Arabic: An Essential Grammar

!َتـذ َهـ ُبوا َمـ َعـ ُهَلا la ̄ tad

̄

habu ̄ ma



a-hu! (not: َلا َتـ ْذ َهـ ُبو َن.. la ̄

tad

̄

habu ̄na ...)

Don’t go with him! (masc. pl.)

(b) The negative particle َل ْم lam ‘did not’ is used before a jussive verb

with the same meaning as َما ma ̄ ‘not’ + perfect (i.e. negative past,

cf. chapter 14.11), e.g.

َل ْم َي ْكـ ُت ْب َل ُه lam yaktub la-hu. He did not write to him.

ر َساَل َةََل ْم َي ْكـ ُت ِب ل ّ lam yaktubi r-risa ̄lata. He did not write the letter.

Remember: The kasrah /i/ in the above phrase ‘lam yaktubi ...’ is

the result of the rule given before that a final suku ̄n is changed to

kasrah as a connective vowel before hamzatu l-was

̇

li (was

̇

lah).

(c) َلـ ْم lam is sometimes suffixed by ...ـ َمـا ...ma ̄, becoming مـاَّ َلـ

lamma ̄, which means ‘not yet’. The following verb is in the jussive

mood, e.g.

ما َي ْك ُت ْب َل ُهََّلـ lamma ̄ yaktub la-hu. He has not written to him yet.

28.9 The particle ...لـ ِ /li.../ (also called the la ̄m of imperative)

expresses either a direct or indirect command, exhortation or sugges-

tion. It can be translated as ‘let.. .!, may.. .!, let’s ...!’, e.g.

Note a: The la ̄m with kasrah (^) ِلـ... li... may be preceded by the conjunction
...فـ َ /fa.../ or َو /wa../. Then the kasrah is replaced by suku ̄n: َفْ لـ... /fa-l.../, َوْ لـ...
/wa-l.../.
Note b: This function of the particle ِلـ... /li.../ should not be confused with its
use together with the subjunctive mood, expressing intent or purpose.
!ِل َت ْش َر ْب li-tasˇrab! !ِل َي ْكـ ُت ْب li-yaktub! !ِل َن ْجِل ْس li-nag ̆lis!
May you drink! (Drink!) Let him write! Let us sit down!
!َوْل َت ْش َر ْب wa-l-tasˇrab! !َوْل َي ْكـ ُتـ ْب wa-l-yaktub! !َفْلـ َن ْجِل ْس fa-l-nag ̆lis!
May you drink! (Drink!) And let him write! So let us sit down!
213
Moods:
subjunctive,
jussive
(apocopa-
tus),
imperative