Negation in Arabic (ar|ٱلنَّفْي|al-nafy 'the negative') is the array of approaches used in Arabic grammar to express grammatical negation. These strategies correspond to words in English like no and not.
Present-tense verbs are negated by adding Arabic: لا "not" before the verb:[1]
| affirmative sentence | أُحِبُّ الجَزَرَ’uḥibbu l-jazara "I like carrots" | |
| negative sentence | لا أُحِبُّ الجَزَرَlā ’uḥibbu l-jazara "I do not like carrots" |
If a sentence would, in the affirmative, have no verb (this can only happen in the present tense), then the negative verb Arabic: لَيْسَ "is not" is used. is inflected like a past-tense verb, but is used to negate present-tense sentences. As with Arabic: كانَ "was", the complement of must be in the accusative case. Before consonantal endings, the diphthong -ay- is reduced to a short -a-.[2]
Here is an example sentence saying that something is not big in all possible persons and numbers:
| person | singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st m | Arabic: لَسْتُ كَبِيرًا lastu kabīran "I am not big" | Arabic: لَسْنَا كَبِيرَيْنِ lasnā kabīrayni"we are not big" | Arabic: لَسْنَا كُبَرَاءَ lasnā kubarāʾa "we are not big" | |
| 1st f | Arabic: لَسْتُ كَبِيرَةً lastu kabīratan "I am not big" | Arabic: لَسْنَا كَبِيرَتَيْنِ lasnā kabīratayni"we are not big" | Arabic: لَسْنَا كَبِيرَاتٍ lasnā kabīrātin "we are not big" | |
| 2nd m | Arabic: لَسْتَ كَبِيرًا lasta kabīran "you (m) are not big" | Arabic: لَسْتُمَا كَبِيرَيْنِ lastumā kabīrayni "you two (m) are not big" | Arabic: لَسْتُمْ كُبَرَاءَ lastum kubarā’a "you (m) are not big" | |
| 2nd f | Arabic: لَسْتِ كَبِيرَةً lasti kabīratan "you (f) are not big" | Arabic: لَسْتُمَا كَبِيرَتَيْنِ lastumā kabīratayni "you two (f) are not big" | Arabic: لَسْتُنَّ كَبِيرَاتٍ lastunna kabīrātin "you (f) are not big" | |
| 3rd m | Arabic: لَيْسَ كَبِيرًا laysa kabīran "he is not big" | Arabic: لَيْسَا كَبِيرَيْنِ laysā kabīrayni "the two of them (m) are not big" | Arabic: لَيْسُوا كُبَرَاءَ laysū kubarā’a "they (m) are not big" | |
| 3rd f | Arabic: لَيْسَت كَبِيرَةً laysat kabīratan "she is not big" | Arabic: لَيْسَتَا كَبِيرَتَيْنِ laysatā kabīratayni "the two of them (f) are not big" | Arabic: لَسْنَ كَبِيرَاتٍ lasna kabīrātin "they (f) are not big" |
In Modern Standard Arabic, the main way to negate past-tense verbs is to add the negative particle Arabic: لَمْ "not" before the verb, and to put the verb in the jussive mood.[3] In more colloquial usage, it is possible to give the verb in the present indicative mood (which is largely identical in form to the jussive).[4]
| affirmative sentence | أَحْبَبْتُ الجَزَرَ’aḥbabtu l-jazara "I liked carrots" | |
| negative sentence | لَم أُحْبِبِ الجَزَرَlam ʾuḥbibi l-jazara "I did not like carrots" | |
| negative sentence | لَم أُحِبِّ الجَزَرَlam ’uḥibbi l-jazara "I did not like carrots" |
It is also possible to use the negative particle Arabic: ما before the verb, giving the verb in the past tense.[5] [6]
| affirmative sentence | أَحْبَبْتُ الجَزَرَ’aḥbabtu l-jazara "I liked carrots" | |
| negative sentence | مَا أَحْبَبْتُ الجَزَرَmā ’aḥbabtu l-jazara "I did not like carrots" |
Negating a proposition in the future is done by placing the negative particle Arabic: لَنْ before the verb in the subjunctive mood.[7]
| sentence type | example | |
|---|---|---|
| affirmative sentence | سَوْفَ أذْهَب إلى الدَّرْس غَداًsawfa ’aḍhabu ’ilā d-darsi ġadan "I will go to the class tomorrow" | |
| negative sentence | لَنْ أذْهَب إلى الدَّرْس غَدا lan ’aḍhaba ’ilā d-darsi ġadan "I will not go to the class tomorrow" |
The imperative (known as Arabic: الأَمْر "the order," from Arabic: أَمَرَ "he ordered") is negated by putting Arabic: لا "not" before the verb, putting the verb in the jussive, rather than the imperative, mood.[8] (This negative imperative is known as Arabic: النَّهْي "the discouragement," from Arabic: نَهى "he discouraged.") For example, in the masculine singular: Arabic: اِظْلِمْ (iẓlim, "oppress!"), Arabic: لا تَظْلِمْ (lā taẓlim, "do not oppress!").
"No", as an answer to a question, is expressed by the negative particle Arabic: لا .[9]
Modern Standard Arabic Arabic: لَيْسَ "is not" is replaced in colloquial usage with a variety of other forms, which in origin are contractions of phrases such as ما مِنْ شَيْ mā min shay "nothing" (literally: "none from/of a thing"):
| MSA | لَيْسَت هُنَا | laysat hunā | |
| Egyptian | هِيَ مِش هِنا | heyya meš hena | |
| Moroccan | هِيَ ماشي هُنا | hiya māši hna | |
| Algerian | هِيَ ماراهيش هُنا | hiya mārāhīš hna | |
| Iraq | هِيَ مو هِنا | hiyya mū hnā |
| Person | Past | Present | Future | Present continuous | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | ||
| 1st (m) | ma ktebt-š | ma ktebna-š | ma nekteb-š | ma nekketbu-š | ma Rayeḥ-š nekteb | ma Rayḥin-š nekketbu | ma Rani-š nekteb | ma Rana-š nekketbu | |
| 1st (f) | ma ktebt-š | ma ktebna-š | ma nekteb-š | ma nekketbu-š | ma Rayḥa-š nekteb | ma Rayḥin-š nekketbu | ma Rani-š nekteb | ma Rana-š nekketbu | |
| 2nd (m) | ma ketbt-š | ma ktebtu-š | ma tekteb-š | ma tekketbu-š | ma Rayeḥ-š tekteb | ma Rayḥin-š tekketbu | ma Rak-š tekteb | ma Rakum-š tekketbu | |
| 2nd (f) | ma ktebti-š | ma ktebtu-š | ma tekketbi-š | ma tekketbu-š | ma Rayḥa-š tekketbi | ma Rayḥin-š tekketbu | ma Raki-š tekketbi | ma Rakum-š tekketbu | |
| 3rd (m) | ma kteb-š | ma ketbu-š | ma yekteb-š | ma yekketbu-š | ma Rayeḥ-š yekteb | ma Rayḥin-š yekketbu | ma Rah-š yekteb | ma Rahum-š yekketbu | |
| 3rd (f) | ma ketbet-š | ma ketbu-š | ma tekteb-š | ma yekketbu-š | ma Rayḥa-š tekteb | ma Rayḥin-š yekketbu | ma Raha-š tekteb | ma Rahum-š yekketbu | |
In these varieties, to negate present participles and verbs conjugated in the future, mūš, or its conjugated form, is frequently used (in front of the verb).[10] [11] For example, Tunisian Arabic Arabic: موش is conjugated as follows:[12] [13]
| Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | |
|---|---|---|
| ānā آنا | mānīš مانيش | |
| intī إنتي | mākiš ماكش | |
| hūwa هوة | māhūš ماهوش | |
| hīya هية | māhīš ماهيش | |
| aḥnā أحنا | mānāš مناش | |
| intūmā انتوما | mākumš مكمش | |
| hūmā هومة | māhumš مهمش |