Negation in Arabic

[3] In more colloquial usage, it is possible to give the verb in the present indicative mood (which is largely identical in form to the jussive).

[5][6] ’aḥbabtu l-jazara "I liked carrots" mā ’aḥbabtu l-jazara "I did not like carrots" Negating a proposition in the future is done by placing the negative particle لَنْ lan before the verb in the subjunctive mood.

[7] sawfa ’aḏhabu ’ilā d-darsi ġadan "I will go to the class tomorrow" lan ’aḏhaba ’ilā d-darsi ġadan "I will not go to the class tomorrow" The imperative (known as الأَمْر "the order," from أَمَرَ "he ordered") is negated by putting لا lā "not" before the verb, putting the verb in the jussive, rather than the imperative, mood.

"No", as an answer to a question, is expressed by the negative particle لا lā.

[9] Modern Standard Arabic لَيْسَ laysa "is not" is replaced in colloquial usage with a variety of other forms, which in origin are contractions of phrases such as ما مِنْ شَيْ mā min shay "nothing" (literally: "none from/of a thing"): North African, Egyptian, and some Levantine Arabic varieties negate verbs using a circumfix—a combination of the prefix ma- and the suffix -ʃ.