يَسْتَطِيعُbe able to

Example sentences

• فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَقُولَهَا

  So he cannot say it.

  يَسْتَطِيعُ — is able to. A present-tense verb, 'he is able', with the 'he' carried inside. Under the negator before it, the ability is denied. It takes the 'to...' clause after it as what he is unable to do, so it heads a statement about (lack of) capacity.

  From: A Mother's Forgiveness →

• وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُكَابِدَهُ

  And he cannot contend with him.

  يَسْتَطِيعُ — is able to. A present-tense verb carrying its 'he' subject inside its own shape, so no separate pronoun appears. It belongs to a derived pattern that adds the sense of 'having the capacity to', and it sets up a following 'to' clause that names what he cannot manage. Being present-tense and negated, it describes a standing incapacity.

  From: On Reason and Temptation →

• فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَحْبِسَ عَنْكَ الْمَدَّ

  For he cannot hold back the tide from you.

  يَسْتَطِيعُ — he can. A present-tense verb, 'is able', with the 'he' subject in its prefix; under the preceding 'not' it reads as 'cannot'. The negation just before it flips the ability into inability. The subordinate verb of what he is unable to do comes next.

  From: Luqman's Wisdom and Trial →

• فَجَعَلَ يَسْحَبُهُ وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَقُومَ

  So he began to drag it, and he could not get up.

  يَسْتَطِيع — is able. This is a present-tense ability verb, 'is able', with 'he' built into its shape, here under negation: he was not able. It is the kind of verb that leans on a following 'to do' clause to say what could not be done. The 'to rise' clause comes next.

  From: A Spy in the Enemy Camp →