لعلّ

Perhaps and Hopefully

Level 3

لعلّ (la‘alla) is used to express hope, possibility, or sometimes apprehension. It is one of the 'Sisters of Inna,' meaning it changes the subject of a nominal sentence to the accusative case.

How It Works

لعلّ is a high-frequency particle in Modern Standard Arabic, belonging to the group known as Inna and its sisters.

1. Meaning and Usage:
It primarily translates to 'perhaps,' 'maybe,' or 'hopefully.' It is used for realistic hopes (unlike ليت, which is for impossible wishes). In formal and Quranic contexts, it also means 'so that' or 'in order that.' Occasionally, it can express apprehension ('I fear that...').

2. Grammatical Effect:
When لعلّ enters a nominal sentence, the subject (Mubtada') becomes the 'Noun of La'alla' (Ism La'alla) and must be in the accusative case. The predicate (Khabar La'alla) remains nominative.

3. Attached Pronouns:
If the subject is a pronoun, you must use an attached pronoun. For the first person singular ('Perhaps I'), both لعلّي (la‘allī) and لعلّني (la‘allanī) are acceptable, though لعلّي is the more common and preferred form in standard usage.

4. Verbs and Mood:
A verb cannot immediately follow لعلّ; a noun or pronoun must come first. Unlike other particles meaning 'so that' (like أن), a verb following لعلّ remains in the indicative mood (marfū‘) and does not become subjunctive.

Examples (5)

  1. لعلَّ النصرَ قريبٌ.

    Perhaps victory is near.

    Word by Word: Perhaps the victory (is) near.

    Notice that 'al-nasra' (victory) takes the -a ending because it follows لعلّ.

  2. لعلّكَ تجدُ مفاتيحَكَ في السيارةِ.

    Hopefully, you will find your keys in the car.

    Word by Word: Perhaps you find keys-your in the car.

    The pronoun 'ka' (you) is attached directly to لعلّ. The verb 'tajidu' remains in the indicative mood (marfū‘).

  3. لعلّي أستطيعُ مساعدتَكَ اليومَ.

    Perhaps I can help you today.

    Word by Word: Perhaps I I-can helping-you the-day.

    This uses 'la‘allī', which is the most common and preferred form for 'perhaps I'.

  4. لعلَّ الامتحانَ سهلٌ.

    Hopefully the exam is easy.

    Word by Word: Perhaps the exam (is) easy.

    The subject 'al-imtihāna' is accusative, while the predicate 'sahlun' remains nominative.

  5. اعملوا بجدٍّ لعلَّكم تنجحون.

    Work hard so that you may succeed.

    Word by Word: Work (plural) with effort so-that-you you-succeed.

    Here لعلّ means 'so that' or 'in order that'. Note that the verb 'tanjahūn' stays in the indicative mood (ending in 'n') unlike other 'so that' particles.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case for the subject after لعلّ.

    لعلّ الجوُّ جميلٌ اليوم.
    لعلّ الجوَّ جميلٌ اليوم.

    The noun following لعلّ must be in the accusative case (al-jawwa), not the nominative (al-jawwu).

  • Using a detached pronoun instead of an attached one.

    لعلّ هو يصل قريباً.
    لعلّه يصل قريباً.

    You cannot use 'huwa' (he) separately; it must be attached as the suffix '-hu'.

How It Connects

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لعلّLevel 3Perhaps and Hopefully

Learn This First

To understand لعلّ, you need to be familiar with the basic structure of a nominal sentence (Mubtada' and Khabar). Since لعلّ belongs to the group of particles known as 'Inna and its sisters' (Inna wa Akhwatuha), you must understand how these particles change the subject of the sentence into the accusative case (Mansub) while keeping the predicate in the nominative case (Marfu').

Words in This Pattern

لعل