Modern Standard Arabic 4.2. Negation

Forming negation in Arabic depends on the type of sentence: nominal or verbal. In addition, forming the negation of a verbal sentence depends on the tense in use. In this lesson, we will examine the various scenarios.

Table of Contents

• Negation of a Nominal Sentence in Arabic
• Negation of a Verbal Sentencevin Arabic – Past Tense
  • ما (mā)
  • لَـمْ (lam)
  • لَـمّـا (lammā)
• Negation of a Verbal Sentence in Arabic – Present Tense
• Negation of a Verbal Sentence in Arabic – Future Tense
• Level IV – Intermediate II (B2)

Negation of a Nominal Sentence in Arabic

A nominal sentence is a sentence that begins with a noun. In Arabic, the verb “to be” is typically omitted in the present tense. Therefore, unless the predicate is a verb, nominal sentences can be verb-free.

To negate a nominal sentence, we use the negative verb لَـيْـسَ (laysa) ‘is not.’ This verb can be placed before the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ or before the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate.’ For example:

Because لَـيْـسَ (laysa) is a verb, it must be conjugated according to the gender and number of the topic. In fact, the verb لَـيْـسَ (laysa) is a special verb conjugated in the past tense, with no present tense form. When it precedes a nominal sentence to negate it, the grammatical case of the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ changes from مَـرْفـوع (marfū‘) ‘nominative’ to مَـنْـصوب (manṣūb) ‘accusative.’

Here is the conjugation table of the verb لَـيْـسَ (laysa):

Here are some examples:

When used to negate a nominal sentence, لَـيْـسَ (laysa) is treated as a verb. Thus, when describing human beings, the verb agrees in both gender and number if the noun precedes the verb; otherwise, the verb remains singular but retains gender agreement.

Negation of a Verbal Sentencevin Arabic – Past Tense

To negate a verbal sentence in the past tense, we often use one of two negative particles: ما (mā) and لَـمْ (lam).

ما (mā)

To negate the past tense using the negative particle ما (mā), we simply place it before the verb. For example:

Although using ما (mā) as a negative particle is straightforward, it is less commonly used in MSA compared to the negative particle لَـمْ (lam). In most regional dialects, however, the negative particle ما (mā) is more widely used.

لَـمْ (lam)

To negate the past tense using the negative particle لَـمْ (lam), we place the particle before the verb and conjugate the verb in the present tense in the jussive mood. This is somewhat similar to negating the past tense in English, e.g., “he went” vs. “he didn’t go.” In most situations, this is the more common way to negate a verbal sentence in the past tense in MSA.

Most verbs are regular in the jussive mood. Regular present verbs in the jussive mood replace the final ضَمَّة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ in the nominative mood with سُـكـون (sukūn) in all singular forms. In dual and plural forms, the present verb drops the final ن (nūn) ‘n.’ For example:

Here are some examples of negated verbal sentences in the past tense using the negative particle لَـمْ (lam):

In Arabic phonology, consecutive consonants with سُـكـون (sukūn) are generally avoided to ensure ease of pronunciation and prevent disallowed consonant clusters. Notice how the سُـكـون (sukūn) at the end of the word نَـشْـرَب (nashrab) is replaced by a كَــسْــرَة (kasrah) ‘short i’ in the sentence example لَـمْ نَـشْـرَبِ الْـعَـصـيـر (lam nashrab –i -l-‘aṣīr) ‘We didn’t drink the juice.’

لَـمّـا (lammā)

Another negative particle that is similar to لَـمْ (lam) and can be used to negate a verbal sentence in the past tense is لَـمّـا (lammā). However, لَـمّـا (lammā) is rarely used in daily spoken language. Instead, it is often used in formal written language.

There is a subtle difference between لَـمْ (lam) and لَـمّـا (lammā). لَـمْ (lam) indicates that the negated action of the verb is not expected to happen in the future. On the other hand, لَـمّـا (lammā) indicates that the negated action of the verb is expected to happen in the future. For example:

Negation of a Verbal Sentence in Arabic – Present Tense

To negate a verbal sentence in the present tense, we place the negative particle لا (lā) before the verb.

Here are some examples:

Notice that the present verb remains in the indicative mood when preceded by the negative particle لا (lā).

Nominal sentences whose خَـبَر (khabar) ‘predicate’ is a verbal sentence in the present tense are negated in the same way. For example:

Finally, it is also possible to use لَـيْـسَ (laysa) to negate a verbal sentence in the present tense. In this context, لَـيْـسَ (laysa) is considered a negation particle rather than a verb. However, it must still be conjugated like a verb. For example:

Negation of a Verbal Sentence in Arabic – Future Tense

To negate a verbal sentence in the future tense, we remove the future prefix سَـ٠٠٠ (sa…) or سَـوْفَ (sawfa), place the negative particle لَـنْ (lan) before the verb, and change the present verb from the indicative to the subjunctive mood.

The future particle سَـوْفَ (sawfa) can sometimes be retained in negative future tense sentences, but it must precede the negative particle لَـنْ (lan), i.e.,  سَـوْفَ لَـنْ(sawfa lan).

In the subjunctive mood, present verbs replace 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 verb drops the final ن (nūn) ‘n.’ For example:

Here are some examples of negated verbal sentences in the future tense using the negative particle لَـنْ (lan):

Next: Prepositions

Back to: Present Tense

Other lessons in Level IV: