Arabic: An Essential Grammar

لا َر ُج ٌلَّ َما َجا َء ِإ ma ̄^ g ̆a ̄

a

illa ̄ rag ̆ulun.

Only one man came. (lit. Nobody came except one

man.)

لاب ِـ َر ُج ٍلَّ َما َم َر ْر ُت ِإ ma ̄marartu

illa ̄bi-rag ̆ulin. I passed by only one

man.

(lit. I didn’t pass by except one man.)

صا ِد َقَّ لالَّ َلا َأ ْح َت ِر ُم ِإ la ̄^

ah

̇

tarimu

illa ̄ s

̇

-s

̇

a ̄diqa.

I respect only the honest. (lit. I don’t respect

except the honest.)

لا ِك َتا ٌبَّ َلا ُيو َج ُدإ la ̄^ yu ̄g ̆adu

illa ̄ kita ̄bun.

There is only one book. (lit. There does not exist

except one book.)

36.3 The particles َغ ْي ُر g ̇ayru, ِس َوى siwa ̄ and َع َدا



ada ̄ may replace

لاَّ ِإ^

illa ̄, but they take the following noun in the genitive case, e.g.

َما َجا َء َغ ْي ُ ر / ِس َ وى َوا ِح ٍد^ ma ̄^ g ̆a ̄

a g ̇ayru / siwa ̄ wa ̄h

̇

idin.

Only one came. (lit. Nobody came except for

one.)

ر َجا ُل َع َدا َوا ِح ٍدََجا َء ل ّ g ̆a ̄

a r-rig ̆a ̄lu



ada ̄ wa ̄h

̇

idin.

The men came except for one (of them).

َع َدا^



ada ̄ may be preceded by the relative pronoun َما ma ̄: َما َع َدا ma ̄



ada ̄, when it is regarded as a verb. It is then followed by a noun in the

accusative case, e.g.

ر َجا ُل َما َع َدا َوا ِح ًداََجا َء ل ّ g ̆a ̄

a r-rig ̆a ̄lu ma ̄



ada ̄ wa ̄h

̇

idan.

The men came except(ing) one (of them).

36.4 نَّ لا َأَّ ِإ

illa ̄

anna and نَّ َغ ْي َر َأ g ̇ayra

anna

The particle لاَّ ِإ

illa ̄, and the accusative of َغ ْي ُر g ̇ayru may be followed

by the subordinating conjunction نَّ َأ

anna ‘that’. The meaning then

becomes ‘except that, nevertheless, but, however’, e.g.

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Exception