Lesson 78 · لَأَفْعَلَنَّ
I will surely…: oaths and the strong ـَنَّ
To make a promise or oath about the future really strong, Arabic puts لَـ before a present verb and ـَنَّ at its end: لَأَذْهَبَنَّ (I will surely go). It usually follows an oath: وَاللّٰهِ لَأُسَاعِدَنَّكَ (by Allah, I will surely help you). This ending is called نُونُ التَّوْكِيدِ.
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Examples
وَاللّٰهِ لَأُسَاعِدَنَّكَwallaahi la-usaaʿidannakaBy Allah, I will surely help you.
لَأَزُورَنَّكَ غَدًاla-azuurannaka ghadanI will surely visit you tomorrow.
لَيَنْجَحَنَّ الْمُجْتَهِدُla-yanjaḥanna l-mujtahiduThe hard worker will surely succeed.
ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِthumma la-tus’alunna yawma’idhin ʿani n-naʿiimiThen you will surely be asked that Day about the blessings.
لَا تَيْأَسَنَّlaa tay’asannaDon’t ever despair.
وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَيْءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَدًاwa laa taquulanna li-shay’in innii faaʿilun dhaalika ghadanNever say of anything, “I will do that tomorrow.”
Key points
- The verb before ـَنَّ ends in -a: يَكْتُبُ → لَيَكْتُبَنَّ (he will surely write). Speaking to a group, it becomes ـُنَّ: ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ (then you will surely be asked that Day about the blessings).
- It also strengthens “don’t”: لَا تَيْأَسَنَّ (don’t ever despair). In the Quran: وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَيْءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَدًا (never say of anything, “I will do that tomorrow”).
- A lighter form is written with tanween: لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِيَةِ (Surah al-ʿAlaq) and وَلَيَكُونًا مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ (Surah Yusuf). Now you know why these words look unusual in the Mushaf.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “By Allah, I will surely write.”
وَاللّٰهِ لَأَكْتُبَنَّ wallaahi la-aktubanna
Say “I will surely study.”
لَأَدْرُسَنَّ la-adrusanna
Say “He will surely come.”
لَيَأْتِيَنَّ la-ya’tiyanna