When presenting an alibi or explaining events in a courtroom, you often need to clarify what was not happening or what you were not doing. To express this, we use the negative past continuous tense.
Forming the Negative Past Continuous
To make the past continuous negative, simply add the negative prefix ن directly to the continuous prefix می, forming نمی. This combined prefix is placed right before the past stem and the past personal ending.
For example, using the verb کردن (to do), which has the past stem کرد:
| Subject | Negative Prefix | Past Stem | Ending | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| من | نمی | کرد | ـم | نمیکردم | I was not doing |
| تو | نمی | کرد | ـی | نمیکردی | You were not doing |
| او / آن | نمی | کرد | (none) | نمیکرد | He/She/It was not doing |
| ما | نمی | کرد | ـیم | نمیکردیم | We were not doing |
| شما | نمی | کرد | ـید | نمیکردید | You (pl.) were not doing |
| آنها | نمی | کرد | ـند | نمیکردند | They were not doing |
Compound Verbs in the Negative
Just like in the affirmative past continuous, the prefix نمی attaches only to the verbal part of a compound verb. The non-verbal part (the noun or adjective) remains completely separate at the front.
| I was not talking about the crime. | من دربارهی جرم صحبت نمیکردم.man darbâre-ye jorm sohbat nemikardam. |
| The lawyer was not defending the accused. | وکیل از متهم دفاع نمیکرد.vakil az mottaham defâ' nemikard. |
| We were not collecting evidence. | ما مدرک جمعآوری نمیکردیم.mâ madrak jam'âvari nemikardim. |
| The accused was not resting in the hotel. | متهم در هتل استراحت نمیکرد.mottaham dar hotel esterâhat nemikard. |
Asking Questions and Providing Details
You can use the negative past continuous to ask about missing details or to clarify witness statements. Notice how verbs like شهادت دادن (to testify) or دروغ گفتن (to lie) follow the exact same pattern.
| Why wasn't the witness testifying in court? | چرا شاهد در دادگاه شهادت نمیداد؟cherâ shâhed dar dâdgâh shahâdat nemidâd? |
| You were not lying to the judge. | شما به قاضی دروغ نمیگفتید.shomâ be ghâzi dorugh nemigoftid. |