Learn Hardcore Arabic (Modern Standard): لم أفهم سبب هذا القرار، ثم فهمت الفكرة بعد الاجتماع. - I did not understand the reason for this decision, then I understood the idea after the meeting.

Word

لم أفهم سبب هذا القرار، ثم فهمت الفكرة بعد الاجتماع.

Meaning

I did not understand the reason for this decision, then I understood the idea after the meeting.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Arabic (Modern Standard)

Lesson

Lesson 6

Breakdown of لم أفهم سبب هذا القرار، ثم فهمت الفكرة بعد الاجتماع.

Questions & Answers about لم أفهم سبب هذا القرار، ثم فهمت الفكرة بعد الاجتماع.

Why does لم أفهم mean I did not understand if أفهم is usually a present-tense form?

Because لم changes how the verb works.

أفهم by itself means I understand / I am understanding
لم أفهم means I did not understand

In other words, لم negates the imperfect verb and gives it past-time meaning.

Grammatically, لم also puts the verb into the jussive mood. In fully vowelled Arabic, you would see:

أفهمُ = I understand
لم أفهمْ = I did not understand

In normal unvowelled writing, both look like أفهم, so the meaning comes from لم.

What is the difference between أفهم and فهمت in this sentence?

They come from the same root, ف-ه-م, but they are different verb forms:

أفهم = I understand / I understand (imperfect)
فهمت = I understood (perfect)

So the sentence uses:

لم أفهم = I did not understand
ثم فهمت = then I understood

This is very common in Arabic: one clause uses لم + imperfect for a negative past event, and the next clause uses the regular perfect for a completed past event.