GoalSay “not” with a verb (لَا) and in sentences without a verb (لَيْسَ).
New words
لَا أَدْرُس (lā ʾadrus) · I do not studyلَا يَشْرَب (lā yashrab) · he does not drinkلَسْتُ (lastu) · I am notلَسْتَ (lasta) · you (m.) are notلَسْتِ (lasti) · you (f.) are notلَيْسَ (laysa) · he is notلَيْسَتْ (laysat) · she is notلَسْنَا (lasnā) · we are not
Explanation
To say “not” with a present verb, put لَا in front of it: لَا أَدْرُس is “I do not study”. The verb does not change. For “not” in a sentence without a verb, such as “I am not a student”, use لَيْسَ. It changes with the person, like a past verb: لَسْتُ، لَسْتَ، لَسْتِ، لَيْسَ، لَيْسَتْ، لَسْنَا. A describing word or a noun after it takes ـًا, as after أُرِيد in A1: لَسْتُ جَائِعًا; a word in ة does not change: لَيْسَتْ مُعَلِّمَة. In A1 you wrote لَيْس; as a verb it is written لَيْسَ. After a place word nothing changes: لَسْنَا فِي الْبَيْت.
Who
لَيْسَ
Example
أَنَا
لَسْتُ
لَسْتُ جَائِعًا
أَنْتَ
لَسْتَ
لَسْتَ مُتْعَبًا
أَنْتِ
لَسْتِ
لَسْتِ طَالِبَة
هُوَ
لَيْسَ
هُوَ لَيْسَ طَبِيبًا
هِيَ
لَيْسَتْ
هِيَ لَيْسَتْ مُعَلِّمَة
نَحْنُ
لَسْنَا
لَسْنَا فِي الْبَيْت
Worked examples
لَا before a present verb.
لَيْسَ and its forms with a describing word.
Dina
هَل أَنْتَ جَائِع؟
Hassan
لَا، لَسْتُ جَائِعًا.
Hassan
لَكِن أَنَا مُتْعَب.
Dina asks Hassan.
Class activity
Say no. Take six things you really do not do, for example “I do not drink coffee” or “I do not play here”. Write each one with لَا. Then write three “I am not…” sentences about yourself with لَسْتُ, and three about other people with لَيْسَ and لَيْسَتْ. Read them aloud.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Does the speaker work there?
…
No: لَا أَعْمَل هُنَاكَ (lā ʾaʿmal hunāka), “I do not work there”.
2
Make it negative: هُوَ يَلْعَب.
هُوَ لَا يَلْعَب.
3
The picture shows a woman. Say: “she is not a teacher.”
هِيَ لَيْسَتْ مُعَلِّمَة.
4
The picture shows a man. Say to him: “you are not tired.”
لَسْتَ مُتْعَبًا.
5
Which word do you use before a present verb, and which one for “is not” without a verb?
لَا before a present verb. لَيْسَ (لَسْتُ، لَيْسَتْ …) for “is not” without a verb.
