Particle قد qad in Arabic is a particle that is only used with verbs in the perfect and imperfect tense. The verb cannot be put in the future or in the negative form even though its use in the negative tense is a widespread error today.

The particle expresses 4 main values depending on the tense of the verb and the context in which it will be used:

• Fulfillment of the action / التحقيق
• Temporal proximity / التقريب
• The expectation / التوقع
• The small probability / التقليل

It is worth mentioning that very often the context will determine the value of قد as the same sentence with قد in two different contexts can have two different translations.

Perfect tense / الماضي

Fulfillment of the action / التحقيق

Express the idea of an action that has indeed occurred and been fulfilled. 

• It can sometimes be translated by “already” or “indeed” depending on the context.

• It can express the idea of an event that occurred as expected (التَوَقُّع). It can be translated in English by “effectively”, “surely” or “indeed”.

• قد can also be translated by the English present perfect tense ((have + verb (ed)).

Note: we can find قد preceded by the emphatic lām لَ when used in the perfect tense to reinforce this meaning.

وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ…} القُرْآن [البَقَرة : ٩٩]}

{And We have certainly relieved to you verses [which are] clear proofs…} Qur’an [Al-Baqara : 99]

Temporal proximity / التقريب

Particle قد can also express the idea of something that just happened or very shortly in the past, often translated by “just”.

Note: we can find قد preceded by the empathic lām لَ when used in the perfect tense to reinforce this meaning.

لَقَد أَكَلْتُ وَجْبَتي

I just ate my meal

Imperfect tense / المُضارِع