ليس + Accusative Predicate

ليس Takes the -a Ending

Level 3

ليس (laysa) is a special verb used to say 'is not' or 'are not' in Modern Standard Arabic. It negates a nominal sentence (a sentence without a verb) and forces the description (the predicate) to take the accusative case ending, usually written as a fatha (ـَ) or tanwin fatha (ـًا).

How It Works

In a standard Arabic nominal sentence like al-baytu kabīrun (The house is big), both words are in the nominative case. When you add ليس to negate it, the sentence structure changes:

1. The Subject (Ism Laysa): Remains in the nominative case (ends in -u).
2. The Predicate (Khabar Laysa): Changes to the accusative case.

Case Endings for the Predicate:
While singular nouns take a fatha or tanwin fatha (e.g., kabīran), different plural types have specific rules:

  • Sound Masculine Plurals change their ending from -ūna to -īna (ـينَ), such as حاضرينَ (present).
  • Sound Feminine Plurals are unique because they take a kasra (ـاتِ/ـاتٍ) instead of a fatha in the accusative case, such as ليسَتِ الطالباتُ غائباتٍ (The students are not absent).
  • For defective nouns (al-manqūṣ) like قاضٍ, the final 'ya' is restored and takes a standard tanwin fatha (قاضياً). However, shortened nouns (al-maqsūr) like مستشفى remain unchanged in appearance.

The بـ Construction for Emphasis:
In formal Arabic, you can negate the predicate by adding the preposition بـ. This changes the predicate to the genitive case (e.g., ليس البيتُ بكبيرٍ). This construction is specifically used for emphasis, meaning "not at all."

Conjugation Rules:
ليس is a 'static' (jāmid) verb, meaning it only exists in the past-tense form. You must conjugate it to match the subject. Note that the middle 'y' drops in all forms where the ending starts with a consonant:

  • I am not: لستُ
  • He is not: ليسَ
  • She is not: ليسَتْ
  • They (feminine) are not: لسنَ
  • We are not: لسنا

Word Order and Agreement:
When ليس comes before a plural noun subject, it usually remains in the singular form (ليس or ليست) as long as the gender matches. For example: ليس الطلابُ حاضرينَ (The students are not present).

Register Note: While ليس is the primary way to negate 'to be' in formal speech, the particle ما can also be used in formal Arabic to negate nominal sentences. It functions similarly to ليس, keeping the subject in the nominative and putting the predicate in the accusative.

Examples (4)

  1. ليسَ الأمرُ سهلاً.

    The matter is not easy.

    Word by Word: Not the matter easy.

    Here, 'al-amru' (the matter) is the subject, and 'sahlan' is the predicate in the accusative case (tanwin fatha).

  2. لستُ طالباً في هذه الجامعة.

    I am not a student at this university.

    Word by Word: I-am-not a-student in this the-university.

    The verb is conjugated for 'I' (lastu). 'Taliban' takes the accusative ending because it follows 'lastu'.

  3. ليست المشكلةُ كبيرةً.

    The problem is not big.

    Word by Word: Is-not (fem.) the-problem big (fem.).

    The verb 'laysat' agrees with the feminine subject 'al-mushkilatu'. The adjective 'kabiratan' is in the accusative case.

  4. ليسوا مستعدين للرحلة.

    They are not ready for the trip.

    Word by Word: They-are-not ready (pl.) for-the-trip.

    For sound masculine plurals, the accusative case is shown by the 'īna' ending instead of 'ūna'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to change the predicate to the accusative case.

    ليس الولدُ مريضٌ.
    ليس الولدُ مريضاً.

    Learners often leave the predicate in the nominative case (marfu'). After 'laysa', the predicate must be accusative (mansub).

  • Incorrectly conjugating the 'I' or 'You' forms.

    ليستُ متعباً.
    لستُ متعباً.

    When adding suffixes that start with a consonant (like -tu, -ta, -nā), the middle 'yā' of 'laysa' must be dropped.

  • Using 'laysa' for feminine subjects.

    ليس السيارةُ جديدةً.
    ليست السيارةُ جديدةً.

    Laysa is a verb and must agree in gender with the subject. Use 'laysat' for feminine nouns.

How It Connects

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ليس + Accusative PredicateLevel 3ليس Takes the -a Ending

Learn This First

To understand why the comment after 'ليس' takes the -a ending, you first need to be familiar with the basic function of 'ليس' as 'it is not'. You also need to understand the structure of a basic nominal sentence (Subject and Comment) and be familiar with the concept of the 'mansub' case, which is the specific grammatical state 'ليس' imposes on its comment.

Words in This Pattern

ليس