Lesson 19 · لَمْ
Saying “did not”
There are two ways to say something did not happen. The simple one is مَا (maa) before a past tense verb: مَا ذَهَبْتُ (I didn’t go). The more formal one, used in writing and in the Quran, is لَمْ (lam) with the present tense and no final vowel: لَمْ أَذْهَبْ (I didn’t go).
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
مَا ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْعَمَلِ أَمْسِmaa dhahabtu ila l-ʿamali amsiI didn’t go to work yesterday.
لَمْ أَفْهَمِ السُّؤَالَlam afhami s-su’aalaI didn’t understand the question.
لَمْ يَأْكُلْ شَيْئًاlam ya’kul shay’anHe didn’t eat anything.
لَمْ تَنَمْ جَيِّدًاlam tanam jayyidanShe didn’t sleep well.
لَمْ نَشْرَبِ الشَّايَlam nashrabi sh-shaayaWe didn’t drink the tea.
هَلْ وَصَلَ الْمُدِيرُ؟ لَا، لَمْ يَصِلْ بَعْدُhal waṣala l-mudiiru? laa, lam yaṣil baʿduHas the manager arrived? No, not yet.
مَا كَتَبْتُ الْوَاجِبَmaa katabtu l-waajibaI didn’t do (write) the homework.
لَمْ أَرَهُ الْيَوْمَlam arahu l-yawmaI haven’t seen him today.
Key points
- لَمْ أَكْتُبْ I didn’t write · لَمْ تَكْتُبْ you didn’t write, she didn’t write · لَمْ يَكْتُبْ he didn’t write · لَمْ نَكْتُبْ we didn’t write
- You have already seen لَمْ in Surah Al-Ikhlas: لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (He has no child, and He was not born).
- لَمْ with بَعْدُ means “not yet”: لَمْ يَصِلْ بَعْدُ (he hasn’t arrived yet).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I didn’t go” in two ways.
مَا ذَهَبْتُ / لَمْ أَذْهَبْ maa dhahabtu / lam adh-hab
Say “He didn’t write” using لَمْ.
لَمْ يَكْتُبْ lam yaktub
Say “She hasn’t arrived yet.”
لَمْ تَصِلْ بَعْدُ lam taṣil baʿdu