Past Habits and Continuous Actions
To describe habits or actions that were ongoing in the past (like "I used to play" or "I was playing"), Arabic pairs the past tense of كان (to be) with a present tense verb.
Negating Past Habits (لم يكن)
To say that someone did not use to do something or was not doing something regularly, we negate the auxiliary verb كان. Use the negative particle لم followed by the jussive form of كان, and then the main present tense verb.
For example, with third-person subjects, you will use لم يكن (for masculine) or لم تكن (for feminine).
| The lazy boy did not use to play sports. | لم يكن الولد الكسول يلعب الرياضة.lam yakuni l-waladu l-kasûlu yal'abu r-riyâdah |
| My active sister did not use to stay up late in the past. | لم تكن أختي النشيطة تسهر في الماضي.lam takun ukhtî an-nashîtatu tas-haru fil-mâdhî |
Subject Agreement
Both the auxiliary verb كان and the main present tense verb must agree with the subject. Here is how كان looks in the jussive state after لم for common subjects:
- I: لم أكن
- We: لم نكن
- He: لم يكن
- She: لم تكن
- They (masculine): لم يكونوا
- They (feminine): لم يكن
Notice that for plural masculine subjects, the final ن drops in the jussive state, leaving a silent alif (يكونوا).
| I did not use to play sports in the past. | لم أكن ألعب الرياضة في الماضي.lam akun al'abu ar-riyâdata fi al-mâdi. |
| We did not use to walk daily, but we do that now. | لم نكن نمشي يوميا، لكننا نفعل ذلك الآن.lam nakun namshî yawmiyyan, lâkinnanâ naf'alu dhâlika al-âna. |
| They did not use to cut down on the harmful sugar, because they got used to it. | لم يكونوا يقللون من السكر المضر، لأنهم اعتادوا عليه.lam yakûnû yuqallilûna mina as-sukkari al-mudirri, li'annahumu i'tâdû 'alayhi. |
Contrasting Old Habits with the Present
When discussing changing lifestyles, you will often want to contrast an old negative habit with a new reality. You can use conjunctions like "but" (لكن) along with the verb اعتاد على (to get used to) to explain how your routines have evolved.
| to get used to | اعتاد علىi'tâda 'alâ |
| I did not use to stay up late, but I got used to that now. | لم أكن أسهر، لكنني اعتدت على ذلك الآن.lam akun as'haru, lâkinnanî i'tadtu 'alâ dhâlika al-ân. |
| My grandmother did not use to play sports, but she got used to walking for her fitness. | لم تكن جدتي تلعب الرياضة، لكنها اعتادت على أن تمشي للياقتها.lam takun jaddatî talabu ar-riyâdata, lâkinnahâ itâdat alâ an tamshiya liliyâqatihâ. |
