Lesson 60 – الدَّرْسُ السِّتُّونَ

Annuller particles (/inna/ and its sisters)- الحـُرُوفُ النَّاسِخَـةُ (إنَّ وأَخواتُها)

The annuller particles /inna/ and its sisters – الْحُـرُوف النَّاسِخَةُ "إنَّ وَأَخَـواتُـها"

• We are still in lesson sixty of our free Arabic language course. This Arabic course with images and audios will help you learn Arabic.
• In this lesson we will study the Arabic annuller particles (الحُرُوف النَّاسخة) /inna/ and its sisters In-Shā’-Allâh (God willing).
• These Arabic particles intervene only in the nominal sentence.  Each of the particles of /inna/ and its sisters adds  a new meaning to the Arabic nominal sentence, and  changes its declension as follows:

• From the above mentioned table we notice the following:
  - The annuller particles /inna/ and its sisters are six particles (إنَّ – أَنَّ - كَأَنَّ – لَكِنَّ – لَيْتَ - لَعَلَّ).
  - Each one of these six particles add a new meaning to the nominal sentence as follows:
  1- (إنَّ /inna/) is a confirmation particle as shown above. You may notice the difference between the confirmed and the non-confirmed sentence as follows:

•  The second sentence is confirmed (assured).
•  (إنَّ /inna/) can also be used as a phrasal particle meaning (that) it comes after the verb (قال /qâla) as follows:

 2-(أنَّ /anna/) is only used as a phrasal particle, i.e. it always means (that), but it is not used with (قال /qâla/), instead it is used with many other verbs as follows:

• We now clearly understand that (أنَّ /anna/) cannot be placed in the beginning of the sentence. It has to be preceded by a verb. (إنَّ /inna/) can make the same function of (أنَّ /anna/) if it is preceded with the verb (قال /qâla/).  However, if (إنَّ /inna/) is in the beginning of the sentence it means (indeed).
  
  

3- (كَأَنَّ /ka’anna) means (as if). It adds the meaning of similitude to the sentence. Consider and compare the following two sentences:

4- As for the particle “لَكِنَّ – but”, it has the meaning of “Retract”. It means that you mention an information and then you mention afterwards another one against it or opponent to it, as for example:

The original information here is that the family is hardworking, while the other retracting information came after the particle “لَكِنَّ - but” to add the meaning of retract, as if you retract your first information regarding the son, as he is one of the family which you described with hardworking, because he is not like the rest of the family. He is too lazy.
 Here is another example:

5- (لَيْتَ /layta/) is a particle of wishing. It is used for something that you wish for but you know will never happen. See the following examples:

6- (لَعَلَّ /laξalla/) also means wish or hope, but, unlike /layta/, it is used for a wish that you think is expected  to happen, as in the following examples: