لا يصدق
The English word 'unbelievable' is لا يصدق in Arabic.
لا يصدق is used to mean 'unbelievable'. Depending on the context, it can be used positively to mean 'incredible/amazing' and negatively to mean 'implausible/absurd'.
Meaning: incredible (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the negation particle لا (not) and the verb يصدق (to believe/be true).
Which one should you use?
Other terms exist depending on the nuance: لا يُصَدَّق means 'not believed', مذهل means 'astonishing' or 'amazing' and غير معقول means 'unreasonable' or 'unthinkable'. The colloquial مش معقول means 'not reasonable' or 'unthinkable' and carries a sense of disbelief.
Did you know?
- The word مذهل used for 'amazing' literally suggests that the person has been 'stunned' or 'thrown into a state of distraction'.
- In many Arabic dialects, the colloquial مش معقول is often accompanied by a gesture of placing one's hand over the heart or forehead to signal genuine shock.
- The negation particle لا in لا يصدق shares the same ancient Semitic root as the Hebrew word לֹא (lo).
Examples in context
- القصة التي سمعتها لا يصدقها أحد!The story I heard is unbelievable!
- الأخبار التي سمعتها غير معقولة!The news I heard is unbelievable!
- اللي حصل مش معقول بالمرة!What happened is completely unbelievable!
- هذا خبر لا يصدق.hadha khabar la yusaddaq.This is unbelievable news.
- جمال هذا المنظر لا يصدق.jamal hadha al-manzar la yusaddaq.The beauty of this view is unbelievable.
Example conversation
Ziad and Layla are looking at a photo of a mountain view.
- زياد Ziadانظري يا ليلى، هذا المنظر لا يصدق!unzhuri ya Layla, hadha al-manzar la yusaddaq!Look Layla, this view is unbelievable!
- ليلى Laylaنعم، إنه حقاً رائع.na'am, innahu haqqan ra'i'.Yes, it is truly wonderful.
- زياد Ziadهل يمكننا الذهاب إلى هناك؟hal yumkinuna al-dhahab ila hunaka?Can we go there?
- ليلى Laylaبالطبع، سنذهب في عطلة نهاية الأسبوع.bil-tab', sanadhhab fi 'utlat nihayat al-usbu'.Of course, we will go this weekend.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “unbelievable” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries لا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
