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Negation & Questions
Ways to negate statements and to ask questions in Arabic.
لَا رَجُلَ فِي البَيْتِ
there is no man in the house
laa rajula fi al-bayti
The laa of absolute genus negation
غَيْر
other than / not
ghayr
Negation by means of an exception word
غَيْرُ مُمْكِنٍ
not possible
ghayru mumkinin
ghayr plus genitive negates an adjective
لَيْسَ إِلَّا
nothing but
laysa illaa
A restriction structure
إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا
this is nothing but
in haadhaa illaa
in used for negation plus illaa
أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
do you not reason
a-falaa ta'qiluuna
A rhetorical question for emphasis
هَلْ مِنْ مَزِيدٍ
is there any more
hal min maziidin
Rhetorical question with min
لَمَّا
not yet
lammaa
Negation with continued expectation
مَا النَّافِيَة لِلْجِنْس
maa negating the genus
maa an-naafiya lil-jins
maa working like the laa of genus
بَلَى
yes (after a negative)
balaa
Affirms in answer to a negative question
