Arabic: An Essential Grammar

37.2 If two verbs of wonder refer to the same noun, the second verb is

placed after the noun and takes a suffix pronoun, e.g.

37.3 Verbs with special uses

(a) The negative copula َل ْي َس laysa ‘is not’ is counted among the sisters

of َكا َن ka ̄na. It is peculiar in that it is inflected only for the perfect

tense but with the meaning of the imperfect tense (referring to

present time).

(b) Conjugation of َل ْي َس laysa:

Note: Regarding the expression of the predicative complement of َل ْي َس

laysa, see below (37.10b).

!د ْر َس َو َما َأ ْص َع َب ُهََّما َأ ْط َو َل ل (not: د ْر َسََّما َأ ْط َو َل َو َما َأ ْص َعب ل

ma ̄

at

̇

wala d-darsa wa-ma ̄

as

̇



aba-

hu!

ma ̄

at

̇

wala wa-ma ̄

as

̇



aba d-darsa)

What a long and difficult lesson!

singular dual plural

َل ْي َس َل ْي َسا َل ْي ُسوا

3. masc. laysa, he is not laysa ̄, they (2)

are not

laysu ̄, they are

not

َل ْي َس ْت َل ْي َس َتا َل ْس َن

3. fem. laysat, she is

not

laysata ̄, they (2)

are not

lasna, they are

not

َل ْسـ َت َل ْس ُت َما َل ْس ُت ْم

2. masc. lasta, you are

not

lastuma ̄, you (2)

are not

lastum, you are

not

َل ْس ِت َل ْس ُت َما نَّ َل ْس ُت

2. fem. lasti, you are

not

lastuma ̄, you (2)

are not

lastunna, you

are not

َل ْس ُت (as in plural) َل ْس َنا

1. lastu, I am not lasna ̄, we are not

290

Verbs of

wonder, the

negative

copula,

special verbs

and uses