Arabic vocabulary
How to say “not” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
وَلاَ إِلَى أَحْدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ،
and not to any of His creatures,
وَلاَ — and not. Two function words fused: 'wa-' (and) tying on to the prayer, plus a negator extending the previous plea. It carries the 'and not' across to a second thing guarded against, so the petition reaches further than the first clause.
From: Guidance for the Seeker →بَلَغَ مِنْ بِرِّهِ بِأَبِيهِ أَنَّ يَحْيَى كَانَ لاَ يَتَوَضَّأُ إِلَّا بِالْمَاءِ الْحَارِّ،
His dutifulness toward his father reached such a degree that Yahya would not perform ritual ablution except with hot water.
لا — not. This is the everyday negation used with present-shape verbs, and inside the past 'used to' frame it makes the habit a recurring 'would not'. It denies the action as a standing practice rather than a one-time event. So 'was + not + present verb' here means a habitual refusal.
From: A Son Protecting His Father →قَالَ لَا، مَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَجُوزَ مَعَهُمْ إِلَّا قَرِيبًا
He said, "No; I do not intend to go with them except nearby."
لَا — no. A standalone negative reply — a flat 'no'. Here it functions as a whole answer on its own, rejecting the implied suggestion before the speaker explains.
From: Warning Before the Battle of Badr →وَلاَ تَقْضِينَ فَأَنَالُ مِنْكِ
And do not judge, so I will take from you.
وَلَا — and do not. This fuses wa- 'and' with the prohibition-particle 'do not'. The wa- adds a second command to the first, and the prohibitive 'not' carries into the verb that follows, bending it into its forbidding shape. So the word both joins and continues the chain of prohibitions.
From: Charity and Stinginess →وَلاَ أَقُولُ كَيْفَ تَغَلُّبِ حَلَاوَةٍ اللَّذَّاتِ؟
Nor will I say, "How did the sweetness of pleasures prevail?!"
وَلاَ — and not. The connector wa- ('and') fused to a negating particle ('not'), giving 'and not'. The wa- joins this to the prior line, and the negation cancels the verb after it, opening 'nor will I say...'.
From: Guarding the Heart from Heedlessness →OpenArabic teaches words like لاَ through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
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