Lesson 102 · قَالَ إِنَّ
He said that…: إِنَّ or أَنَّ?
إِنَّ and أَنَّ both mean “that” and both make the noun after them end in -a. Use إِنَّ, with a kasra, at the start of a sentence and after قَالَ (say): قَالَ إِنَّهُ مَشْغُولٌ (he said that he is busy). Use أَنَّ, with a fatha, when the clause is part of a bigger sentence, often after verbs of knowing and hearing: أَعْرِفُ أَنَّكَ صَادِقٌ (I know that you are honest).
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Examples
قَالَ إِنَّهُ مَشْغُولٌqaala innahuu mashghuulunHe said that he is busy.
أَعْرِفُ أَنَّكَ صَادِقٌaʿrifu annaka ṣaadiqunI know that you are honest.
سَمِعْتُ أَنَّ الْمُدِيرَ مُسَافِرٌsamiʿtu anna l-mudiira musaafirunI heard that the manager is away.
أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ الِاجْتِمَاعَ غَدًاakhbaranii anna l-ijtimaaʿa ghadanHe told me that the meeting is tomorrow.
فَرِحْتُ بِأَنَّكَ نَجَحْتَfariḥtu bi-annaka najaḥtaI was glad that you passed.
أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللّٰهِ قَرِيبٌalaa inna naṣra llaahi qariibunSurely the help of Allah is near. (2:214)
Key points
- إِنَّ: at the very start, after قَالَ and its forms, after an oath, and after أَلَا: قُلْتُ إِنِّي مَرِيضٌ (I said that I was ill) · أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللّٰهِ قَرِيبٌ (surely the help of Allah is near, 2:214).
- أَنَّ: after verbs like عَرَفَ and عَلِمَ (know) · سَمِعَ (hear) · ظَنَّ (think) · أَخْبَرَ (tell), and after prepositions: سَمِعْتُ أَنَّ الْمُدِيرَ مُسَافِرٌ (I heard that the manager is away) · فَرِحْتُ بِأَنَّكَ نَجَحْتَ (I was glad that you passed). If a noun could stand in place of the clause, use أَنَّ.
- Arabic often keeps the speaker’s own words after قَالَ: قَالَ: أَنَا مَشْغُولٌ (he said, “I am busy”). Don’t mix up أَنَّ and أَنْ (lesson 31): أَنْ comes before a verb, أَنَّ before a noun or pronoun: أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَنَامَ · أَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَعِبٌ.
Practice
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Say “She said that she is tired.”
قَالَتْ إِنَّهَا تَعِبَةٌ qaalat innahaa taʿibatun
Say “I think that the shop is closed.” I think: أَظُنُّ.
أَظُنُّ أَنَّ الدُّكَّانَ مُغْلَقٌ aẓunnu anna d-dukkaana mughlaqun
أَنْ or أَنَّ? Say “I want to sleep.”
أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَنَامَ uriidu an anaama
A verb follows, so أَنْ.
