No, not, indeed, except and that
The small words that deny, that give a sentence weight, and that join one sentence to another: eight of the commonest words of the Qur’ān.
Written and checked by AI
These lessons were written and checked by AI, and no teacher of Arabic has read them yet. The verses, their meanings and the analysis of every word are taken from their sources, which are named where they are shown.
- Words of the Qur’ān known whole
- 23.5%
- Parts of the Qur’ān’s words taught so far
- 52.3%
Counted from the Quranic Arabic Corpus: a word is known whole when every part of it has been taught. The counts say which words you have met, not how much you understand.
This lesson teaches eight short words that change what a sentence says. Some deny it ("no", "not", "did not"), two give it weight ("indeed", "surely"), one leaves something out ("except"), and some join one sentence to another ("if", "that").
The new words
- لَاAs the Qur’ān writes it: لَا · لَّا · لَآ
no, not; do not
Times in the Qur’ān: 1738
- مَاAs the Qur’ān writes it: مَا · مَآ · مَّا
what, that which; not
Times in the Qur’ān: 2565
- إِنّAs the Qur’ān writes it: إِنَّ · إِنِّ · ءِنَّ
indeed, truly (it opens a sentence and gives it weight)
Times in the Qur’ān: 1682
- إِنAs the Qur’ān writes it: إِن · إِنْ · ئِن
if; not (in some sentences)
Times in the Qur’ān: 697
- إِلَّاAs the Qur’ān writes it: إِلَّا · إِلَّآ
except, but, only
Times in the Qur’ān: 663
- أَنAs the Qur’ān writes it: أَن · أَنْ · أَ
that; to (before a verb)
Times in the Qur’ān: 625
- قَدAs the Qur’ān writes it: قَدْ · قَدِ · قَد
surely, already (before a verb)
Times in the Qur’ān: 406
- لَمAs the Qur’ān writes it: لَمْ · لَّمْ · لَمَّا
did not (before a present verb, it denies the past)
Times in the Qur’ān: 353
Saying no
Lā is "no" and "not". Before a noun it can deny that there is any of a thing at all.
This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the righteous[1],
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20In this verse lā stands before a noun with no article, and the noun ends in a: that is how Arabic says that there is none of something.
Mā is more than one word in one spelling. Most often it means "that which" or "what", and often it means "not". The corpus gives them all the same lemma, and marks which it is in each verse.
Did not
Lam stands before a verb in its present form, and the sentence then denies the past: not "does not", but "did not".
- لَمْdid not (before a present verb, it denies the past)
He neither begets nor is He begotten,
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20This verse has lam twice, the second time joined to wa, "and", from the first lesson.
Indeed
Inna opens a sentence and gives it weight. The noun or pronoun after it takes the ending of the accusative case, and a pronoun is written as one word with it.
- إِنَّindeed, truly (it opens a sentence and gives it weight)
- آwe (as the doer of a verb); us, our
Innā is inna and nā, "we", from the second lesson. The corpus writes the pronoun's part as a long ā alone: the word has only the doubled n of inna.
In, with no doubled n, is another word: "if", and in some sentences "not". Illā is "except" or "only", and an is "that", or "to" before a verb. Qad stands before a verb and makes it certain: the corpus calls it a particle of certainty. In the Qur’ān it stands almost always before a verb in its past form, where it says the thing has surely happened: "has surely", "has already".
In a sentence
I do not know.
This sentence was written for practice. Lā stands before a verb in its present form and denies it: "I do not know".
Reading
The words you know whole after this lesson are marked.
although you are not to be blamed if he does not purify himself[1].
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20You [O Muhammad] are indeed one of the messengers,
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20So you and whatever you worship
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20Recall
- How does lam change the sense of a present verb?
- What ending does the noun after inna take?
- What are the two senses of mā this lesson names?
Answers: it denies the past, "did not"; the accusative; "what, that which" and "not".
Next
The next lesson teaches the words for "who", "which", "this", "that", "he" and "they", and how a question is asked.
Word analysis: Quranic Arabic Corpus 0.4 (Kais Dukes)