Lesson 61 – الدَّرْسُ الواحِدُ والسِّتُّونَ

/lā/ of generic negation - لا النَّافِيَة لِلْجِنْسِ

Introduction - مُقَدِّمَةٌ

  • This is lesson sixty one of our free Arabic language course. This Arabic course with images and audios will help you learn Arabic.
  • We studied in the previous lesson the Arabic annuller particle /inna/ and its sisters (إنَّ وَأخَواتُها). We learnt that they are six particles (إنّ – أنَّ – كَأَنَّ – لَكِنَّ – لَيْتَ - لَعَلَّ). They intervene in the Arabic nominal sentence, and make the subject in the accusative case as in the following examples (for revision purpose):

The sentence after /inna/

The sentence before /inna/

English

Arabic

English

Arabic

Indeed, the food is delicious

إنَّ الطَّعَامَ لَذِيذٌ

/inna aŧ ŧaξāma ladhīdhun/

The food is delicious

الطَّعَامُ لَذِيذٌ

/aŧ ŧaξāmu ladhīdhun/

Indeed, the prices are high

إنَّ الأَسْعَارَ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ

/inna al asξāra murtafiξatun/

The prices are high

الأَسْعَارُ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ

/al asξāru murtafiξatun/
  • In this lesson we will learn another type of the annuller particles, which is /lā/ of generic negation (لا النَّافِيَة لِلْجِنْسِ) In-Shā’-Allâh (God willing).
  • /lā/ of generic negation comes only with the nominal sentence, and makes its noun (the subject) accusative, like the function of /inna/ and its sisters. See the following example:

Picture

English

Arabic

Madinaharabic.com lesson image

No patient is in the hospital

لا مَرِيضَ فِي المُسْتَشْفَى

Madinaharabic.com lesson image

No student is in the school

لا طَّالِبَ فِي المَدْرَسَةِ

Madinaharabic.com lesson image

No worker is in the factory

لا عامِلَ فِي المَصْنَعِ
  • You may notice that the particle /lā/ of generic negation (لا النَّافِيَة لِلْجِنْسِ) makes the same function of /inna/ and its sisters (إنَّ وَأخَواتُها). It is also comes with the nominal sentences only.
  • In this lesson we will study the following topics related to /lā/ of generic negation In-Shā’-Allâh (God willing):
    - The meaning of /lā/ of generic negation and the difference between it and the other Arabic particles of negation (we studied the negation in lesson 31).
    - The conditions under which the declension of the nominal sentence is affected by /lā/ of generic particle.
    - The types of the noun of /lā/ of generic negation, i.e. the subject which falls after /lā/, and the declension of each type.