Arabic: An Essential Grammar

(e) ...فـ َ /fa.../ preceding the interrogative particle َه ْل hal:

ِإ ْ ن / ِإ َذا ُقْل ُت َل َك ِس ّر ًا َف َه ْل َت ْك ُت ُم ُه؟




in/

id

̄

a ̄ qultu laka sirran fa-hal taktumu-hu?

If I tell you a secret, will you keep it confidential? OR

If I told you a secret, would you keep it confidential?

(f) ...فـ َ /fa.../, preceding the negative particle َما ma ̄, َل ْن lan or َلا la ̄:

و َف َما َأ ْط ُر ُد ُ ه / َفـ َلا َأ ْط ُر ُد ُ ه / َفـَل ْن َأ ْط ُر َد ُهٌِّإ ْ ن / ِإ َذا َزا َر ِ ني َع ُد




in /

id

̄

a ̄ za ̄ranı-



aduwwun fa-ma ̄

at

̇

rudu-hu / fa-la ̄

at

̇

rudu-hu / fa-lan




at

̇

ruda-hu.

If an enemy visits me, I shall not dismiss him.

(g) ...فـ َ /fa.../ preceding the negative copula َل ْي َس laysa:

ِإ ْن َت ْذ َه ْب َفـَل ْس ُت ِب َذا ِه ٍب^

in tad

̄

hab fa-lastu bi-d

̄

a ̄hibin.

If you go, (then) I am not going.

39.5 َل ْو law ‘if’, for unreal condition, takes the perfect in both parts

and refers to the past or future. The second part is often preceded by the

particle ...لـ َ, e.g.

َل ْو َد َر َس َلـ َن َج َح law darasa la-nag ̆ah

̇

a.

If he had studied, he would have succeeded. OR

If he studied, he would succeed.

َل ْو َكا َن ِع ْن ِ دي ُن ُقو ٌد َل َسا َف ْر ُت law ka ̄na



indı

• nuqu ̄dun la-sa ̄fartu.

If I had had money, I would have travelled.

39.6 َل ْو َلا law-la ̄ and َل ْو َل ْم law-lam ‘if not’

َل ْو َلا law-la ̄ is followed by a nominal predicate or suffix pronoun.

َل ْو َل ْم law-lam is followed by the verb in the imperfect jussive, e.g.

س ِفي ُرَّ َر ْغ َب ُة ْل َو ِزي ِر ْ َلا ْس َت َقا َل لَل ْو َلا law-la ̄ rag ̇batu l-wazı

• ri la-staqa ̄la s-safı
  
  
  • ru.
  
  
  
  

If it had not been the minister’s wish, the ambassador would have

resigned.

311

Conditional

sentences