|
ARABIC ONLINE اللّغة العربيّة |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sound Masculine Plural Nouns Irregular Perfective Conjugation Irregular Imperfective Conjugation Inactive Particles Vocative Particles Praise & Disparagement Participle-like Adjectives Place-nouns Tool-nouns Diminutives
Add your comments to t
IMPORTANT NOTICE I have nothing to do with adds that appear on this website. I don't sell books, courses, lessons, or anything. This website is being transferred to another domain.
© Hani Deek 2005-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this website's content without express and written permission from this websites author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Hani Deek with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
|
Negation (continued) Present Tense Negative Sentences laat(a) لاتَ laat(a) is a classical, unimportant, negative particle that has very limited uses. Although it is a particle and not an incomplete verb, it works like lays(a) (requires an adverb in the accusative case following it); but there are limitations to how it is used:
Examples: لاتَ سَاْعَةَ مَنْدَمٍ laat(a) saa"a(ta) mandam(in) = is/exists not (the hour) (as) (the) hour (of) a regret Translation: this is not a time to regret
The original complete form of this sentence would be the following (not used): "لاتَ السَّاْعَةُ سَاْعَةَ مَنْدَمٍ" laat(a) ('a)s-saa"a(tu) saa"a(ta) mandam(in) = is/exists not the hour (as) (the) hour (of) a regret Translation: this is not a time to regret
Another example from the Koran: وَلاتَ حِيْنَ مَنَاصٍ wa-laat(a) heen(a) manaas(in) = and is/exists not (the time) (as) (the) time (of) an escape Translation: this is not a time to escape Explanation: this is not the right time to avoid punishment, you should have thought about it before
laa لا The word for "no" in Arabic, laa is the official word used for negation of imperfective verbs in the present tense. In standard usage, it comes before the verb and not the subject of the sentence. هُوَ لا يَعْرِفُ شَيْئًا huw(a) laa ya"rif(u) shay'a(n) = he not knows a thing Translation: HE doesn't know anything
لا يَعْرِفُ شَيْئًا laa ya"rif(u) shay'a(n) = not (he) knows a thing Translation: he doesn't know anything
إِنَّهُ لا يَعْرِفُ شَيْئًا 'inna-h(u) laa ya"rif(u) shay'a(n) = it is true that him not knows a thing Translation: he doesn't know anything
لَقَدْ أَخْبَرْتُكَ أَنَّهُ لا يَعْرِفُ شَيْئًا la-qad 'akhbartu-k(a) 'anna-h(u) laa ya"rif(u) shay'a(n) = (I) have told you that truthfully him not knows a thing Translation: I told you he doesn't know anything
إِنْ ذَهَبَ لا يَجِدُ شَيْئًا هُنَاْكَ 'in thahab(a) laa yajid(u) shay'a(n) hunaak(a) = if (he) went not (he) finds a thing there Translation: if he went, he wouldn't find anything there The imperfective in the last example served as a subjunctive verb. We mentioned in the verb section that this is common in Arabic.
Do Not! When laa comes before second person conjugations of imperfective verbs, it will mean a negative command. لا تَسْأَلْ laa tas'al = not (you) ask Translation: don't ask!
لا تَضْحَكِيْ laa tadhakee = not (you) laugh (sing. fem.) Translation: don't laugh!
When laa is used in this way (to give a negative command), it becomes a jussive particle and the imperfective verb after it must be in the jussive mood.
Before Subjects When laa precedes the subject instead of the verb, it will work either like lays(a) (i.e. it will require an adverb in the accusative case following it), or like 'inna (i.e the subject will be in the accusative case). However, the subject and the predicate must be indefinite when we use laa before the subject. The first usage (like lays(a)) is a rather unusual way to use this particle in Arabic. Example: لا مَطَرٌ هَاْطِلاً laa matar(un) haatila(n) = is/exists not a rain falling Translation: no rain is falling = it is not raining OR: it is not rain which is falling
لا رَجُلٌ فِيْ الْبَيْتِ laa rajul(un) fee ('a)l-bayt(i) = is/exists not a man in the house Translation: there is no man in the house OR: the man in the house is not a man
The second way of using laa before nouns (like 'inna) is much more common. laa is usually used in this way to make a general statement. Whereas the previous way of using laa (like lays(a)) should be used when making a more specific statement. لا أَحَدَ فِيْ الْبَيْتِ laa 'ahad(a) fee ('a)l-bayt(i) = not a one (is) in the house Translation: no one/nobody is in the house
لا رَجُلَ يَجْرُؤُ عَلَىْ الذَّهَاْبِ laa rajul(a) yajru'(u) "alaa ('a)th-thahaab(i) = not a man dares on the going Translation: no man dares to go
As a norm in the second case, the subject after laa will usually not be Noonated, although it will still be indefinite. As we have mentioned already, the subject and the predicate must be indefinite when using negative laa before the subject of a sentence. In Arabic grammar, when laa works like 'inna it is called: "negating of genus laa" لا النَّاْفِيَةُ لِلْجِنْسِ.
Neither ... nor ... Laa is used in Arabic to say "neither...nor..."
لا هَذَاْ وَلا ذَاْكَ laa haathaa wa-laa thaak(a) = not this and not that Translation: neither this nor that
لا رَأَيْتُ وَلا سَمِعْتُ laa ra'ayt(u) wa-laa sami"t(u) = not (I) saw and not (I) heard Translation: neither did I see nor did I hear
Prefixed laa- In modern Arabic, laa can often be prefixed to create new words much as non-, un-, in-, dis-, im-. il-, and ir- are used in English words. Examples:
*The word rayru غَيْرُ = "other than" is often used in a similar way; however, that word forms a genitive construction with the noun following it and will not be prefixed to it. Examples:
|
