Open the app
  1. Home
  2. Lessons
  3. GCSE & IGCSE Arabic
  4. Travel plans: لم، لن and ليس

Travel plans: لم، لن and ليس

Higher answers use the full set of Arabic negatives. Each one goes with a different tense.

Four negatives

Endings after لم and لن

Short forms change only their final vowel: لَمْ أَذْهَبْ (sukun), لَنْ أَذْهَبَ (fatha).
Long forms drop their final ن after both: يَذْهَبونَ → لَمْ يَذْهَبوا / لَنْ يَذْهَبوا; تَذْهَبينَ → لَمْ تَذْهَبي.
لَمْ نَرَ البَحْر = We didn't see the sea (weak verbs lose their last letter after لم).

ليس: is not

Worked example

Translate: We didn't go to the museum and we won't go back to it.

  1. We didn't go: لم نذهب.
  2. To the museum: إلى المتحف.
  3. We won't go back: لن نرجع; to it: إليه.

Answer: لم نذهب إلى المتحف ولن نرجع إليه.

Key idea

لا + present (don't), ما + past or لم + jussive (didn't), لن + subjunctive (won't). Long forms drop ن: لم يذهبوا. ليس (isn't): لستُ، لستَ، لستِ، ليس، ليست، لسنا، ليسوا + accusative.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

Check you have got it

Answer 6 quick questions with instant marking. If you get one wrong, GCSE-ready shows you why and gives you another go. It is free, and you do not need an account.