Lesson 42 · إِلَّا
Except: إِلَّا
إِلَّا means “except”. After a complete positive sentence the noun after it ends in -a: حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ إِلَّا خَالِدًا (the students came, except Khalid).
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ إِلَّا خَالِدًاḥaḍara ṭ-ṭullaabu illaa khaalidanThe students came, except Khalid.
قَرَأْتُ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا صَفْحَةًqara’tu l-kitaaba illaa ṣafḥatanI read the book except one page.
مَا عِنْدِي إِلَّا رِيَالٌ وَاحِدٌmaa ʿindii illaa riyaalun waaḥidunI have only one riyal.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُlaa ilaaha illa llaahuThere is no god except Allah.
الْمَحَلَّاتُ مَفْتُوحَةٌ إِلَّا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِal-maḥallaatu maftuuḥatun illaa yawma l-jumuʿatiThe shops are open except on Friday.
حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ غَيْرَ خَالِدٍḥaḍara ṭ-ṭullaabu ghayra khaalidinThe students came, except Khalid.
Key points
- After a negative sentence إِلَّا means “only”, and the noun keeps its normal ending: مَا عِنْدِي إِلَّا رِيَالٌ (I have only a riyal).
- The testimony of faith uses it: لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ (there is no god except Allah).
- غَيْرَ also means “except”, and the noun after it ends in -i: حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ غَيْرَ خَالِدٍ.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I ate the apples except one.”
أَكَلْتُ التُّفَّاحَ إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً akaltu t-tuffaaḥa illaa waaḥidatan
Say “I have only a book.”
مَا عِنْدِي إِلَّا كِتَابٌ maa ʿindii illaa kitaabun
Say “Everyone came except Ali.”
حَضَرَ الْجَمِيعُ إِلَّا عَلِيًّا ḥaḍara l-jamiiʿu illaa ʿaliyyan