لا

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *lā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laː/

• Audio

  (file)

Particle

لَا • (lā)

1. no
2. not; negates an indicative present-tense verb
3. do not; expresses prohibition with a jussive verb

   ‏لَا نَنْسَ…‎‎ ― lā nansa… ― Let’s not forget…

   ‏لَا يَفُتْكُمْ‎ ― lā yafutkum ― He shall not miss you.

4. there is not, there is no; governs an accusative noun in the determinate state (but in the indeterminate state if a prepositional phrase depends on the noun, and as liked the accusative of the determinate state, the accusative of the indeterminate state, or the nominative of the indeterminate state for every part if a sentence stacks such constructions)

   ‏لَا طَالِبَ حَاضِرٌ.‎‎ ― lā ṭāliba ḥāḍirun. ― No student is present.

5. not; negates any non-verbal sentence element
6. neither, nor

Usage notes

• The Arabic negative is placed directly before the word it negates.

Isolated form	Final form
لا	ـلا

Antonyms

• (no): نَعَم‎ (naʿam)
• (expresses prohibition with a jussive verb): لِـ‎ (li-)

Descendants

• Swahili: la

Conjunction

لَا • (lā)

1. not, and not

   ‏أَحْضِرْ وَثَائِقَكَ لَا كُتُبَكَ‎

   ʾaḥḍir waṯāʾiqaka lā kutubaka

   Bring your documents, not your books.

Antonyms

• بَلْ‎ (bal)

Derived terms

• مُكْرَهٌ أَخَاكَ لَا بَطَلٌ‎ (mukrahun ʾaḵāka lā baṭalun, proverb)^[sic]

Prefix

لَا • (lā)

1. non-, un-, in-

   لَاسُلْطَوِيّ‎ (lāsulṭawiyy)

   لَاسِلْكِيّ‎ (lāsilkiyy)

   لَامُبَالَاة‎ (lāmubālāh)

   لَافَقَارِيَّات‎ (lāfaqāriyyāt)

   لَامَرْكَزِيَّة‎ (lāmarkaziyya)

Derived terms

• وَلَا سِيَّمَا‎ (walā siyyamā)
• لَا جَرَمَ‎ (lā jarama)
• لَا بَأْسَ‎ (lā baʾsa)

See also

• إِلَّا‎ (ʾillā)
• بَلْ‎ (bal)
• غَيْر‎ (ḡayr)
• عَدَم‎ (ʿadam)
• كَلَّا‎ (kallā)
• لَيْسَ‎ (laysa)
• لَمْ‎ (lam)
• لَمَّا‎ (lammā)
• لَنْ‎ (lan)
• مَا‎ (mā)

References

• Fischer, Wolfdietrich (2006) Grammatik des Klassischen Arabisch (in German), 4^th edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →ISBN, § 318

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Persian

Etymology 1

From French la.

Noun

لا • (lâ)

1. (music) A, La (the sixth note of the fixed-Do solfège scale)
2. (music) La (the sixth note of the movable-Do solfège scale, i.e. the submediant)

Etymology 2

From Arabic لَا‎ (lā).

Particle

Dari Persian	لا
Iranian Persian	لا
Tajiki Persian	ло (lo)

لا (lâ)

1. (rare) un-

Synonyms

• (no, not): نه‎ (na), نیست‎ (nist)
• (-un): نا‎ (nâ)

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• لای‎ (lây)

Noun

Dari Persian	لا
Iranian Persian	لا
Tajiki Persian	ло (lo)

لا • (lâ)

1. fold
2. layer
3. ply
4. strand