Arabic vocabulary
How to say “only” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
هكذا تشهدُ لغةُ العرب؛ فلا يُحكى بالقولِ إلا كلامٌ تام
Thus, the language of the Arabs testifies; only complete speech is spoken.
فَلَا — so only. 'fa' draws the consequence and 'la' negates — setting up 'so nothing... except'. It opens a restriction completed by 'illa' later.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →وعلى الضدّ من ذلك مَن لم تبقَ له حسنةٌ معتبرة وقد قضاها على الباطل فلا يقوم له وزن؛ أعماله كالسراب أو الرماد في يومٍ عاصف
And on the contrary: whoever has no significant good deeds left—having wasted them on falsehood—has no weight; his deeds are like a mirage or ashes on a stormy day.
فَلَا — has no. 'so not' — 'fa' delivering the result of 'whoever...' plus 'la' negating: 'then no...'. It opens the verdict.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →أمّا إذا أتمَّ فريضةً بالتيمم ثم استمر وجودُ الماء بعد السلام، بَطَلَ تيممُه فلا يستبيح به نافلةً
If one completed an obligatory prayer with Tayammum and then water became available after the Salam, their Tayammum is void, and they cannot perform a voluntary prayer with it.
فَلَا — and not. The 'fa-' draws a consequence and 'la' negates: 'so he may not...'. With the tayammum void, a further use of it is ruled out, as the verb next specifies.
From: When Earth Replaces Water →العاشر أنه سبحانه نبه بقوله ﴿إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ﴾ على أنه قد وكل عليه من يحفظ عليه عمله ويحصيه فلا يضيع منه شيء
The tenth point is that He, glorified be He, emphasized by saying, ‘Indeed, every soul will have a guardian over it,’ indicating that He has appointed someone to safeguard and account for its deeds, and nothing will be lost from them.
فَلَا — and nothing. This fuses the result connector fa- to the negating particle, opening the consequence: so nothing is lost. The fa- draws the outcome from the watching just described, and the negation here denies the whole class, 'not a thing'.
From: Ten Proofs of Resurrection →يَعْنِي أَنَّهُ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالصَّوْمُ لِوَجْهِ اللهِ تَعَالَى فَلَا ثَوَابَ لَهُ
This means that if the prayer and fasting are not done for the sake of Allah, then there is no reward for them.
فَلَا — then there is no. The connector 'so' joined to a negating word that flatly denies the existence of what follows, here 'reward'. The 'so' delivers the result of the condition, and the negation sets up 'then there is no...'.
From: Empty Fasting, Empty Prayer →كل المخلوقات دليل عليه فلا يقال هذا دون هذا،
All creatures are evidence of Him, so it cannot be said that this one is lesser than that one.
فَلَا — so not. The prefix fa- opens the consequence, 'so', and the attached negator denies what follows. The pair draws the conclusion from the prior statement and sets up a passive verb that 'cannot be said'.
From: Signs of God's Transcendence →وجميعها مصنوعة فلا يغرر بعضها بالا ذا،
And all of them are created, so none of them should deceive you except through Him.
فَلَا — so not. The prefix fa- opens the consequence, 'so', and the attached negator denies the verb that follows. The pair draws the conclusion from the creatures being made and forbids any of them deceiving you.
From: Signs of God's Transcendence →خارج عن الكائنات فلا يقال سامتها وحاذى،
He is beyond the entities, so it cannot be said He is equal to them or parallel.
فَلَا — so not. The prefix fa- opens the consequence, 'so', and the attached negator denies the passive verb that follows. The pair draws the conclusion from His being beyond all entities and forbids the claim made next.
From: Signs of God's Transcendence →فَلَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أُؤَثِّرَ عَلَيْكِ،
So I do not like to favor you over others,
فَلَا — so not. A connector fa- ('so') fused with the negator la. Beyond linking this clause to the previous reasoning, the la cancels the verb that follows, so the word does two jobs at once: it draws a conclusion and turns it negative. The result frames what comes next as a denied preference.
From: Mothers and the Companions →فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَقُولَهَا
So he cannot say it.
فَلَا — so not. A connector fa- ('so') fused with the negator la. The fa- draws this as a consequence of the prior line, while the la cancels the verb that follows. So the word both links to the previous clause and turns the next statement negative: 'so he cannot...'.
From: A Mother's Forgiveness →فَلَا يَلْقَى أَحَدًا إِلَّا رَدَّهُ
He would not meet anyone without sending him back.
فَلَا — so not. The fa- links to the prior line and the negator denies the following present verb, giving a habitual 'so he would not'. The two stack to open a 'never...except' frame.
From: A Night with the Prophet →فَلَا يَسْمَعُ أَمْرًا يُكَادَانِ بِهِ إِلَّا وَعَاهُ،
So he did not hear of any matter that nearly affected the two of them without being aware of it.
فَلاَ — so not. Two pieces fused: a chaining fa- ('and so') plus the everyday negator that denies a present/habitual action. Together they set up 'and so he never...', with the negator scoping over the verb that follows rather than over a single noun.
From: The Secret Migration →ثُمَّ لَا يُصَلِّيُ فَلَا بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِي هَذَا النَّمَطِ
Then he does not pray; may God not bless this kind.
فَلَّاً — so may not. Here fa- introduces the speaker's reaction, a 'so' that swings into a curse-prayer against the man just described, fused to a negator. Together they open 'so may God not...', the fa- linking the supplication to the failing and the negation aiming it as a denial of blessing.
From: Humility Over Fame →فَقَالَ إِنِّي مَعَ رَجُلٍ إِنْ أَكَلَ ذِكْرَ اسْمِ اللَّهِ فَلَا آكُلُ مَعَهُ
He said, "I am with a man; if he eats while mentioning the Name of God, I will not eat with him."
فَلَا — so not. The 'fa-' opens the result of the condition ('then'), and 'la' is the negator on the verb that follows, giving 'then I will not...'. This 'fa-' specifically marks the consequence half of an if-then.
From: Staying Firm in Faith →وَانْ شُرْبِ ذَكَرَ اِسْمِ اللَّهِ فَلَا أَشْرَبُ مَعَهُ
If he drinks after saying the name of God, I will not drink with him.
فَلَا — then not. The 'fa-' opens the result of the condition ('then'), with 'la' negating the verb after it: 'then I will not...'. It marks the consequence half of the if-then.
From: Staying Firm in Faith →فَلَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ
So it is only for God alone.
فَلَا — so not. This fuses the resumptive fa-, 'so/then', with a negating particle, drawing a conclusion that denies. The fa- ties the verdict to the prior point while the negator cancels the verb ahead, setting up 'so it is only for God', delivered through a negation plus exception.
From: Faith and Worship →وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَكَ إِنَّ أَحْمَقَ خَرَجَ إِلَى بَلَدٍ فَاسْتَفَادَ عَقْلًا فَلَا تُصَدِّقْ
And if it is said to you that a fool went to a town and gained sense, then do not believe it.
فَلَا — so do not. This pairs an attached 'so/then' with a negator that turns the following verb into a prohibition, so it both links and forbids. Beyond 'so', it sets up an order not to accept. It answers the opening 'if' with a forbidding result.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →فَلَا يُقِيمُ بَيْنَ أَظْهَرِ قَوْمٍ
So he would not remain among the most prominent of the people.
فَلَا — so not. Consecutive fa- fused to the negator la, denying a present-tense verb. The fa- carries 'and so', tying this refusal-to-stay to the vow just sworn.
From: Sheba's Garden and Destruction →OpenArabic teaches words like فَلَا through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
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