Negation in Arabic ( '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.
Modern Standard Arabic
Negation in the present tense Negating present-tense verbs
Present-tense verbs are negated by adding "not" before the verb:Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 644 [§37.2.1.2]. +sentence typeexampleaffirmative sentenceأُحِبُّ الجَزَرَ ’uḥibbu l-jazara
"I like carrots"negative sentenceلا أُحِبُّ الجَزَرَ lā ’uḥibbu l-jazara
"I do not like carrots"
Negation of sentences with no verb
If a sentence would, in the affirmative, have no verb (this can only happen in the present tense), then the negative verb "is not" is used. is inflected like a past-tense verb, but is used to negate present-tense sentences. As with "was", the complement of must be in the accusative case. Before consonantal endings, the diphthong -ay- is reduced to a short -a-.Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), pp. 641-43 [§37.1].
Here is an example sentence saying that something is not big in all possible persons and numbers:
personsingulardualplural1st m lastu kabīran
"I am not big" lasnā kabīrayni "we are not big" lasnā kubarāʾa
"we are not big"1st f lastu kabīratan
"I am not big" lasnā kabīratayni "we are not big" lasnā kabīrātin
"we are not big"2nd m lasta kabīran
"you (m) are not big" lastumā kabīrayni
"you two (m) are not big" lastum kubarā’a
"you (m) are not big"2nd f lasti kabīratan
"you (f) are not big" lastumā kabīratayni
"you two (f) are not big" lastunna kabīrātin
"you (f) are not big"3rd m laysa kabīran
"he is not big" laysā kabīrayni
"the two of them (m) are not big" laysū kubarā’a
"they (m) are not big"3rd f laysat kabīratan
"she is not big" laysatā kabīratayni
"the two of them (f) are not big" lasna kabīrātin
"they (f) are not big"
Negation of past-tense verbs
In Modern Standard Arabic, the main way to negate past-tense verbs is to add the negative particle "not" before the verb, and to put the verb in the jussive mood.Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 647 [§37.2.2.1]. 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).Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar, Easy Arabic Grammar (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005), p. 119 .
+sentence typeexampleaffirmative sentenceأَحْبَبْتُ الجَزَرَ ’aḥbabtu l-jazara
"I liked carrots"negative sentenceلَم أُحْبِبِ الجَزَرَ lam ʾuḥbibi l-jazara
"I did not like carrots"negative sentenceلَم أُحِبِّ الجَزَرَ lam ’uḥibbi l-jazara
"I did not like carrots"
It is also possible to use the negative particle before the verb, giving the verb in the past tense.Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 647 [§37.2.2.2].Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar, Easy Arabic Grammar (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005), p. 119 .
+sentence typeexampleaffirmative sentenceأَحْبَبْتُ الجَزَرَ ’aḥbabtu l-jazara
"I liked carrots"negative sentenceمَا أَحْبَبْتُ الجَزَرَ mā ’aḥbabtu l-jazara
"I did not like carrots"
Negation of verbs in the future tense Negating a proposition in the future is done by placing the negative particle before the verb in the subjunctive mood.Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 648 [§37.2.2.3].
sentence typeexampleaffirmative sentenceسَوْفَ أذْهَب إلى الدَّرْس غَداً sawfa ’aḏhabu ’ilā d-darsi ġadan
"I will go to the class tomorrow"negative sentenceلَنْ أذْهَب إلى الدَّرْس غَدا
lan ’aḏhaba ’ilā d-darsi ġadan
"I will not go to the class tomorrow"
Negation of imperative verbs
The imperative (known as "the order," from "he ordered") is negated by putting "not" before the verb, putting the verb in the jussive, rather than the imperative, mood.Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 645 [§37.2.1.5]. (This negative imperative is known as "the discouragement," from "he discouraged.") For example, in the masculine singular: (iẓlim, "oppress!"), (lā taẓlim, "do not oppress!").
Saying "no"
"No", as an answer to a question, is expressed by the negative particle .Karin C. Ryding, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 644 [§37.2.1.1].
Varieties of Arabic
Modern Standard Arabic "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"): +Variety"she is not here" (Arabic script)"she is not here" (transliteration)MSAلَيْسَت هُنَاlaysat hunāEgyptianهِيَ مِش هِناheyya meš henaMoroccanهِيَ ماشي هُناhiya māši hnaAlgerianهِيَ ماراهيش هُناhiya mārāhīš hnaIraqهِيَ مو هِناhiyya mū hnā Maghrebi, Egyptian, and to a lesser extent, some Levantine varieties negate verbs using a circumfix—a combination of the prefix ma- and the suffix -ʃ. This, for example, is the negative paradigm of the verb "he wrote" in Algerian Arabic:
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).Gibson, M. (2009). Tunis Arabic. Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, 4, 563–71.Wilmsen, D. (2014). Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of Western Dialects. Oxford University Press. For example, Tunisian Arabic is conjugated as follows:Ben Abdelkader, R., & Naouar, A. (1979). Peace Corps/Tunisia Course in Tunisian Arabic.Chekili, F. (1982). The morphology of the Arabic dialect of Tunis (Doctoral dissertation, University of London). 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
See also
Illa (Arabic)
References