لكنّ

But (With a Following Noun)

Level 3

لكنّ (lakinna) is a formal way to say 'but' or 'however' in Modern Standard Arabic. It is used to correct a previous statement or add a contrasting point.

How It Works

لكنّ (lakinna) is a nāsikh (abrogating) particle used for istidrāk (rectification). It prevents the listener from forming a wrong conclusion based on the first part of the sentence.

1. Grammatical Effect:
When لكنّ enters a nominal sentence, it changes the subject (mubtada’) into its own subject (ismu lakinna). This noun must be in the accusative case (usually marked by fatḥa). Crucially, the predicate (khabar lakinna) remains in the nominative case (usually marked by ḍamma). For example, in Sound Feminine Plurals, the subject takes a kasra instead of a fatḥa, while duals and plurals use their respective markers, such as yā’ for masculine plurals.

2. Sentence Position:
Unlike some other sisters of Inna, لكنّ cannot start a sentence or discourse. It must always be preceded by a complete clause because its function is to rectify or clarify a statement that has just been made.

3. Heavy vs. Light (لكنّ vs لكن):
It is crucial to distinguish between the 'heavy' لكنّ (lakinna) and the 'light' لكن (lakin). The heavy version (with the shadda) is one of إنّ and Its Sisters and requires the following noun to be in the accusative. The light version لكن (ending in sukūn) acts as a simple conjunction and does not change the case of the following noun.

4. Ma al-Kāffa (لكنّما):
If the particle 'ma' is attached to lakinna (forming لكنّما), it is called 'Ma al-Kāffa' (the preventing Ma). This cancels the grammatical effect of the particle, and the following noun returns to the nominative case. This addition also allows the particle to precede verbal sentences.

5. Spelling and Attachment:
There is a hidden 'dagger alif' after the first letter; it is pronounced 'laakinna' but written as لكنّ. It can be followed by a noun or an attached pronoun. When attaching the 1st person singular 'me', you can use either لكنّي or لكنّني. It is also very common to see it written as ولكنّ, where the addition of wa (and) does not change its function.

Examples (5)

  1. البيتُ صغيرٌ لكنَّ الحديقةَ واسعةٌ.

    The house is small, but the garden is spacious.

    Word by Word: The house small but the garden (acc.) spacious.

    Notice how 'al-ḥadīqata' (the garden) takes a fatḥa because it follows lakinna.

  2. السياراتُ قديمةٌ لكنَّ الحافلاتِ جديدةٌ.

    The cars are old, but the buses are new.

    Word by Word: The cars old but the buses (acc.) new.

    In this example, 'al-ḥāfilāti' is a Sound Feminine Plural. Because it follows lakinna, it takes a kasra instead of a fatḥa for the accusative case.

  3. أرادَ السفرَ ولكنَّهُ مريضٌ.

    He wanted to travel, but he is sick.

    Word by Word: He wanted the travel and-but-he sick.

    When a pronoun is used, it attaches directly to the particle (lakinna + hu = lakinnahu).

  4. لكنَّما ينجحُ المجتهدُ.

    But rather, the diligent one succeeds.

    Word by Word: But-rather succeeds the diligent-one.

    When 'ma' is attached to lakinna, it allows the particle to precede a verbal sentence and cancels its effect on the noun's case.

  5. ما قرأتُ كتاباً لكنْ قصةً.

    I did not read a book, but a story.

    Word by Word: Not I-read book but story.

    When the light 'lakin' (ending in sukūn) acts as a conjunction, the following noun matches the case of the noun before it. Here, 'qiṣṣatan' is accusative to match 'kitāban'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case after lakinna.

    لكنَّ الجوُّ باردٌ.
    لكنَّ الجوَّ باردٌ.

    Because lakinna is one of the 'Sisters of Inna', the noun following it must be in the accusative case (al-jawwa), not the nominative (al-jawwu).

  • Spelling the word with a visible alif.

    لاكنَّ الولدَ غائبٌ.
    لكنَّ الولدَ غائبٌ.

    The long 'a' sound in lakinna is a 'dagger alif' which is pronounced but never written.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

لكنّLevel 3But (With a Following Noun)

Learn This First

لكنّ is a particle from the 'Inna and its sisters' group. To understand it, you need to know how these particles change the subject of a sentence into the accusative case (al-mansub), typically marked by a fatha. It is also helpful to distinguish it from the simpler conjunction 'lakin'.

Words in This Pattern

لكن