Lesson 97 · إِيَّاكَ
Watch out, keep to it: warning and urging
To warn someone, Arabic uses إِيَّاكَ (beware), then وَ and the danger, which ends in -a: إِيَّاكَ وَالْكَذِبَ (beware of lying!). The verb “beware” is understood but not said. This is التَّحْذِيرُ.
Learn with pictures
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Examples
إِيَّاكَ وَالْكَذِبَiyyaaka wal-kadhibaBeware of lying! (to a man)
إِيَّاكِ وَالتَّأَخُّرَiyyaaki wat-ta’akhkhuraDon’t be late! (to a woman)
النَّارَ النَّارَan-naara n-naaraFire! Fire!
الصِّدْقَ الصِّدْقَaṣ-ṣidqa ṣ-ṣidqaThe truth, keep to the truth!
الصَّلَاةَ الصَّلَاةَaṣ-ṣalaata ṣ-ṣalaataThe prayer, the prayer!
اِحْذَرْ، أَرْضٌ زَلِقَةٌiḥdhar, arḍun zaliqatunCareful, slippery floor.
Key points
- إِيَّاكَ changes with the listener: إِيَّاكِ to a woman · إِيَّاكُمْ to a group: إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْغِيبَةَ (beware of backbiting). You can also just shout the danger, often twice: النَّارَ النَّارَ (fire, fire!) · الطَّرِيقَ الطَّرِيقَ (mind the road!).
- To urge someone towards something good, name it with -a, again often twice: الصِّدْقَ الصِّدْقَ (the truth, keep to the truth!) · الصَّلَاةَ الصَّلَاةَ (the prayer, the prayer!). This is الْإِغْرَاءُ. Two things can be joined with وَ: الصَّبْرَ وَالْعَمَلَ (patience and hard work!).
- Signs and announcements use the full verb اِحْذَرْ (beware, be careful): اِحْذَرِ الْكَلْبَ (beware of the dog) · اِحْذَرْ، أَرْضٌ زَلِقَةٌ (careful, slippery floor).
Practice
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Warn a group: “Beware of laziness!” Laziness: الْكَسَلُ.
إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْكَسَلَ iyyaakum wal-kasala
Urge someone on: “Hard work, hard work!” Hard work: الْجِدُّ.
الْجِدَّ الْجِدَّ al-jidda l-jidda
Say “Beware of the dog!”
اِحْذَرِ الْكَلْبَ iḥdhari l-kalba
