A past negative without a past ending

Meet لم with selected jussive present forms.

New construction for past meaning

لم comes before a jussive present-form verb but makes the meaning past negative: لَمْ أَكْتُبْ I did not write. In the sound singular and we forms here, replace final ـُ with sukun.

لَمْ أَكْتُبْ / لَمْ نَدْرُسْ

Selected longer endings

أنتِ لم تكتبي: you did not write (one female). هم لم يكتبوا: they did not write (male/mixed). أنتما لم تكتبا: you two did not write. These forms lose indicative ن; the group form adds the silent final alif.

لَمْ تَكْتُبِي / لَمْ يَكْتُبُوا / لَمْ تَكْتُبَا

Past negation has another option

ما can negate a past verb: ما كتب means he did not write. Here the prompts specifically require لم to practise the new construction, not to repeat the existing past-conjugation lessons.

ما كتب / لم يكتب