Negation in Levantine Arabic: How to Say "Not"

Levantine has two main words for "not": ma for verbs, and mish (or mu in Syria) for everything else.

ma: verbs

Put ma in front of a past or present verb:

• ما كتبتma katabtI didn't write.
• ما بعرفma ba3refI don't know.
• ما شافوهma shaafuuThey didn't see him.

ma also works with 3and (have), fi (there is) and badd- (want):

• ما عندي وقتma 3andi wa2tI don't have time.
• ما في مشكلةma fi mushkleThere's no problem.
• ما بدّيma baddiI don't want (to).

You'll sometimes hear an extra -sh in Palestine and southern Lebanon: ma ba3rafsh.

mish / mu: everything else

Use mish (Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan) or mu (Syria) for adjectives, nouns and participles:

• أنا مش تعبانana mish ta3baanI'm not tired.
• هادا مو بيتيhaada mu beitiThis isn't my house.

Negative commands

Commands use la + the bare present:

• لا تقلقla ti2la2Don't worry. (to a man)
• لا تقلقيla ti2la2iDon't worry. (to a woman)

Never, nothing, nobody

• عمري ما رحت3omri ma ri7tI've never been.
• ما حدا إجاma 7ada ijaNobody came.
• ما قلت شيma 2elt shiI didn't say anything.