Breakdown of ماذا فعلت الأسبوع الماضي؟
الal
the
أسبوعusbû'
week
ماذاmâdhâ
what (with verbs)
فعلfa'ala
to do
ماضيmâdi
past
Questions & Answers about ماذا فعلت الأسبوع الماضي؟
How do we know فعلت means "you did" if there are no short vowels written?
The base verb is فعل (he did). The added ت at the end is the singular past tense suffix. Depending on the spoken vowel, فعلت can mean "I did" (fa'altu), "you did" to a male (fa'alta), or "you did" to a female (fa'alti). Without vowels, we rely on the context. Asking a question like this usually implies "you did"!
Why does this sentence use ماذا for "what" instead of ما?
In Arabic, ماذا is specifically used before verbs. Because the next word is the verb فعلت (you did), we must use ماذا. The word ما is also used for "what", but mostly before nouns or pronouns (like asking "what is your name?").
Why does the word for "last" (الماضي) have the "the" prefix (الـ) attached to it?
In Arabic, adjectives come after the noun and must copy its "definiteness". Because the word for week (الأسبوع) has the "the" prefix (الـ), the adjective describing it must also have it. You are literally saying "the week the past".
Is the word الماضي the same word used when talking about the "past tense" in grammar?
Yes! الماضي simply means "the past". It is used for time phrases like "last week" or "last year", and it is also the exact grammatical name for the past tense verbs you are learning right now.
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