Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): ما أودع الرجل شيكا في البنك. - The man did not deposit a check in the bank.

In Modern Standard Arabic, you can negate the past tense in two ways. You can use لم followed by the present jussive verb (like لم يودع), or ما followed by the past tense verb (like ما أودع). Both mean "did not deposit," but لم is slightly more formal and common in writing, while ما with the past tense is perfectly valid and very common in both written Arabic and spoken dialects.

Why does the word شيك have an extra alif at the end to make شيكا?

The word شيك (check) is the direct object of the verb, so it takes the accusative case. Because it is indefinite (meaning "a check," not "the check") and does not end in a tā marbūṭa, we must add an alif to carry the tanwīn fatḥa (the "-an" sound) at the end of the word, making it شيكا.

What is the root and form of the verb أودع?

It is a Form IV verb from the root و د ع, which relates to leaving or putting something somewhere. Form IV verbs often have a causative meaning, so أودع literally means "to cause to be left" or "to deposit."

Could I change the word order and put the subject first, like الرجل ما أودع?

Yes, you can. Arabic allows both Verb-Subject-Object (VSO) and Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word orders. The current sentence uses VSO (ما أودع الرجل), which is the standard default in formal Arabic. Changing it to SVO (الرجل ما أودع شيكا في البنك) is perfectly correct but slightly shifts the emphasis onto the man rather than his action.