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)^[1] that has a proposed etymology in Proto-Semitic *ys < *yṯ. This existential would be a native cognate to Hebrew יֵשׁ (yēš)^[2] 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”).^[3]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laj.sa/

Verb

لَيْسَ • (laysa)

1. (copulative, defective) not to be
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:61:

     قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ لَيۡسَ بِي ضَلَٰلَةٞ وَلَٰكِنِّي رَسُولٞ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

     He said, “O my people, there is not error in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds.”

2. (invariably masculine singular) except

   Synonym: لَا يَكُونُ (lā yakūnu)

   جَاءَ النَّاسُ لَيْسَ زُهَيْرًا

   jāʔa n-nāsu laysa zuhayran

   People came, except for Zuhayr

Usage notes

This is a defective verb. It has only perfect indicative forms with a present-tense meaning. If there is a subject complement, it comes up in the accusative or (with بِـ (bi-)) the genitive.

لَسْتُ عَالِمًا ― lastu ʕāliman ― I am not learned

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

لَيْسَ الرَّجُلُ جَمِيلًا ― laysa r-rajulu jamīlan ― That man is not handsome.

Conjugation

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						—
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						—
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	لَسْتُ lastu	لَسْتَ lasta	لَيْسَ laysa		لَسْتُمَا lastumā	لَيْسَا laysā		لَسْنَا lasnā	لَسْتُمْ lastum	لَيْسُوا laysū
	f		لَسْتِ lasti	لَيْسَتْ laysat			لَيْسَتَا laysatā			لَسْتُنَّ lastunna	لَسْنَ lasna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	—	—	—		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	—	—	—		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	—	—	—		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—
imperative الْأَمْر	m		—			—				—
	f		—							—

    Conjugation of لَيْسَ (I, sound, i ~ a, no passive, no imperative, no non-past)

See also

• كَانَ (kāna)

Particle

لَيْسَ • (laysa)

1. Used to negate verbs
   • 10th century, Al-Mutanabbi :

     وَلَيْسَ يَصِحُّ فِي الْأَفْهَامِ شَيْءٌ / إِذَا ٱحْتَاجَ النَّهَارُ إِلَى دَلِيلِ

     walaysa yaṣiḥḥu fī l-ʔafhāmi šayʔun / ʔiḏā ḥtāja n-nahāru ʔilā dalīli

Conjunction

لَيْسَ • (laysa)

1. (rare, disputed) not (refers to a preceding context)
   • أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ وَالْإِلَهُ الطَّالِبُ
     وَالْأَشْرَمُ الْمَغْلُوبُ لَيْسَ الْغَالِبُ

     ʔayna l-mafarru wa-l-ʔilahu ṭ-ṭālibu
     wa-l-ʔašramu l-maḡlūbu laysa l-ḡālibu

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la.ji.sa/

Verb

لَيِسَ • (layisa) I (non-past يَلْيَسُ (yalyasu), verbal noun لَيَس (layas))

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

Conjugation

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						لَيَس layas
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						أَلْيَس ʔalyas
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

    Conjugation of لَيِسَ (I, sound, i ~ a, no passive, verbal noun لَيَس)

Etymology 3

Noun

لَيَس • (layas) m

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

Declension

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

Declension of noun لَيَس (layas)

Etymology 4

Adjective

لِيس • (līs) m pl

1. masculine plural of أَلْيَس (ʔalyas)

References

1. Lane, Edward William (1863) “ليس”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎, London: Williams & Norgate, pages 1625-1627
2. David Wilmsen (2016), page 330, Another Croft cycle in Arabic: The laysa negative existential cycle. Advance online publication.
3. Ahmad Al-Jallad (2018), The earliest attestation of laysa and the implications for its etymology. Advance online publication.