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Past Continuous
A2Β·ElementaryLearn to describe ongoing actions in the past
Lesson Overview
15 exercises Β· Level 3
Grammar Explanation
Past Continuous (Imperfect) in Farsi
The past continuous describes actions that were happening at a point in the past. It uses the past tense of "daashtan" + the mi-verb.
Formation
past "daashtan" + mi- + past verb
Conjugation of "daashtan" (past auxiliary)
| Pronoun | Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| man | dashtam | I was (doing) |
| to | dashti | You were (doing) |
| oo | dasht | He/She was (doing) |
| ma | dashtim | We were (doing) |
| shoma | dashtid | You were (doing, formal) |
| oonaa | dashtand | They were (doing) |
Full Example: raftan (to go)
| Pronoun | Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| man | dashtam miraftam | I was going |
| to | dashti mirafti | You were going |
| oo | dasht miraft | He/She was going |
| ma | dashtim miraftim | We were going |
| shoma | dashtid miraftid | You were going (formal) |
| oonaa | dashtand miraftand | They were going |
More Examples
| Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|
| dashtam mikhordam | I was eating |
| dashti mineveshti | You were writing |
| dasht mikhond | He/She was reading |
When to Use
Use past continuous for:
- Background actions: dashtam ghazaa mikhordam ke telefon zang zad β I was eating when the phone rang
- Simultaneous past actions: dasht miraft va harf mizad β He was walking and talking
Past Continuous vs Simple Past
raftam β I went (completed action) dashtam miraftam β I was going (ongoing in the past)
khordam β I ate (finished) dashtam mikhordam β I was eating (in the middle of it)