النفي: rules, examples & exercises | Arabic Grammar A1

النفي

A1 — نحو

Negation with لا, ليس, and ما

I can negate sentences using لا, ليس, and ما

Negation with لا, ليس, and ما

Examples

لا أَعرِفُ — I don't know
لَيسَ هذا كِتابي — This is not my book
ما ذَهَبتُ إلى السّوقِ — I didn't go to the market
لَستُ مُتعَبًا — I am not tired

نحوA1

Negation

Negation with لا, ليس, and ما

Learning Goal

I can negate sentences using لا, ليس, and ما

Exam Skills:تحدثكتابة

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

لا أَعرِفُ

I don't know

لَيسَ هذا كِتابي

This is not my book

ما ذَهَبتُ إلى السّوقِ

I didn't go to the market

لَستُ مُتعَبًا

I am not tired

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

النفي (Negation)

Arabic uses different negation words depending on the sentence type:

Negator	Used with	Example
لا	Present tense	لا أعرِفُ (I don't know)
لَيسَ	Nominal sentences	لَيسَ هذا كِتابي (This is not my book)
ما	Past tense	ما ذَهَبتُ (I didn't go)

لا is simplest — just place before the verb. لَيسَ conjugates like a verb (لستُ, لستَ, ليست...) and puts the predicate in accusative (منصوب). ما placed before past tense verb.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using لا for all negation instead of matching the negator to the sentence type. 🇬🇧 English: English uses 'not/don't' for everything — Arabic requires choosing between لا/ليس/ما based on tense. 🇩🇪 German: German 'nicht' works everywhere — Arabic splits negation into three distinct words.

Common Error Patterns

Using the wrong negator for the sentence type

لا = present, ما = past, ليس = nominal sentences

Not putting predicate in accusative after ليس

ليس puts خبر in accusative: لستُ مريضًا (not مريضٌ)

لا أَعرِفُ

I don't know

لا + present tense verb — the simplest negation pattern.

لَيسَ هذا كِتابي

This is not my book

ليس negates nominal sentences. Predicate becomes accusative (منصوب).

ما ذَهَبتُ إلى السّوقِ

I didn't go to the market

ما + past tense verb — negates completed actions.

لَستُ مُتعَبًا

I am not tired

لستُ = ليس conjugated for أنا. متعبًا in accusative (tanwin fatḥa).

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is النفي used?: Arabic uses different negation words depending on the sentence type:
How is النفي formed?: لا is simplest — just place before the verb. لَيسَ conjugates like a verb (لستُ, لستَ, ليست...) and puts the predicate in accusative (منصوب). ما placed before past tense verb.
What are common mistakes with النفي?: Using لا for all negation instead of matching the negator to the sentence type. 🇬🇧 English: English uses 'not/don't' for everything — Arabic requires choosing between لا/ليس/ما based on tense. 🇩🇪 German: German 'nicht' works everywhere — Arabic splits negation into three distinct words. 🇷🇺 Russian: Russian не works universally — Arabic requires three different negators depending on context.