ليس

See also: لبس, لیس, and ليش

Arabic

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Traditionally taken to be a contracted pronunciation of either an earlier form لَيِسَ (layisa), whose ultimate origin is in turn unknown or unexplored, or of لَا (lā, “not”) + an existential أَيْس (ʔays) that has a proposed etymology in Proto-Semitic *ys < *yṯ. This existential would be a native cognate to Hebrew יֵשׁ (yēš) and Akkadian 𒌇 (/⁠išu⁠/, “to have or own; to be”, also used copulatively), although Al-Jallad (2018) expresses doubt that it is anything more than a back-formation from the negative, in other words implying that لَا (lā, “not”) + *أَيْس (*ʔays, existential) is just a folk etymology from which أَيْس (ʔays) was created artificially. Al-Jallad proceeds to attest a form of لَيْسَ (laysa) in a Safaitic inscription dated between the first century BC and the fourth century AD, whose form, he says, invalidates the possibility of an origin in a verb لَيِسَ (layisa); he thereby argues that لَيْسَ (laysa) may either be a loan from Neo-Assyrian 𒆷𒀸𒋗 (la-aš-šu /⁠laššu⁠/, “there is not”) or from Taymanitic 𐪁𐪚𐪏 (lys³ /⁠lāʾis, lāyis⁠/, “not existing or being”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlajsa/

Verb

لَيْسَ • (laysa)

1. (copulative) not to be
2. not to exist; (third person) there is not
3. (third person) not (refers to a preceding context, alternatively analyzable as negating an unrepeated verb or verb phrase)

   وُلِدْتُ فِي القَاهِرَةِ وَلَيْسَ فِي بَيْرُوت

   wulidtu fī l-qāhirati wa-laysa fī bayrūt

   I was born in Cairo, not in Beirut.

Usage notes

This is a defective verb. It has only perfect indicative forms with a present-tense meaning. It governs a noun or adjective in the accusative, or takes بِـ (bi-) and the genitive.

لَسْتُ عَالِمًا ― lastu ʕāliman ― I am not learned

لَسْتُ بِعَالِمٍ ― lastu bi-ʿālimin ― I am not learned

Conjugation

• Before consonantal endings, the diphthong -ay- is reduced to a short -a-:

	singular	dual	plural
1st person	لَسْتُ (lastu)	—	لَسْنَا (lasnā)
2nd person m	لَسْتَ (lasta)	لَسْتُمَا (lastumā)	لَسْتُمْ (lastum)
2nd person f	لَسْتِ (lasti)		لَسْتُنَّ (lastunna)
3rd person m	لَيْسَ (laysa)	لَيْسَا (laysā)	لَيْسُوا (laysū)
3rd person f	لَيْسَتْ (laysat)	لَيْسَتَا (laysatā)	لَسْنَ (lasna)

See also

• كَانَ (kāna)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlajisa/

Verb

لَيِسَ • (layisa) I, non-past يَلْيَسُ‎ (yalyasu)

1. to be valiant, to be brave, to be courageous

Conjugation

Conjugation of

لَيِسَ

(form-I sound, verbal noun لَيَس)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						لَيَس layas
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						لَايِس lāyis
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	لَيِسْتُ layistu	لَيِسْتَ layista	لَيِسَ layisa		لَيِسْتُمَا layistumā	لَيِسَا layisā		لَيِسْنَا layisnā	لَيِسْتُمْ layistum	لَيِسُوا layisū
	f		لَيِسْتِ layisti	لَيِسَتْ layisat			لَيِسَتَا layisatā			لَيِسْتُنَّ layistunna	لَيِسْنَ layisna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَلْيَسُ ʔalyasu	تَلْيَسُ talyasu	يَلْيَسُ yalyasu		تَلْيَسَانِ talyasāni	يَلْيَسَانِ yalyasāni		نَلْيَسُ nalyasu	تَلْيَسُونَ talyasūna	يَلْيَسُونَ yalyasūna
	f		تَلْيَسِينَ talyasīna	تَلْيَسُ talyasu			تَلْيَسَانِ talyasāni			تَلْيَسْنَ talyasna	يَلْيَسْنَ yalyasna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَلْيَسَ ʔalyasa	تَلْيَسَ talyasa	يَلْيَسَ yalyasa		تَلْيَسَا talyasā	يَلْيَسَا yalyasā		نَلْيَسَ nalyasa	تَلْيَسُوا talyasū	يَلْيَسُوا yalyasū
	f		تَلْيَسِي talyasī	تَلْيَسَ talyasa			تَلْيَسَا talyasā			تَلْيَسْنَ talyasna	يَلْيَسْنَ yalyasna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَلْيَسْ ʔalyas	تَلْيَسْ talyas	يَلْيَسْ yalyas		تَلْيَسَا talyasā	يَلْيَسَا yalyasā		نَلْيَسْ nalyas	تَلْيَسُوا talyasū	يَلْيَسُوا yalyasū
	f		تَلْيَسِي talyasī	تَلْيَسْ talyas			تَلْيَسَا talyasā			تَلْيَسْنَ talyasna	يَلْيَسْنَ yalyasna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		اِلْيَسْ ilyas			اِلْيَسَا ilyasā				اِلْيَسُوا ilyasū
	f		اِلْيَسِي ilyasī							اِلْيَسْنَ ilyasna

Etymology 3

Noun

لَيَس • (layas) m

1. verbal noun of لَيِسَ (layisa) (form I)

Declension

Declension of noun لَيَس (layas)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	لَيَس layas	اللَّيَس al-layas	لَيَس layas
Nominative	لَيَسٌ layasun	اللَّيَسُ al-layasu	لَيَسُ layasu
Accusative	لَيَسًا layasan	اللَّيَسَ al-layasa	لَيَسَ layasa
Genitive	لَيَسٍ layasin	اللَّيَسِ al-layasi	لَيَسِ layasi

Etymology 4

Adjective

لِيس • (līs) m pl

1. masculine plural of أَلْيَس (ʔalyas)