Conjunctions are essential components in Arabic, as they enable speakers to link sentences and convey meaningful ideas.
Common Conjunctions in Arabic
The most common conjunctions in Arabic are:
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example |
| وَ wa | and | .حَـسَـن وَ مُـحَـمَّـد يَـعـيـشـانِ هُـنـا ḥasan wa-muḥammad ya‘īshāni hunā. Hassan and Muhammad live here. |
| أَوْ ’aw | or | .أُريــدُ عَـصـيـرَ بُـرْتُـقـال أَوْ لَـيْـمـون ’urīdu ‘aṣīra burtuqāl ’aw-laymūn. I want orange or lemon juice. |
| …فَـ fa… | so, then, thus | .سَـأَلَـهُ سُـؤالًا فَـــأَجــابَـهُ sa’alahu su’ālan fa-’ajābah. He asked him a question, so he answered him. |
| ثُــمَّ thumma | and then | .شَـرِبْتُ الْـقَـهْـوَةَ ثُـمَّ خَـرَجْـتُ لِـلْـعَـمَـلِ sharibtu -l-qahwata thumma kharajtu li-l-‘amal. I drank coffee, and then I went out to work. |
| إِنْ ’in | if | .إِنْ كُـنْـتَ تَـعْـلَـم، أَخْـبِـرْنـي ’in kunta ta‘lam, ’akhbirnī. If you know, tell me. |
| إِذا ’idhā | if | .إِذا طَـلَـعَـتِ الـشَّـمْـسُ سَـأَذْهَـبُ لِـلـنَّـوْمِ ’idhā ṭala‘at (i) -sh-shamsu sa-’adh habu li-n-nawm. If (when) the sun rises, I will go to sleep. |
| لَـوْ law | if | .لَـوْ كُـنْـتُ أَعْـلَـمُ لَأَخْـبَـرْتُـكَ law kuntu ’a‘lamu la-’akhbartuk. If I knew, I would have told you. |
| لـكِـنْ lākin | but | .أُريـدُ أَنْ آكُـلَ لـكِـنْ لَـيْـسَ الْآن ’urīdu ’an ’ākula lākin laysa -l-’ān. I want to eat but not now. |
| بَــلْ bal | but rather | .الـيَـوْمُ لَـيْـسَ الـخَـمـيـسَ بَــل الـجُـمُـعَـةَ al-yawmu laysa -l-khamīsa bal (i)-l-jumu‘ah. Today is not Thursday but rather Friday. |
| لِأَنَّ li-’anna | because | .لَـنْ أَذْهَــبَ إِلـى العَـمَـلِ لِأَنَّ الطُّـرُقَ مُـغْـلَـقَـةٌ lan ’adh haba ’ilā -l-‘amali li–’anna -ṭ-ṭuruqa mughlaqah. I won’t go to work because the roads are closed. |
| بِـسَـبَـبِ bi-sababi | because of | .لا يُـمْـكِـنُـنـا الـخُـروجُ بِـسَـبَـبِ الـثُّـلـوج lā yumkinunā -l-khurūju bi–sababi -th-thulūj. We can’t go out because of the snow. |
وَ (wa) ‘and’ & أَوْ (’aw) ‘or’
In Arabic, the conjunctions وَ (wa) ‘and’ and أَوْ (’aw) ‘or’ are repeated multiple times for multiple nouns or adjectives. For example:
| .يَـعـيـشُ هُـنـا لُـبْـنـانِـيّـونَ وَسـورِيّـونَ وَفِـلَـسْـطـيـنـيّـونَ وَمِـصْـرِيّـونَ ya‘īshu hunā lubnāniyyūna wa-sūriyyūna wa-filasṭīniyyūna wa-miṣriyyūn. Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians, and Egyptians live here. |
| .أُريــدُ عَـصـيـرَ بُـرْتُـقـال أَوْ رُمّــان أَوْ لَـيْـمـون ’urīdu ‘aṣīra burtuqāl ’aw-rummān ’aw-laymūn. I want orange, pomegranate, or lemon juice. |
Or: أَوْ (’aw) vs. أَمْ (’am)
The conjunction أَمْ (’am) replaces أَوْ (’aw), both translated as “or,” when asking a نَـعَـمْ (na‘am) ‘yes’ or لا (lā) ‘no’ question using the interrogative particle هَــلْ (hal) or أَ (’a). For example:
| أَتُـريـدُ أَنْ تَـأْكُـلَ أَمْ تُـريـدُ أَنْ تَـنـامَ؟ ’a-turīdu ’an ta’kula ’am turīdu ’an tanām? Do you want to eat or you want to sleep? |
| هَـلْ بَـيْـتُـكَ قَـريـبٌ أَمْ بَـعـيـدٌ مِـنْ هُـنـا؟ hal baytuka qarībun ’am ba‘īdun min hunā? Is your house close or far from here? |
If: إِنْ (’in) vs. إِذا (’idhā) vs. لَـوْ (law)
There are three different conjunctions in Arabic that can be translated as “if” in English: إِنْ (’in), إِذا (’idhā), and لَـوْ (law). The conjunctions إِنْ (’in) and إِذا (’idhā) are typically used in Arabic when referring to present or future actions, while لَـوْ (law) refers to past actions, often in hypothetical scenarios.
While both إِنْ (’in) and إِذا (’idhā) are used for present or future actions, their meanings differ, especially in Quranic Classical Arabic. إِنْ (’in) introduces actions with uncertainty, whereas إِذا (’idhā) implies certainty or likelihood.
Let us summarize the differences with examples:
| future action may or may not happen | .إِنْ جـاءَ أَحْـمَـدُ سَـأُرَحِّـبُ بِـهِ ’in jā’a ’aḥmadu sa-’uraḥḥibu bih(i). If Ahmad comes, I will welcome him. |
| future action will certainly or likely happen, إِذا(’idhā) almost means “when” | .إِذا جـاءَ أَحْـمَـدُ سَـأُرَحِّـبُ بِـهِ ’idhā jā’a ’aḥmadu sa-’uraḥḥibu bih(i). If/When Ahmad comes, I will welcome him. |
| past action or hypothetical situations | .لَـوْ جـاءَ أَحْـمَـدُ كُـنْـتُ سَـأُرَحِّـبُ بِـهِ law jā’a ’aḥmadu kuntu sa-’uraḥḥibu bih(i). If Ahmad had come, I would’ve welcomed him. |
Notice that regardless of the indicated meaning, the three conjunctions in the examples above are followed by a past verb in Arabic, even if the meaning is in the present or future.
This is an example of how what we call the past tense in Arabic can be used even when referring to present or future events.
In general, only إِنْ (’in) can be followed by a present verb. In such cases, both the present verb following إِنْ (’in) and the present verb in the subsequent clause are in the jussive mood. For example:
| .إِنْ تَـسْـأَلْ تَـجِـدْ جَـوابًـا ’in tas’al tajid jawāban. If you ask, you find an answer. |
In everyday spoken Arabic, إِنْ (’in) is rarely used. Instead, إِذا (’idhā) is commonly used for present or future actions, regardless of the probability of occurrence or level of certainty.
But: لـكِـنْ (lākin) vs. لـكِـنَّ (lākinna)
There is a minor difference between لـٰكِـنْ (lākin) and لـٰكِـنَّ (lākinna), both meaning “but.” In general, لـٰكِـنْ (lākin) is used in the following cases:
1. When the following clause is a phrase or an incomplete sentence. In most cases, the meaning of negation is explicitly stated or implied, either before or after لـٰكِـنْ (lākin). For example:
| .أُريـدُ أَنْ آكُـلَ لـكِـنْ لَـيْـسَ الْآن ’urīdu ’an ’ākula lākin laysa -l-’ān. I want to eat but not now. |
| .شَـرِبْـتُ قَـهْـوَةً لـكِـنْ بِـدونِ سُـكَّـر sharibtu qahwatan lākin bidūni sukkar. I had coffee but without sugar. |
Note that both لَـيْـسَ الْآن (laysa -l-’ān) ‘not now’ and بِـدونِ سُـكَّـر (bidūni sukkar) ‘without sugar’ are phrases (not complete sentences) that convey a negative meaning.
2. When the second clause is a verb, particularly in commands. This is often the case when one command is affirmative, and the other is negative. For example:
| .أَنْـفِـقْ مـا شِـئْـتَ لـكِـنْ لا تَـكُـنْ مُـسْـرِفًـا ’anfiq mā shi’ta lākin lā takun musrifan. Spend as much as you want but do not be extravagant. |
| .شـاهِـدِ الـتِّـلْـفـازَ لـكِـن نَــمْ مُـبَـكِّـرًا shāhid (i) -t-tilfāza lākin nam mubakkiran. Watch television but sleep early. |
On the other hand, we use لـٰكِـنَّ (lākinna) when the second clause is a nominal sentence. Grammatically, the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ of the nominal sentence that follows لـٰكِـنَّ (lākinna) is in the accusative. For example:
| .قـابَـلْـتُ أَحْـمَـدَ لـكِـنَّ خـالِـدًا لَـمْ يَـكُـنْ مَـعَـنـا qābaltu ’aḥmada lākinna khālidan lam yakun ma‘anā. I met Ahmad but Khaled wasn’t with us. |
| .الـشَّـمْـسُ سـاطِـعَـةٌ وَلـكِـنَّ الـرِّيـاحَ شَـديـدَةٌ ash-shamsu sāṭi‘atun wa–lākinna -r-riyāḥa shadīdah. The sun is shining but the wind is strong. |
Note that لـٰكِـنَّ (lākinna) can sometimes be preceded by وَ (wa) ‘and.’
If the second clause is a nominal sentence that begins with a personal pronoun, either لـٰكِـنْ (lākin) followed by a detached pronoun or لـٰكِـنَّ (lākinna) followed by an attached pronoun can be used. For example:
| أَنـا + لـكِـنْ lākin + ’anā = لـكِـنَّـنـي (or) لـكِـنّـي lākinnī (or) lākinnanī | .أَرَدْتُ الـذَّهـابَ لـكِـنْ أَنـا تَـأَخَّـرْتُ ’aradtu -dh-dhahāba lākin ’anā ta’akh khart. = .أَرَدْتُ الـذَّهـابَ لـكِـنَّـنـي تَـأَخَّـرْتُ ’aradtu -dh-dhahāba lākinnanī ta’akh khart. I wanted to go but I was late. |
| أَنْـتَ + لـكِـنْ lākin + ’anta = لـكِـنَّــكَ lākinnaka | .أَرَدْتُ الـذَّهـابَ لـكِـنْ أَنْـتَ مَـنَـعْـتَـنـي ’aradtu -dh-dhahāba lākin ’anta mana‘tanī. = .أَرَدْتُ الـذَّهـابَ لـكِـنَّــكَ مَـنَـعْـتَـنـي ’aradtu -dh-dhahāba lākinnaka mana‘tanī. I wanted to go but you prevented me. |
| أَنْـتُـمْ + لـكِـنْ lākin + ’antum = لـكِـنَّـكُـمْ lākinnakum | .أَرَدْتُ الـذَّهـابَ لـكِـن أَنْـتُـمْ لَـمْ تَـكُـونـوا هُـنـاكَ ’aradtu -dh-dhahāba lākin ’antum lam takūnū hunāk. = .أَرَدْتُ الـذَّهـابَ لـكِـنَّـكُـمْ لَـمْ تَـكُـونـوا هُـنـاكَ ’aradtu -dh-dhahāba lākinnakum lam takūnū hunāk. I wanted to go but you (all) were not there. |
Because: لِأَنَّ
The conjunction لِأَنَّ (li’anna) ‘because’ is typically followed by a nominal sentence. For example:
| لِأَنَّ li-’anna because | .أَشْـعُـرُ بِـالْـبَـرْدِ لِأنَّ الـرِّيـاحَ شَـديـدَةٌ ’ash‘uru bi-l-bardi li–’anna -r-riyāḥa shadīdah. I feel cold because the wind is strong. |
Notice that the grammatical case of the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic,’ following لِأَنَّ (li’anna), is changed from nominative to accusative.
If the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ of the nominal sentence is a detached personal pronoun, it is replaced with an attached personal pronoun. For example:
| أَنـا + لِأَنَّ li-’anna + ’anā = لِأنَّـنـي (or) لِأنّـي li-’annī (or) li-’annanī | .أَشْـعُـرُ بِـالْـبَـرْدِ لِأنَّ … (أَنـا مَـريـض) ’ash‘uru bi-l-bardi li–’anna … (’anā marīḍ). = .أَشْـعُـرُ بِـالْـبَـرْدِ لِأنّـي مَـريـض ’ash‘uru bi-l-bardi li–’annī marīḍ. I feel cold because I (am) sick. |
| أَنْـتَ + لِأَنَّ li-’anna + ’anta = لِأنَّـكَ li-’annaka | .أَخْـبَـرْتُـكَ لِأنَّ … (أَنْـتَ سَـأَلْـتَـنـي) ’akhbartuka li–’anna … (’anta sa’altanī). = .أَخْـبَـرْتُـكَ لِأَنَّـكَ سَـأَلْـتَـنـي ’akhbartuka li–’annaka sa’altanī. I told you because you had asked me. |
Conjunctions Followed by the Subjunctive
Some conjunctions in Arabic require the present verb to be in the subjunctive mood. In Lesson 2 of this level, we encountered the negative particle لَـنْ (lan), which is used to negate the future tense and triggers the subjunctive mood.
Remember that, in the subjunctive mood, a regular present verb replaces the final ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ in the nominative mood with فَـتْـحَـة (fatḥah) ‘short a’ in all singular forms. In dual and plural forms, the present verb drops the final ن (nūn) ‘n.’ For example:
| .لَـنْ نَـشْـرَبَ الْـعَـصـيـر lan nashraba -l-‘aṣīr. We won’t drink the juice. | .الْأَوْلادُ لَـنْ يَـذْهَـبـوا بِـسُـرْعَـةٍ al-’awlādu lan yadhhabū bi-sur‘ah. The boys won’t go quickly. |
Similarly, some conjunctions require the use of the subjunctive mood. The most common conjunctions in this category are أَنْ (’an) ‘that’ and أَلّا (’allā) ‘that not.’
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example |
| أَنْ ’an | that | .أُريـدُ أَنْ تَـأْتِـيَ لِـزِيـارَتِـنـا ’urīdu ’an ta’tiya li-ziyāratinā. I want that you come to visit us. |
| * أَلّا ’allā | that not | .أُريـدُ أَلّا (أَنْ لا) تُـؤْذيَ أَحَـدًا ’urīdu ’allā (’an lā) tu’dhiya ’aḥadan. I want that you do not hurt anyone. |
* This conjunction can be written in assimilated form أَلّا (’allā) or separately أَنْ لا (’an lā).
Other conjunctions in Arabic that trigger the subjunctive are often followed by a verb that indicates reason or motivation. For example:
| (1) …لِـ li… | .أُريـدُ أَنْ أَتَـعَـلَّـمَ الـعَـرَبِـيَّـةَ لِأَقْـرَأَ الْـقُـرْآنَ ’urīdu ’an ’ata‘allama -l-‘arabiyyata li-’aqra’a -l-qur’ān. I want to learn Arabic in order to read the Quran. |
| (2) كَـيْ kay | .أُريـدُ أَنْ أَتَـعَـلَّـمَ الـعَـرَبِـيَّـةَ كَـيْ أَقْـرَأَ الْـقُـرْآنَ ’urīdu ’an ’ata‘allama -l-‘arabiyyata kay ’aqra’a -l-qur’ān. I want to learn Arabic in order to read the Quran. |
| حَـتّـى ḥattā | .أُريـدُ أَنْ أَتَـعَـلَّـمَ الـعَـرَبِـيَّـةَ حَـتّـى أَقْـرَأَ الْـقُـرْآنَ ’urīdu ’an ’ata‘allama -l-‘arabiyyata ḥattā ’aqra’a -l-qur’ān. I want to learn Arabic in order to read the Quran. |
(1) Distinguish between the preposition …لِـ (li…) followed by a noun in the genitive case and the conjunction …لِـ (li…) followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood, which indicates reason or motivation. The latter is also called لام الـعِـلَّـة (lām al-‘illah) ‘causal lām.’
(2) The conjunction كَـيْ (kay) can be preceded by the preposition …لِـ (li…), forming لِـكَـيْ (li-kay). In negative constructions, the conjunction is often written in the assimilated form, i.e., كَـيْـلا (kaylā) or لِـكَـيْـلا (li-kaylā).
Other Conjunctions in Arabic
Other conjunctions in Arabic include:
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example |
| إِذًا ’idhan | hence, thus, then | .أَنْـتَ أَخْـبَـرْتَـنـي، إِذًا سَـأَكـونُ حَـذِرًا ’anta ’akhbartanī, ’idhan sa-’akūnu ḥadhiran. You told me; hence, I’ll be careful. |
| …وِفْـقًـا لـ wifqan li… | according to | .وِفْـقًـا لِــلْأَخْـبـارِ، فـإِنَّ الـحَـرْبَ انْـتَـهَـتْ wifqan li-l-’akhbār, fa-’inna -l-ḥarba -ntahat. According to the news, the war has ended. |
| … بِـحَـسَـبِ bi-ḥasabi … | according to | .لَـيْـسَـت الـقَـهْـوَةُ سَـيِّـئَـةً بِـحَـسَـبِ الْأَطِـبّـاءِ laysat (i) -l-qahwatu sayyi’atan bi-ḥasabi -l-’aṭibbā’. Coffee is not bad according to the doctors. |
| إِلّا ’illā | except | .هـذا لا يَـحْـدُثُ إِلّا فـي حـالاتٍ نـادِرَةٍ hādhā lā yaḥduthu ’illā fī ḥālātin nādirah. This does not happen except in rare cases. |
| مـا عَـدا mā ‘adā | except | .ذَهَـبْـتُ كُـلَّ يَـوْمٍ مـا عَـدا يَـوْمَـيْـن dhahabtu kulla yawmin mā ‘adā yawmayn. I went every day except for two days. |
| بَـدَلًا مِـنْ badalan min | instead of | .بَـدَلًا مِـنَ الـقَـهْـوَةِ سَـأَطْـلُـبُ الـشّـاي badalan min al-qahwati sa-’aṭlubu -sh-shāy. Instead of coffee, I’ll order tea. |
| عِـوَضًا عَـنْ ‘iwaḍan ‘an | instead of | .عِـوَضًا عَـنِ الاسْـتِـسْـلامِ، تَـمَـسَّـكْ بِـالْأَمَــل ‘iwaḍan ‘an (i) -l-istislām, tamassak bi-l-’amal. Instead of surrender, hold on to hope. |
| لِـذلِـكَ li-dhālika | therefore | .الْـوَقْـتُ مُـتَـأَخِّـرٌ، لِـذلِـكَ لَـنْ نَـخْـرُجَ al-waqtu muta’akh khirun, li–dhālika lan nakhruj. It is late; therefore, we won’t go out. |
| وَإِلّا wa-’illā | otherwise | .أَتَـمَـنّـى أَلّا تُـمْـطِـرَ وَإِلّا فَـلَـنْ نَـخْـرُجَ ’atamannā ’allā tumṭira wa–’illā fa-lan nakhruj. I hope it doesn’t rain; otherwise, we don’t go out. |
| عَلى الرَّغْمِ مِنْ ‘alā -r-raghmi min | in spite of, despite, although | .عَـلى الـرَّغْــمِ مِـنْ قِـصَـرِهِ فَـهُـوَ لاعِـبٌ جَـيِّـدٌ ‘alā -r-raghmi min qiṣarihi fa-huwa lā‘ibun jayyid. Despite being short, he is a good player. |
| أَيْ أَنَّ ’ay ’anna | that is | .الـجَـوُّ بـارِدٌ، أَيْ أَنَّ الـثُّـلـوجَ قَـدْ تَـسْـقُـطُ al-jawwu bārid, ’ay ’anna -th-thulūja qad tasquṭ. The weather is cold, that is, the snow may fall. |
| بَـيْـنَـمـا baynamā | while | .دَعـونـا نَـشْـتَري شَـيْـئًـا بَـيْـنَـمـا نَـحْـنُ هُـنـا da‘ūnā nashtarī shay’an baynamā naḥnu hunā. Let us buy something while we are here. |
| طـالَـمـا ṭālamā | as long as | .طـالَـمـا أَنْـتَ مُـسْـتَـعِـدٌّ فَـلا داعـي لِـلْـقَـلَـق ṭālamā ’anta musta‘iddun fa-lā-dā‘ī li-l-qalaq. As long as you’re ready, you don’t need to worry. |
| … إِمّـا … أَوْ ’immā… ’aw… | either… or… | .إِمّـا أَنْ نَـرْحَـلَ الْآنَ أَوْ لاحِـقًـا ’immā ’an narḥala -l-’āna ’aw lāḥiqan. We either leave now or later. |
| بِـالْإِضافَـةِ إِلى bil-’iḍāfati ’ilā | in addition to | .بِـالْإِضـافَـةِ إِلـى الـطَّـعـامِ سَـأَطْـلُـبُ بَـعْـضَ الْـمـاء bi-l-’iḍāfati ’ilā -ṭ-ṭa‘ām, sa-’aṭlubu ba‘ḍa -l-mā’. In addition to food, I will order some water. |
| عَـلـى عَـكْـسِ ‘alā ‘aks(i) | contrary to | .فـازَ عَـلـى عَـكْـسِ كُـلِّ الـتَّـوَقُّـعـاتِ fāza ‘alā ‘aksi kulli -t-tawaqqu‘āt. He won contrary to all expectations. |
Next: Active & Passive Participles
Other lessons in Level IV: