Lesson 56
Conjunction ʿAṭf
العطف
Coordinating conjunctions (حُرُوف الْعَطْف) link two or more words or sentences. The second element (الْمَعْطُوف) follows the case of the first (الْمَعْطُوف عَلَيْهِ).
Arabic Conjunctions
ConjunctionMeaning / NuanceExample
وَand (no order implied)جَاءَ زَيْدٌ وَعَمْرٌو
فَand then (immediate sequence)دَخَلَ فَجَلَسَ
ثُمَّthen (delayed sequence)أَكَلَ ثُمَّ نَامَ
أَوْor (one of two options)اشْتَرِ كِتَاباً أَوْ قَلَماً
أَمْor (in direct questions)أَأَنْتَ كَتَبْتَ أَمْ هُوَ؟
بَلْrather / correctionلَمْ يَجِئ زَيْدٌ بَلْ عَمْرٌو
لَاnot … but (negation of one)جَاءَ زَيْدٌ لَا عَمْرٌو
لَكِنْbut / however (correction)مَا جَاءَ زَيْدٌ لَكِنْ عَمْرٌو
قَرَأَ الطَّالِبُ الْكِتَابَ وَفَهِمَ مَعَانِيَهُ ثُمَّ كَتَبَ مُلَخَّصاً
Qaraʾa ṭ-ṭālibu l-kitāba wa-fahima maʿāniyahu thumma kataba mulakhkhaṣan
The student read the book and understood its meanings, then wrote a summary.
خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا
Khalaqakum min nafsin wāḥidatin thumma jaʿala minhā zawjahā
"He created you from a single soul, then made from it its mate." (39:6) ثُمَّ marks a new stage in creation.
- الْمَعْطُوف follows the case of the الْمَعْطُوف عَلَيْهِ: جَاءَ زَيْدٌ (nom.) وَعَمْرٌو (nom.).
- وَ simply joins without sequence; فَ implies immediate consequence; ثُمَّ implies a gap in time.
- Quranic style: ثُمَّ marks phases in creation narratives a rhetorical signal of a new stage or emphasis.
- أَمْ vs أَوْ: أَمْ is used inside questions expecting one of two answers; أَوْ presents two equal possibilities.
- لَكِنْ (without shaddah) is the ʿaṭf conjunction; لَكِنَّ (with shaddah) is the إِنَّ-sister both translate as "but" but work differently.