ليس
Arabic
Etymology 1
Uncertain. Traditionally taken to be a contracted pronunciation of either an earlier form لَيِسَ (layisa), whose ultimate origin is in turn unknown or unexplored, or of لَا (lā, “not”) + an existential أَيْس (ʾays)[1] that has a proposed etymology in Proto-Semitic *ys < *yṯ. This existential would be a native cognate to Hebrew יֵשׁ (yēš)[2] and Akkadian 𒌇 (/išu/, “to have or own; to be”, also used copulatively), although Al-Jallad (2018) expresses doubt that it is anything more than a back-formation from the negative, in other words implying that لَا (lā, “not”) + *أَيْس (*ʾays, existential) is just a folk etymology from which أَيْس (ʾays) was created artificially. Al-Jallad proceeds to attest a form of لَيْسَ (laysa) in a Safaitic inscription dated between the first century BC and the fourth century AD, whose form, he says, invalidates the possibility of an origin in a verb لَيِسَ (layisa); he thereby argues that لَيْسَ (laysa) may either be a loan from Neo-Assyrian 𒆷𒀸𒋗 (la-aš-šu /laššu/, “there is not”) or from Taymanitic 𐪁𐪚𐪏 (lys3 /lāʾis, lāyis/, “not existing or being”).[3]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /laj.sa/
Verb
لَيْسَ • (laysa)
- (copulative, defective) not to be
- (invariably masculine singular) except
- Synonym: لَا يَكُونُ (lā yakūnu)
- جَاءَ النَّاسُ لَيْسَ زُهَيْرًا
- jāʾa n-nāsu laysa zuhayran
- People came, except for Zuhayr
- (rare, nonstandard) not to exist; there is not
Usage notes
This is a defective verb. It has only perfect indicative forms with a present-tense meaning. It governs a noun or adjective in the accusative, or takes بِـ (bi-) and the genitive.
- لَسْتُ عَالِمًا ― lastu ʿāliman ― I am not learned
- لَسْتُ بِعَالِمٍ ― lastu bi-ʿālimin ― I am not learned
- لَيْسَ الرَّجُلُ جَمِيلًا
Conjugation
- Before consonantal endings, the diphthong -ay- is reduced to a short -a-:
singular | dual | plural | |
---|---|---|---|
1st person | لَسْتُ (lastu) | لَسْنَا (lasnā) | |
2nd person m | لَسْتَ (lasta) | لَسْتُمَا (lastumā) | لَسْتُمْ (lastum) |
2nd person f | لَسْتِ (lasti) | لَسْتُنَّ (lastunna) | |
3rd person m | لَيْسَ (laysa) | لَيْسَا (laysā) | لَيْسُوا (laysū) |
3rd person f | لَيْسَتْ (laysat) | لَيْسَتَا (laysatā) | لَسْنَ (lasna) |
See also
- كَانَ (kāna)
Particle
لَيْسَ • (laysa)
- Used to negate verbs
- 10th century, Al-Mutanabbi
- وَلَيْسَ يَصِحُّ فِي الْأَفْهَامِ شَيْءٌ / إِذَا ٱحْتَاجَ النَّهَارُ إِلَى دَلِيلِ
- walaysa yaṣiḥḥu fī l-ʾafhāmi šayʾun / ʾiḏā ḥtāja n-nahāru ʾilā dalīli
- (please add an English translation of this quote)
Conjunction
لَيْسَ • (laysa)
- (rare, disputed) not (refers to a preceding context)
- أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ وَالْإِلَهُ الطَّالِبُ
وَالْأَشْرَمُ الْمَغْلُوبُ لَيْسَ الْغَالِبُ- ʾayna l-mafarru wa-l-ʾilahu ṭ-ṭālibu
wa-l-ʾašramu l-maḡlūbu laysa l-ḡālibu - (please add an English translation of this quote)
- ʾayna l-mafarru wa-l-ʾilahu ṭ-ṭālibu
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la.ji.sa/
Verb
لَيِسَ • (layisa) I, non-past يَلْيَسُ (yalyasu)
- to be valiant, to be brave, to be courageous
Conjugation
verbal noun الْمَصْدَر | لَيَس layas | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل | لَايِس lāyis | |||||||||||
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم | ||||||||||||
singular الْمُفْرَد | dual الْمُثَنَّى | plural الْجَمْع | ||||||||||
1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم | 2nd person الْمُخَاطَب | 3rd person الْغَائِب | 2nd person الْمُخَاطَب | 3rd person الْغَائِب | 1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم | 2nd person الْمُخَاطَب | 3rd person الْغَائِب | |||||
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي | m | لَيِسْتُ layistu | لَيِسْتَ layista | لَيِسَ layisa | لَيِسْتُمَا layistumā | لَيِسَا layisā | لَيِسْنَا layisnā | لَيِسْتُمْ layistum | لَيِسُوا layisū | |||
f | لَيِسْتِ layisti | لَيِسَتْ layisat | لَيِسَتَا layisatā | لَيِسْتُنَّ layistunna | لَيِسْنَ layisna | |||||||
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع | m | أَلْيَسُ ʾalyasu | تَلْيَسُ talyasu | يَلْيَسُ yalyasu | تَلْيَسَانِ talyasāni | يَلْيَسَانِ yalyasāni | نَلْيَسُ nalyasu | تَلْيَسُونَ talyasūna | يَلْيَسُونَ yalyasūna | |||
f | تَلْيَسِينَ talyasīna | تَلْيَسُ talyasu | تَلْيَسَانِ talyasāni | تَلْيَسْنَ talyasna | يَلْيَسْنَ yalyasna | |||||||
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب | m | أَلْيَسَ ʾalyasa | تَلْيَسَ talyasa | يَلْيَسَ yalyasa | تَلْيَسَا talyasā | يَلْيَسَا yalyasā | نَلْيَسَ nalyasa | تَلْيَسُوا talyasū | يَلْيَسُوا yalyasū | |||
f | تَلْيَسِي talyasī | تَلْيَسَ talyasa | تَلْيَسَا talyasā | تَلْيَسْنَ talyasna | يَلْيَسْنَ yalyasna | |||||||
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم | m | أَلْيَسْ ʾalyas | تَلْيَسْ talyas | يَلْيَسْ yalyas | تَلْيَسَا talyasā | يَلْيَسَا yalyasā | نَلْيَسْ nalyas | تَلْيَسُوا talyasū | يَلْيَسُوا yalyasū | |||
f | تَلْيَسِي talyasī | تَلْيَسْ talyas | تَلْيَسَا talyasā | تَلْيَسْنَ talyasna | يَلْيَسْنَ yalyasna | |||||||
imperative الْأَمْر | m | اِلْيَسْ ilyas | اِلْيَسَا ilyasā | اِلْيَسُوا ilyasū | ||||||||
f | اِلْيَسِي ilyasī | اِلْيَسْنَ ilyasna |
Noun
لَيَس • (layas) m
- verbal noun of لَيِسَ (layisa) (form I)
Declension
Singular | basic singular triptote | ||
---|---|---|---|
Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
Informal | لَيَس layas | اللَّيَس al-layas | لَيَس layas |
Nominative | لَيَسٌ layasun | اللَّيَسُ al-layasu | لَيَسُ layasu |
Accusative | لَيَسًا layasan | اللَّيَسَ al-layasa | لَيَسَ layasa |
Genitive | لَيَسٍ layasin | اللَّيَسِ al-layasi | لَيَسِ layasi |
Adjective
لِيس • (līs) m pl
- masculine plural of أَلْيَس (ʾalyas)
References
- Lane, Edward William (1863), “ليس”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, pages 1625-1627
- David Wilmsen (2016), page 330, Another Croft cycle in Arabic: The laysa negative existential cycle. Advance online publication.
- Ahmad Al-Jallad (2018), The earliest attestation of laysa and the implications for its etymology. Advance online publication.