Lesson 100 · إِنَّهُ لَـ
Truly, indeed: emphasis with لَـ and repetition
To make a statement stronger, put لَـ (truly) before the subject: لَأَنْتَ صَدِيقٌ وَفِيٌّ (you truly are a loyal friend). With إِنَّ (lesson 21) the لَـ moves to the second part: إِنَّ أَخِي لَصَادِقٌ (my brother is indeed truthful). It never changes any endings. Grammarians call it لَامُ الِابْتِدَاءِ.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
إِنَّ أَخِي لَصَادِقٌinna akhii la-ṣaadiqunMy brother is indeed truthful.
إِنَّكَ لَمُجْتَهِدٌinnaka la-mujtahidunYou really are hard-working. (to a man)
إِنَّهُ لَيَعْرِفُ الطَّرِيقَinnahuu la-yaʿrifu ṭ-ṭariiqaHe does know the way.
لَأَنْتَ صَدِيقٌ وَفِيٌّla-anta ṣadiiqun wafiyyunYou truly are a loyal friend.
إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِinna rabbii la-samiiʿu d-duʿaa’iMy Lord is indeed the Hearer of prayer. (14:39)
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍwa-innaka la-ʿalaa khuluqin ʿaẓiiminAnd you are truly of great character. (68:4)
Key points
- With إِنَّ, لَـ can go on the news, on a present verb, or on a subject that comes late: إِنَّكَ لَمُجْتَهِدٌ (you really are hard-working) · إِنَّهُ لَيَعْرِفُ الطَّرِيقَ (he does know the way) · إِنَّ فِي ذٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً (in that there is truly a lesson).
- The Quran often uses both together: إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ (my Lord is indeed the Hearer of prayer, 14:39) · وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ (and you are truly of great character, 68:4).
- You can also repeat a word or sentence to stress it: لَا، لَا (no, no!) · اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ · دُكَّتِ الْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا (the earth is pounded, crushed again and again, 89:21). This is التَّوْكِيدُ اللَّفْظِيُّ.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “The lesson is indeed easy” with إِنَّ and لَـ.
إِنَّ الدَّرْسَ لَسَهْلٌ inna d-darsa la-sahlun
Say “She does understand.”
إِنَّهَا لَتَفْهَمُ innahaa la-tafhamu
Say “In the house there is truly a guest.”
إِنَّ فِي الْبَيْتِ لَضَيْفًا inna fi l-bayti la-ḍayfan
ضَيْفًا comes late, so it takes لَـ, and it ends in -an because of إِنَّ.
