لكن

Arabic

Etymology

Uncertain. Bravmann proposes an origin in إِلَّا كَانَ (ʔillā kāna, “except that [it/he] were”), but does not provide a convincing explanation for the contraction of the ā or for the suspicious similarity to أَنْ (ʔan) and أَنَّ (ʔanna) in the alternation of the ending.

Etymology 1.1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laː.kin.na/

• Audio:

  (file)

Conjunction

لٰكِنَّ • (lākinna)

1. but, however

Usage notes

• لٰكِنَّ (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 لٰكِنَّ (lākinna); if it is a pronoun, it must be expressed. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنْ (lākin) below.

  لٰكِنَّ الرَّئِيسَ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس

  lākinna r-raʔīsa kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās

  but the president was smarter than people expected

  لٰكِنَّهُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس

  lākinnahu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās

  but he was smarter than people expected

Inflection

Inflected forms
Base form					لٰكِنَّ (lākinna)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Dual	Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Common	Masculine	Feminine
First person	لٰكِنَّنِي (lākinnanī)		لٰكِنَّنَا (lākinnanā)
Second person	لٰكِنَّكَ (lākinnaka)	لٰكِنَّكِ (lākinnaki)	لٰكِنَّكُمَا (lākinnakumā)	لٰكِنَّكُمْ (lākinnakum)	لٰكِنَّكُنَّ (lākinnakunna)
Third person	لٰكِنَّهُ (lākinnahu)	لٰكِنَّهَا (lākinnahā)	لٰكِنَّهُمَا (lākinnahumā)	لٰكِنَّهُمْ (lākinnahum)	لٰكِنَّهُنَّ (lākinnahunna)

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)}

Etymology 1.2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laː.kin/

Conjunction

لٰكِنْ • (lākin)

1. but, however
2. but, rather

   Synonym: بَلْ (bal)

   لَمْ يُسَافِرِ الطُّلَابُ لٰكِنْ وَكِيلُهُمْ

   lam yusāfiri ṭ-ṭulābu lākin wakīluhum

   The students didn’t travel but their principal did.

3. but not, after an affirmative.

Usage notes

• لٰكِنْ (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 لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) above.

  لٰكِنِ الرَّئِيسُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس

  lākini r-raʔīsu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās

  but the president was smarter than people expected

  لٰكِنْ (هُوَ) كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس

  lākin (huwa) kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās

  but he was smarter than people expected

• لٰكِنْ (lākin) is often preceded by وَـ (wa-, “and”).

Derived terms

• وَلٰكِن (walākin)

Descendants

• South Levantine Arabic: لاكن (lāken)
• → Classical Persian: لیکِن (lēkin), لَٰکِن (lākin), لَاکِن (lākin)
  • Dari: لیکِن (lēkin)
  • Iranian Persian: لیکِن (liken) (uncommon)
  • Tajik: лекин (lekin)
  • → Azerbaijani: lakin
  • → Bengali: লেকিন (lekin)
  • → Chagatai:
    • Uyghur: لېكىن (lëkin)
    • Uzbek: lekin
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: लेकिन (lekin)

    Urdu: لیکِن (lekin)

  • → Kurdish:

    Central Kurdish: لێکن (lêkin)

    Northern Kurdish: lêkin, lê

  • → Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi script: ਲੇਕਿਨ (lekin), ਲੇਕਨ (lekan)

    Shahmukhi script: لیکن (lekin, lekan)

• → Swahili: lakini
• → Ottoman Turkish: لكن (lakin)
  • Turkish: lakin

South Levantine Arabic

Conjunction

لكن • (lāken)

1. Alternative spelling of لاكن (lāken, “but, however”)