Negation
What is not true or not happening?
المعنى
Negation says that something is not true or does not happen. It can reject a whole statement or just one part of it. Languages use negative words, changed verb forms, or both, and some have no separate word like not. Negation expresses the rejection; What a word applies to explains which part of the message a word such as not affects.
طريقة التعرّف عليه
Look for the word, word form, or combination that denies something, and check exactly what is being denied.
في اللغة الأم
Arabic uses لا for ordinary present or habitual negation, and لم with a shortened present-form verb to express past negation. لن expresses future negation and requires the subjunctive, often ending in -a. ليس changes for person, gender, and number and commonly negates descriptions expressed without a present-tense linking verb.
لا أشربُ القهوةَ مساءً. (Lā ashrabu al-qahwata masāʾan.)
لم أذهبْ إلى السوقِ أمسِ. (Lam adhhab ilā al-sūqi ams.)
لم gives past negation, although أذهبْ is built from the present form.
لستُ مستعدًّا، ولن أخرجَ الآنَ. (Lastu mustaʿiddan, wa-lan akhruja al-ān.)
لستُ negates the description; لن negates the future action.
في اللغة قيد التعلم
English usually puts not after an auxiliary verb, a helper such as can or do, or after a form of be. With most other verbs, present and past negatives use do, does, or did followed by the unchanged verb. In standard English, nobody and nothing make a statement negative without another not.
Ben doesn't like cheese.
Doesn't carries the negative and the form for Ben; like has no -s.
The store isn't open today.
Isn't is the short form of is not; no do is needed.
Nobody called me.
Nobody makes the statement negative without didn't.
Learners whose language simply puts a negative word before the verb may omit do, does, or did, or keep an ending on the following verb. Learners whose language regularly combines negative words with a negative verb may add an unwanted not with nobody or nothing.