Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Negations

Negations in the Arabic language

غير

Negation the adjectives

غير صحيح = NOT true. غير ممكن = NOT possible. غير مسموح = NOT permitted. غير موجود = NOT found.

Negation the pronoun

غير ذلك = Other than that; something else. غير هذا = but this.

PS: (غير) can be used to compound an adverbs: غير أن = nevertheless; but; however.

لا

A. Negation the verbs only in present tense:

• لا أذهب = I do NOT go.
• لا تذهب = Do NOT go (you).
• لا يستطيع = He can NOT.
• لا أملك وقت = I do NOT have time.

Negation the nominal sentences

لا أحد هنا = NO one / Nobody here.

لا وجود = No existence.

لا شيئ = Nothing.

Negation the pronouns

لا هذا ولا ذاك = NOT this, NOR that.

لم

Negation only the verbs in past tense (the verb after لم should be in present tense).

• لم يذهب = He did NOT go.
• لم أستطع = I could NOT.
• لم يعملوا =They did NOT work.
• لم نكن هناك = We have NOT been there.

ما

Negation the verbs in past tense

like لم, and the verb also in past tense)

ما ذهب = He did NOT go.

Negation the verbs in present tense

(like لا, and the verb also in present tense).

ما أثق إلا في شخص واحد = I do NOT trust only one person. 

PS: (ما) can be used like WHAT :

• ما هذا؟ = WHAT is this?.
• ما رأيك؟ = WHAT's your opinion?.
• كل ما تستطيع فعله = All WHAT you can do.
• هذا ما أملك = This is WHAT I have.

I will add another necessary negation tools that is لن :

لن

Negation only the verbs in future tense.(the verb after لن should be in present tense).

• لن يأت = He WILL NOT come
• لن أفشل هذه المرة = I WILL NOT fail this time.

REMEMBER: that was just the famous negation tools in arabic, and the common usage of it, beside there are other tools. You can take this as a start point.