لست كذلك
lastu kadhalik
In Arabic, "I am not" can be expressed as لست كذلك (lastu kadhalik).
The phrase is used as a short response to deny that a description or quality previously mentioned applies to the speaker.
How do you pronounce it?
lastu kadhalik
Did you know?
- Arabic does not have a present-tense verb for 'to be'. When saying 'I am [something]', the speaker simply places the subject and predicate together without a verb.
- The word لست is a contraction of the negating particle ليس and the first-person pronoun suffix. This means the verb for 'to be' is actually built into the negation itself.
- While لست كذلك is perfect for written literature, in a casual street setting in Cairo, a person would likely just say مش كدة (mush kida) to express the same denial.
Examples in context
- أنا لست طبيباً.I am not a doctor.
- مش متأكد فينهم.I am not sure where they are.
- أنا مش مهندس.I am not an engineer.
- أنا لستُ مدرساً.I am not a teacher.
- أنا لستُ متعباً.I am not tired.
- لست كذلك.lastu kadhalik.I am not.
- قالوا إنني كسول، لكن لست كذلك.qalu innani kasul, lakin lastu kadhalik.They said I am lazy, but I am not.
Example conversation
Layla and Yusuf are discussing a personality trait.
- يوسف Youssefأنتِ خجولة جداً يا ليلى.Anti khajoula jiddan ya Layla.You are very shy, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaلست كذلك، أنا فقط هادئة.Lastu kadhalik, ana faqat hadi'a.I am not, I am just quiet.
- يوسف Youssefلكنك لا تتحدثين كثيراً.Lakinnaki la tatahaddathina kathiran.But you do not speak much.
- ليلى Laylaهذا لا يعني أنني خجولة.Hadha la ya'ni annani khajoula.That does not mean that I am shy.
