The Past Tense can be expressed more directly by the use of the marker té. This marker is used to indicate that some action took place in the past; it is also applied to past conditions. The tense marker té can be used with other markers in expressing more complex notions of time. The tense marker té always appears before nouns, adjectives and adverbs.
Example:
Mizik-la té bèl oswè-a. - The music was great tonight.
Lè mwen tan nouvèl-la, mwen té kontan. - When I heard the news, I was happy.
Manzèl-la té swen pòpò-a épi lanmou -The woman lovingly cared for the baby.
Dé vyé nonm-lan té malad. - The two old men were sick.
Mwen té la pou baptènm-la - I was there for the baptism.
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The Recent Past
Any action that was completed in the recent past or just before the present time, is expressed by the use of SÒTI. The recent past tense is formed by placing SÒTI before the verb.
Example:
Nou sòti lavé sé wad-la. - We just washed the clothes.
Fwè mwen sòti pati lékòl. - My bother just left school.
Tonton-li sòti manjé yon bon soup. - His uncle just ate a good soup.
Papa, maman, mwen sòti wè yon zonbi! - Dad, Mom, I just saw a ghost!
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Please translate the following sentences. You will find the answers below.
1. The elephant just passed here.
2. A big bird just flew over our heads.
3. James just got off the boat.
4. Anne just fought the thief.
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1) Léfan-an fini pasé isi-a.
2) Yon gwo zwézo fini volé anlè tèt-nou an.
3) James fini débatjé bato-a.
4) Anne fini goumen vòlè-a.
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