Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Negation/lt





































Adverbs for Negation
In Arabic, negative sentences can be formed using adverbs. The two most common adverbs used to negate a sentence are: لَا (lā) and مَا (mā).
لَا (lā) is used to negate present/future tense verbs, whereas مَا (mā) is used to negate past tense verbs.
Here's an example table for negation using adverbs:
Standard Arabic | Pronunciation | English Translation |
---|---|---|
لَا أكل | lā akl | I am not eating |
لَا تَتَكَلَّم | lā tatakallam | You are not speaking |
لَا يَشْرَبُ | lā yashrabu | He is not drinking |
مَا اشْتَرَى | mā ishtarā | He did not buy |
مَا قَالَتْ | mā qālat | She did not say |
Negation with لَمْ
لَمْ (lam) is another way to form negation in Arabic. It is used to negate actions that occurred in the past or actions that are doubtful.
لَمْ (lam) is usually followed by a present tense verb. The verb comes in the jussive form which means it has no subject pronoun. The jussive form for the third person is the same as the present tense, except for the final letter. The final letter will be ـَا (aa) instead of ـَى (aa).
Here is an example table for negation using لَمْ (lam):
Standard Arabic | Pronunciation | English Translation |
---|---|---|
لَمْ أكل | lam akl | I did not eat |
لَمْ تَتَكَلَّم | lam tatakallam | You did not speak |
لَمْ يَشْرَبْ | lam yashrab | He did not drink |
لَمْ تَقْرَأْ | lam taqra' | She did not read |
Negation with other structures
There are other structures used in Arabic to form negation such as مَا زَالَ (mā zāla) and مَنْذُ (mandhu).
مَا زَالَ (mā zāla) can be used to negate actions that are in progress. It is followed by a present tense verb in the negative form.
مَنْذُ (mandhu) is used to negate actions in the past that started at a particular point and continued until now. It is followed by a present tense verb.
Here is an example table:
Standard Arabic | Pronunciation | English Translation |
---|---|---|
مَا زَالَ يَبْكِي | mā zāla yabkī | He is still crying |
مَنْذُ أسْبُوعٍ لَمْ تَأْكُلِ | mandhu 'usbūin lam ta'kuli | You have not eaten since a week ago |
With these adverbs and structures, you can form simple negative sentences in Arabic. Keep practicing and you’ll master the art of negation!