Arabic vocabulary
How to say “but” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
ونظير هذا قوله ﴿وَلَكِنْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ مِنِّي﴾
And similar to this is His saying: 'But the word from Me is truth.'
وَلَكِنْ — but rather. An 'and' fused to a contrastive particle 'but/yet', introducing a clarifying turn, 'but rather'. It signals a corrective or contrasting statement, here the cited divine words.
From: God's Eternal Word →فَقَالَ كَذَبَ سَعْدٌ، وَلَكِنْ هَذَا يَوْمٌ يُعَظِّمُ اللَّهُ فِيهِ الْكَعْبَةَ،
He said, "Sa'd lied; but this is a day on which God magnifies the Kaaba."
وَلَكِنْ — but. The wa- here is fused onto a contrast word, and the pair functions as 'but', flipping the direction of the statement. So while wa- alone just joins, this combined connector signals a correction: 'he lied, BUT in truth this is a day...'.
From: Conquest of Mecca Account →وَلَكِنْ ائْتُوا نُوحًا،
But go to Noah.
وَلَكِنِ — but. Two elements fused: the opening wa- and the particle of contrast that means 'but/yet'. The wa- links to the prior line while the contrast-particle overturns the expectation it set up, pivoting from refusal to a new instruction. Its final vowel is just a smoothing before the next sound, not a meaning shift.
From: Intercession on Judgment Day →وَلَكِنْ إِئْتُوا إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلَ الرَّحْمَنِ
But go to Abraham, the Friend of the Most Merciful.
وَلَكِنْ — and but. Two elements together: the opening wa- and the contrast-particle 'but'. The wa- ties this to the prior refusal while the 'but' overturns it, pivoting to a fresh directive. So the token both links and reverses, redirecting the listeners toward a new person to approach.
From: Intercession on Judgment Day →وَلَكِنْ ائْتُوا مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
But come to Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.
وَلَكِنْ — but. Two elements fused: the opening wa- and the contrast-particle 'but'. The wa- ties this to the prior refusals while the 'but' overturns them, redirecting the listeners to the final person. So the token both links and reverses, steering the appeal to its last destination.
From: Intercession on Judgment Day →وَلَكِنْ بِالدَّفْعِ فِي صُدُورِهَا وَالْأَعْجَازِ،
But by pushing at her chest and hindquarters.
وَلَكِنْ — but. This pairs the wa- 'and/but' with the adversative word that means 'however', so together they pivot the thought, 'but rather'. It is a contrast connector, setting what follows against the manner of receiving just described rather than simply adding to it.
From: Ignoring God's Guidance →وَلَكِنْ اِشْتَغَلَ بِمُهَاوْشَتِهِ عَنِ الصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ،
But he was so occupied with his bickering that he was kept from the first row.
وَلَكِنِ — but. Two pieces: the wa- ties this to the flow, and the rest is the adversative 'but/however', which sets up a contrast against the expectation just raised (he was stronger, but...). It pivots the sentence from what might have been to what actually happened. Its final vowel is the connecting one used before the following word.
From: Choosing Good Companions →OpenArabic teaches words like لَكِنْ through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
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