لكن
Arabic
Etymology
From ل ك ن (l-k-n) meaning broken speech, originally used to resume a thought after an interruption.[1] (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
Pronunciation 1
Conjunction
لَٰكِنَّ • (lākinna)
Inflection
Inflected forms | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Base form | لَٰكِنَّ (lākinna) | ||||
Personal-pronoun- including forms |
Singular | Dual | Plural | ||
Masculine | Feminine | Common | Masculine | Feminine | |
First person | لَٰكِنَّنِي (lākinnanī) | لَٰكِنَّنَا (lākinnanā) | |||
Second person | لَٰكِنَّكَ (lākinnaka) | لَٰكِنَّكِ (lākinnaki) | لَٰكِنَّكُمَا (lākinnakumā) | لَٰكِنَّكُمْ (lākinnakum) | لَٰكِنَّكُنَّ (lākinnakunna) |
Third person | لَٰكِنَّهُ (lākinnahu) | لَٰكِنَّهَا (lākinnahā) | لَٰكِنَّهُمَا (lākinnahumā) | لَٰكِنَّهُمْ (lākinnahum) | لَٰكِنَّهُنَّ (lākinnahunna) |
Usage notes
- لَٰكِنَّ (lākinna) functions like إِنَّ (ʔinna) and أَنَّ (ʔanna), shifting the subject of the subordinate clause to the accusative case. The subject of the subordinate clause must immediately follow لَٰكِنَّ (lākinna); if it is a pronoun, it must be expressed. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لَٰكِنْ (lākin) below.
- لَٰكِنَّ الرَّئِيسَ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākinna r-raʔīsa kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but the president was smarter than people expected
- لَٰكِنَّهُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākinnahu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but he was smarter than people expected
See also
- (ʾinna and her sisters) إِنَّ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا (ʔinna waʔaḵawātuhā); إِنَّ (ʔinna), أَنَّ (ʔanna), لٰكِنَّ (lākinna), كَأَنَّ (kaʔanna), لِأَنَّ (liʔanna), لٰكِنَّ (lākinna), لَعَلَّ (laʕalla), لَيْتَ (layta), (Category: Sisters of ʾinna)
Pronunciation 2
Conjunction
لَٰكِنْ • (lākin)
- but, however
- but, rather
- لَمْ يُسَافِرِ الطُّلَابُ لَٰكِنْ وَكِيلُهُمْ
- lam yusāfiri ṭ-ṭulābu lākin wakīluhum
- The students didn’t travel but their principal.
- Synonym: بَلْ (bal)
- but not, after an affirmative.
Usage notes
- لَٰكِنْ (lākin) acts as a simple conjunction, with the subject of the subordinate clause in the nominative; the subject may follow immediately or be delayed. If it is a pronoun, it may be omitted. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لَٰكِنَّ (lākinna) above.
- لَٰكِنِ الرَّئِيسُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākini r-raʔīsu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but the president was smarter than people expected
- لَٰكِنْ (هُوَ) كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākin (huwa) kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but he was smarter than people expected
- لَٰكِنْ (lākin) is generally preceded in writing by وَـ (wa-, “and”): see وَلَٰكِنْ (wa-lākin)
Descendants
References
- ^ “لكن” in Edward William Lane (1863), Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, page 3013, meaning to stutter or stammer, to speak incorrectly.