أن is that in Arabic
أن is how you say “is that” in Arabic.
Root ا ن ن ʾ-n-n. particle (subordinating conjunction). ʾan.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of is that in Arabic
- that (introducing a subordinate clause) the sense given for this word in the dictionary
- as long as in the set phrase مَا أَنَّ ... (e.g. 'as long as there is a star in the sky'), where أَنَّ is described as a dialectal variant of عَنَّ
Example sentence
ونكتة الْمَسْأَلَة أَنَّهُ لَا يرى ربه إِلَّا محسنا، وَلَا يرى نَفسه إِلَّا مسيئا
And the essence of the matter is that he sees his Lord as nothing but good, and himself as nothing but wrong.
أَنَّهُ is that he
anna = 'that' (introduces a statement); the ending '-hu' = 'he/it' — together 'that he'.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
Grammarians closely associate this particle's 'as long as' use with إِنَّ, at times disputing which of the two is really intended in a given phrase. The same root letters also happen to spell an unrelated verb meaning 'to moan' and the personal pronouns أنا/أنت — same consonants, different words.
Words from the same root
- أَنَّ to moan, utter a moan or cry (from pain)
- أُنَانٌ moaning (verbal noun of أَنَّ)
- أَنَ I (independent pronoun)
- أَنْتَ you, thou (masc. sing. pronoun)
More example sentences
ومع كل فجر، جدّد العهد أن أكون اليوم أصدق قليلًا، أرحم قليلًا، أضبط جوارحي أكثر
And with each dawn, renew the covenant: to be a bit more truthful today, a bit more compassionate, and to control my senses better.
أَنْ to
'an' = 'to', introducing a verb.
اعْلَم أَنَّ الْهَوَى مَيْلُ الطَّبْعِ إِلَى مَا يُلائِمُهُ
Know that desire is the inclination of nature towards what suits it.
أَنَّ that
'anna' = 'that', introducing reported content.
كَمَا أَنَّ الْغَضَبَ دَافِعٌ عَنْهُ مَا يُؤْذِي
Just as anger repels from him what harms.
أَنَّ that
'anna' = 'that', introducing a clause.
وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَالِبُ مِنْ مُوَافِقِ الْهَوَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَقِفُ مِنْهُ عَلَى حَدِّ الْمُنْتَفِعِ
And since the common case when following desire is that it does not stop at the limit of benefit,
أَنَّهُ is that
'anna' = 'that'; '-hu' = 'it' — the predicate clause of 'kana'.
لِأَنَّهُ يَبْعُدُ أَنْ يُفْهَمَ الْمَقْصُودُ مِنْ وَضْعِ الْهَوَى فِي النَّفْسِ
Because it is rare for someone to understand the purpose of placing desire in the soul.
أَنْ that
'an' = 'that/to', introducing a verb.
وَنَدُرَ مِثَالُهُ أَنَّ شَهْوَةَ الْمَطْعَمِ إِنَّمَا خُلِقَتْ لاجْتِلابِ الْغِذَاءِ
A rare example of this is that the craving for food was only created to draw nourishment.
أَنَّ that
'anna' = 'that', introducing a clause.
والأفضلُ أن تجمعَ اللفظَ والحضور تردِّد لا إلهَ إلا الله وأنت تفكّ قيودَ قلبِك من كلِّ معبودٍ باطلٍ صورة، مال، هوى
And it is better to combine the utterance and presence: you repeat 'None is worthy of worship except Allah' while freeing your heart from all false gods: images, wealth, desires.
أَنْ to
'an' turns the next verb into a 'to do' phrase and forces it into the subjunctive — building 'to combine' as the thing that is better.
خُلاصةُ الطريق أصلان أن تُعبَدَ اللهُ وحده، وأن تُعبَدَه بما شَرَع
The essence of the path is two principles: that you worship Allah alone, and that you worship Him with what He has prescribed.
أَنْ that
This 'an' turns the verb after it into a 'to do' phrase and forces the subjunctive. It opens the spelled-out content of the first root.
خُلاصةُ الطريق أصلان أن تُعبَدَ اللهُ وحده، وأن تُعبَدَه بما شَرَع
The essence of the path is two principles: that you worship Allah alone, and that you worship Him with what He has prescribed.
وَأَنْ and that
'and that' — 'wa' plus a second 'an', opening the second principle in parallel. Like the first, it builds a subjunctive 'to do' clause.
إياك أن تشتغل بهذا الجدل الذي ظهر بعد انقراض الأكابر من العلماء يشير إلى جدل العميدي فإنه يبعد عن الفقه، ويضيع العمر، ويورث الوحشة والعداوة،
Beware of getting involved in this debate that emerged after the passing of the great scholars (referring to the debate of Al-Amidi), for it distances you from understanding the law, wastes your life, and breeds loneliness and enmity.
أن that
'an' turning the next verb into a 'to...' phrase and forcing the subjunctive — 'beware THAT you busy yourself' = 'beware of busying yourself'.
فاحتاج الأئمة إلى أن يضعوا آدابًا وأحكامًا يقف المتناظران عند حدودها في الرد والقبول،
the scholars needed to establish etiquette and rules that debaters must adhere to in rejection and acceptance,
أَنْ to
'an' turning the next verb into a 'to...' phrase and forcing the subjunctive — 'needed TO lay down...'.
وكيف يكون حال المستدل والمجيب، وحيث يسوغ له أن يكون مستدلًّا، وكيف يكون مخصومًا منقطعًا،
and how the condition of the reasoner and respondent should be, when it is permissible for them to be reasoning, and how one becomes refuted and silenced,
أَنْ to
'an' turning the next verb into a 'to...' phrase and forcing subjunctive — 'that he be a reasoner'.
وغايته أن يظفر في الأحايين منه بخَطْفَةٍ ونَهْبَةٍ تحصل له على غِرَّةٍ من العبد وغفلةٍ لابد له منها؛
At most, he might occasionally manage a snatch or grab from him when the servant is caught off guard in an unavoidable moment of heedlessness;
أَنْ that
The subordinating 'that' opening the clause that names that utmost, and forcing the next verb into the subjunctive. It works like English 'that he should…'.
تالله مَا عدا عَلَيْك الْعدو إِلَّا بعد أَن تولى عَنْك الْوَلِيّ
By Allah, no enemy came upon you except after the Protector withdrew from you.
أَنْ that
The subordinating 'that', here turning the following past verb into a 'that…' clause that 'after' governs in the genitive. It builds 'after the Protector turned away'.
فَلَا تظن أَن الشَّيْطَان غلب وَلَكِن الْحَافِظ أعرض
So do not think that Satan has overpowered, but rather the Guardian has turned away.
أَنَّ that
The heavy 'that' (anna) opening the supposed content and forcing the noun after it into the accusative. It introduces what you must not think.
أما علمت أَن الصَّادِق إِذا هم ألْقى بَين عَيْنَيْهِ عزمه
Do you not know that the truthful person, when he resolves, casts his determination before his eyes?
أَنَّ that
The heavy 'that' (anna) opening the content known, forcing its noun into the accusative. It introduces the maxim.
هان سهر الحرّاس لما علمُوا أَن أَصْوَاتهم بسمع الْملك
The vigil of the guards became easy when they knew their voices reached the king's ears.
أَنَّ that
The heavy 'that' (anna) opening the known content, forcing its noun into the accusative. It introduces what they knew.
وَأحمد عَاقبَتهَا أَن تكون لَا لَهُ وَلَا عَلَيْهِ تَنْبِيه
And the best outcome is that it is neither for him nor against him. Attention!
أَنْ that
The subordinating 'that', opening a clause and casting the next verb into the subjunctive — 'that it be'. It names the best outcome.
بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنْ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ،
It is enough evil for a person to look down on his Muslim brother.
أَنْ to
This 'an' bundles 'that he despise his brother' into a single noun-like clause and puts its verb in the subjunctive. That whole clause is the real subject of 'is evil enough'.
ويُستحب ألّا يرفعَ اليدَ عن العضو حتى يتمَّ مسحَه، وأن ينزعَ الخاتمَ في الضربة الأولى،
It is recommended not to lift the hand from the limb until its wiping is completed, and to remove the ring in the first strike.
وَأَنْ and to
'and that' — joining a second recommended act, the 'that'-particle forcing the next verb into the subjunctive. 'And that he remove...' — it packages the next instruction as another commended thing.
ولا يلزم من ذلك أن يكون هو فاعل الدفق
And it is not required that he be the performer of the pouring.
أَنْ that
A subordinating particle 'that', which forces the verb after it into the subjunctive shape. It turns the following clause into a 'to be' complement, the thing said not to be required; the changed verb ending marks its grip.
وإذا كانوا يقولون الوقت الحاضر والساعة الراهنة وإن لم يفعلا ذلك فكيف يمتنع أن يقولوا ماء دافق وعيشة راضية
And if they say 'the present time' and 'the current hour' without those phrases acting, how could they refrain from saying 'gushing water' and 'contented life'?
أَنْ to
A subordinating particle 'that / to', forcing the verb after it into the subjunctive shape. It turns the following verb into a 'to do' complement of 'refrain'; the changed verb ending is the mark of its grip.
مِثْلَ مَا أَنَّكَ هَهُنَا فَكَأَنَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ حَقٌّ
Just as you are here, it is as if He, Glory be to Him, is saying that the Quran is true.
أَنَّكَ you are
A clause-opener 'that' fused with an attached 'you' ending as its subject, 'that you'. It introduces a certain fact and forces its following subject into the accusative, here the attached pronoun.
Common questions
- How do you say "that" in Arabic?
- أن (ʾan) — the particle used to introduce a subordinate clause, as in 'I know that...'.
- What does the root ا ن ن mean in Arabic?
- Its core verb sense is 'to moan, groan in pain' (أَنَّ, أُنَانٌ). The same letters separately spell the pronouns أنا (I) / أنت (you) and the particle أن/إن ('that'), which are distinct words sharing the same consonants.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).