

“او وارد شد، سلام کرد و نشست”

“خورشید طلوع کرد”

3

Negative Past

Denying an action occurred.

“من نرفتم”

“او نخورد”

Conjugation of 'Raftan' (To Go)

Pronoun Ending Conjugated Form
Man (I) -am Raftam
To (You) -i Rafti
Ou (He/She) none Raft
Ma (We) -im Raftim
Shoma (You pl.) -id Raftid
Anha (They) -and Raftand

Reference Table

Reference table for Persisches Präteritum: Ich tat, Er ging (-am, -i, -)
Person Suffix Example (Raftan - to go)
I (Man) -am raftam (I went)
You (To) -i rafti (You went)
He/She (U) (none) raft (He/She went)
We (Mā) -im raftim (We went)
You pl. (Shomā) -id raftid (You went)
They (Anhā) -and raftand (They went)

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
من به فروشگاه رفتم.

من به فروشگاه رفتم. (Daily errand)

Neutral
من به مغازه رفتم.

من به مغازه رفتم. (Daily errand)

Informell
رفتم مغازه.

رفتم مغازه. (Daily errand)

Umgangssprache
زدم تو کار مغازه.

زدم تو کار مغازه. (Daily errand)

Anatomy of a Past Tense Verb

Past Verb

The Base

  • Past Stem Infinitive minus -an

The Suffixes

  • -am, -i, -im Personal endings

Formal vs. Informal 'You'

Informal (Friends)
rafti you went
Formal (Boss/Elders)
raftid you went (polite)

How to Conjugate

1

Is the subject He/She/It?

YES
Just use the Past Stem (no ending)
NO
Add the specific personal ending
2

Is it negative?

YES
Add 'na-' prefix
NO ↓

Essential Past Stems

🚶

Movement

  • • raft (went)
  • • āmad (came)
  • • resid (arrived)
✍️

Actions

  • • khord (ate)
  • • did (saw)
  • • nevesht (wrote)
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Examples by Level

1

من دیروز غذا خوردم

I ate food yesterday

2

او به خانه رفت

He went home

3

ما فیلم دیدیم

We watched a movie

4

تو کتاب خواندی

You read a book

1

من دیروز به مدرسه نرفتم

I didn't go to school yesterday

2

آیا تو دیروز کار کردی؟

Did you work yesterday?

3

آنها دیر رسیدند

They arrived late

4

شما چه چیزی خریدید؟

What did you buy?

1

وقتی رسیدم، او رفته بود

When I arrived, he had gone

2

او گفت که دیروز به بازار رفت

He said he went to the market yesterday

3

اگر می‌دانستم، می‌آمدم

If I had known, I would have come

4

او تصمیم گرفت که برود

He decided to go

1

او با دقت نامه را نوشت و امضا کرد

He carefully wrote and signed the letter

2

در آن سال، تغییرات زیادی رخ داد

In that year, many changes occurred

3

او نتوانست حقیقت را بگوید

He could not tell the truth

4

ما به نتیجه نرسیدیم

We did not reach a conclusion

1

او چنان با مهارت سخن گفت که همه تحت تأثیر قرار گرفتند

He spoke with such skill that everyone was impressed

2

او از فرصت استفاده کرد و پیشنهاد داد

He took the opportunity and made a proposal

3

این واقعه مسیر تاریخ را تغییر داد

This event changed the course of history

4

او به ندرت در جلسات شرکت کرد

He rarely participated in the meetings

1

او در آن لحظه به یاد آورد که چه چیزی را فراموش کرده بود

At that moment, he remembered what he had forgotten

2

او با وجود مشکلات، به راه خود ادامه داد

Despite the problems, he continued on his way

3

این تصمیم، سرنوشت او را رقم زد

This decision determined his fate

4

او در نهایت به حقیقت پی برد

He finally realized the truth

Easily Confused

Persian Simple Past: I Did, He Went (-am, -i, -) vs. Simple Past vs. Imperfect

Learners often use the simple past for habitual actions.

Persian Simple Past: I Did, He Went (-am, -i, -) vs. Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

Learners use simple past when the time is not specified.

Persian Simple Past: I Did, He Went (-am, -i, -) vs. Simple Past vs. Past Progressive

Mixing up completed actions with ongoing past actions.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Raftam-am

✓

Raftam

Don't double the pronoun ending.
✗

Na-raft

✓

Naraft

The negative prefix should be attached.
✗

Raft-i-am

✓

Raftam

Incorrect suffix combination.
✗

Raftan-i

✓

Rafti

Using the infinitive instead of the stem.
✗

Man rafti

✓

Man raftam

Subject-verb agreement error.
✗

Raftam diruz

✓

Diruz raftam

Word order preference.
✗

Naraftam-i

✓

Naraftam

Redundant suffix.
✗

Raftam-e

✓

Raftam

Confusing with present perfect.
✗

Raftam-im

✓

Raftim

Incorrect pluralization.
✗

Naraft-am

✓

Naraftam

Incorrect prefix placement.
✗

Raftam-e-bud

✓

Raftam

Over-complicating the tense.
✗

Raft-e

✓

Raft

Incorrect third-person suffix.
✗

Naraft-e

✓

Naraft

Incorrect negation.

Sentence Patterns

من دیروز ___ کردم.

آیا تو ___ رفتی؟

ما ___ را ندیدیم.

او گفت که ___ کرد.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

کجا رفتی؟

Job Interview very common

من در آن پروژه کار کردم.

Travel common

من بلیط را خریدم.

Social Media common

امروز خیلی خوش گذشت!

Food Delivery occasional

من پیتزا سفارش دادم.

News Report constant

رئیس جمهور سخنرانی کرد.

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🎯

Drop the Pronoun

Persian is a 'pro-drop' language. Since the verb ending tells you who the subject is, you don't need to say 'Man' or 'To' every time. It makes you sound more like a native!
⚠️

The Silent 3rd Person

Remember: He/She (U) never takes an ending in the past tense. If you add one, people will still understand you, but it's a dead giveaway that you're a beginner.
💬

Politeness Matters

Always use the plural 'you' (-id) when talking to someone you don't know well, even if it's just one person. It's the Persian way of being respectful.

Smart Tips

Always learn the infinitive and past stem together.

Learning 'raftan'. → Learning 'raftan' (raft).

The 'na-' prefix is always attached.

Na raftam. → Naraftam.

Focus on the ending sound.

Raft-am. → Raftam.

Use time markers to clarify.

Raftam. → Diruz raftam.

Aussprache

raf-TAM

Stress

Stress usually falls on the last syllable of the stem.

Question

Rafti? ↑

Rising pitch at the end indicates a question.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember 'Past is a Blast': Take the stem, add the ending, and you're done!

Visual Association

Imagine a train (the verb) arriving at a station (the past). The passengers (the endings) hop on at the end of the train.

Rhyme

Take the stem and add the bit, now you've made the past of it!

Story

Yesterday, I (raftam) to the store. I (kharidam) bread. I (khordam) lunch. It was a good day.

Word Web

RaftanKhandanKhardanDidanNeveshtanGoftan

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences about what you did this morning in 5 minutes.

Kulturelle Hinweise

In casual speech, the final 'd' in 'raftand' is often dropped.

Always use the full 'd' ending in writing.

The simple past is the primary tense for historical narration.

The Persian simple past is derived from the Old Persian past participle.

Conversation Starters

“

دیروز چه کار کردی؟

“

آخر هفته کجا رفتی؟

“

اولین باری که به ایران آمدی چه حسی داشتی؟

“

در دوران کودکی چه بازی‌هایی انجام دادی؟

Journal Prompts

Write about your favorite childhood memory.
Describe your last vacation in detail.
Write a short story about a mysterious event.
Reflect on a major decision you made last year.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'did' (to see/watch).

Man film rā ____. (I watched the movie)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: didam
The suffix for 'I' (Man) is -am. The stem of 'did-an' is 'did'.
Which sentence is correct for 'He went'? Multiple Choice

Choose the right option:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: U raft.
In Persian simple past, the 3rd person singular (He/She) takes no ending.
Fix the mistake in this sentence: 'Mā ghazā khord.' Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Mā ghazā khord.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mā ghazā khordim.
The subject 'Mā' (We) requires the ending -im.

Score: /3

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Conjugate 'raftan' for 'I'.

من به خانه ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: رفتم
The ending for 'I' is -am.
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

او نرفتم.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: او نرفت
Third person singular has no suffix.
Select the correct negative form. Multiple Choice

من غذا ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: نخوردم
Negative for 'I' is 'na-' + stem + '-am'.
Reorder the sentence. Sentence Reorder

دیروز / رفتم / من / بازار

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: من دیروز بازار رفتم
Standard word order is Subject-Time-Object-Verb.
Translate to Persian. Übersetzung

They arrived.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: آنها رسیدند
Third person plural ending is -and.
Match the pronoun to the ending. Match Pairs

Match: Man, To, Ma

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -am, -i, -im
Correct endings for I, You, We.
Which is the past stem? Multiple Choice

Infinitive: 'Khandan'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khand
Remove -an to get the stem.
Conjugate for 'We'.

ما فیلم ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: دیدیم
The ending for 'We' is -im.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Fill in the blank: Shomā be Tehrān ____ (You plural arrived). Lückentext

Shomā be Tehrān ____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: residid
Translate to Persian: They read the book. Übersetzung

They read the book. (to read = khāndan, book = ketāb)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Anhā ketāb rā khāndand.
Reorder the words to say 'I bought bread.' Sentence Reorder

kharidam / man / nān

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: man nān kharidam
Match the pronoun to the verb ending. Match Pairs

Match them:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Man : -am, To : -i, Mā : -im, Anhā : -and
Find the error: To ketāb khāndam. Error Correction

To ketāb khāndam.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: To ketāb khāndi.
How do you say 'She did not go'? Multiple Choice

Choose the negative form:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: U naraft.
Fill in the blank: Man emruz dars ____ (I studied today). Lückentext

Man emruz dars ____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: khāndam
Translate to Persian: We ate. Übersetzung

We ate.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mā khordim.
Reorder: didid / shomā / rā / film Sentence Reorder

didid / shomā / rā / film

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: shomā film rā didid
Which is the past stem of 'neveshtan' (to write)? Multiple Choice

Past stem of neveshtan:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nevesht

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

Remove the '-an' from the infinitive verb. For example, 'raftan' becomes 'raft'.

Yes, the endings are consistent for almost every verb in Persian.

Add 'na-' to the beginning of the verb. 'Raftam' becomes 'naraftam'.

Most Persian verbs are regular in the past tense. Only a few have irregular stems.

No, this is only for past actions.

No, Persian verbs do not change based on the gender of the subject.

Use the same structure as a statement but raise your intonation at the end.

Confusing the past stem with the present stem.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Pretérito indefinido

Spanish has more irregular stems.

French moderate

Passé composé

Persian uses suffixes, not auxiliaries.

German moderate

Präteritum

German has strong/weak verb classes.

Japanese low

Ta-form

Persian conjugates for person.

Arabic moderate

Madi

Arabic has gendered endings.

Chinese none

Le particle

Persian is inflectional.

Previous
Persische Zahlen 1-100: Zählen wie ein Muttersprachler

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