Levantine Arabic/Negation
Yes and no
[edit | edit source]| Default meaning | Reply to a negative question | |
|---|---|---|
| أيوه 'aywa إيه 'ē (N) / آه 'ā (S) نعم naʕam (formal) |
yes | no (agreement) |
| لأ la' | no | yes (contradiction) |
| مبلا mbala | - |
Negation of verbs
[edit | edit source]Verbs are negated with the particle ما (ma) preceding the verb and the optional suffix ـش (-š).
| Examples | Commonly used in | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| mā + verb | ما كتب ma katab (“he didn't write”) ما بعرف ma baʕref (“I don't know”) |
the whole Levant | - the particle ma is stressed |
| ma + verb + -š | ما كتبش ma katab-š ما بعرفش ma baʕref-š |
Jordan, Palestine | - ma is unstressed, the stress of the verb is shifting - same form as in Egyptian Arabic |
| verb + -š | بعرفش baʕref-š | Palestine | - ma is unstressed, the stress of the verb is shifting - only used with non-past forms (present, subjunctive) |
Imperative
[edit | edit source]In order to negate the imperative, the subjunctive form is used.
| Verb form | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Imperative | نسى nsā (North) إنسى 'insa (South) |
| Negated | Subjunctive | ما تنسى ma tinsa ما تنساش ma tinsā-š / تنساش tinsā-š لا تنسى la tinsa (formal) |
Pseudo verbs
[edit | edit source]Pseudo verbs like بدّ (bidd-, “want”) and عند (ʕind-, “to have”) are negated with the partile ما (ma) as well, but usally without the suffix ـش (-š).
| Example |
|---|
| ما بدّي يّاه ma biddi yyā (“I don't want it”) |
Negation of nouns, adjectives etc.
[edit | edit source]Nouns, adjectives, adverbs and partiples are negated with the preceding particle مش (miš, in the South sometimes pronounced “muš”) or مو (mu, only in Syria).
As modal verbs like لازم (lāzem, “must”) and ممكن (mumken, “may”) are technically adverbs, they are negated the same way as well.
While particles preceding verbs like عم (ʕam, progressive marker) and رح (raḥ, future marker) are usually negated like verbs (see above), they can be negated with مش (miš/muš) as well.