الخطة كانت جنون.

The plan was madness.

Breakdown of الخطة كانت جنون.

• كان: to be
• خطة: plan
• جنون: madness

Questions & Answers about الخطة كانت جنون.

Why is it كانت and not كان?

Because الخطة (the plan) is a feminine singular noun in Arabic, so the past-tense form of to be must agree with it.

• كان = he was / it was for masculine
• كانت = she was / it was for feminine

Even though plan is not biologically female, Arabic nouns have grammatical gender, and خطة is feminine.

So:

• الخطة كانت جنون = The plan was crazy / The plan was madness

Why is الخطة feminine?

In Arabic, many nouns ending in ـة (called taa marbuuTa) are feminine, and خطة is one of them.

So:

• خطة = plan
• الخطة = the plan

Because it is feminine, any verb or adjective connected to it often shows feminine agreement, like كانت.

Why is there no separate word for was in the present tense, but there is one here?

In Arabic, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense, but it is expressed in the past and future.

So compare:

• الخطة جنون = The plan is crazy / The plan is madness