Lesson 21 · إِنَّ
Indeed, but, because
Some little words at the start of a sentence change the ending of the noun after them from -u to -a. The most common is إِنَّ (inna, indeed), which you will see again and again in the Quran: إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful). Its “sisters” work the same way.
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Examples
إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌinna llaaha ghafuurun raḥiimunIndeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
إِنَّ الْعِلْمَ نُورٌinna l-ʿilma nuurunIndeed, knowledge is light.
أَعْرِفُ أَنَّ الطَّرِيقَ طَوِيلٌaʿrifu anna ṭ-ṭariiqa ṭawiilunI know that the road is long.
الْبَيْتُ صَغِيرٌ لٰكِنَّهُ جَمِيلٌal-baytu ṣaghiirun laakinnahuu jamiilunThe house is small, but it is beautiful.
لَمْ أَذْهَبْ لِأَنِّي مَرِيضٌlam adh-hab li-annii mariiḍunI didn’t go because I am ill.
تَأَخَّرْنَا لِأَنَّ السَّيَّارَةَ تَعَطَّلَتْta’akhkharnaa li-anna s-sayyaarata taʿaṭṭalatWe were late because the car broke down.
كَأَنَّهُ أَسَدٌka-annahuu asadunHe is like a lion (as if he were a lion).
إِنَّهَا طَبِيبَةٌ مَاهِرَةٌinnahaa ṭabiibatun maahiratunIndeed, she is a skilled doctor.
Key points
- إِنَّ indeed · أَنَّ that · لٰكِنَّ but · لِأَنَّ because · كَأَنَّ as if
- The noun after them ends in -a, and the rest of the sentence stays the same: الْجَوُّ حَارٌّ → إِنَّ الْجَوَّ حَارٌّ (Indeed, the weather is hot).
- They can take the endings from Lesson 8: إِنَّهُ (indeed he), لٰكِنَّهَا (but she), لِأَنِّي (because I), لِأَنَّنَا (because we).
Practice
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Add إِنَّ to الْوَقْتُ قَصِيرٌ.
إِنَّ الْوَقْتَ قَصِيرٌ inna l-waqta qaṣiirun
الْوَقْتُ becomes الْوَقْتَ; قَصِيرٌ stays the same.
Say “because I am busy” (busy: مَشْغُولٌ).
لِأَنِّي مَشْغُولٌ li-annii mashghuulun
Say “The car is old, but it is good.” (old: قَدِيمَةٌ, good: جَيِّدَةٌ)
السَّيَّارَةُ قَدِيمَةٌ لٰكِنَّهَا جَيِّدَةٌ as-sayyaaratu qadiimatun laakinnahaa jayyidatun