Conjunction Particles (حُرُوفُ العَطْفِ)

In this lesson, we will analyze each conjunction particle (حُرُوفُ العَطْفِ) individually:

الواو

Connects two syntactic elements as equals without implying sequence or contrast, applying the same grammatical rules to both the preceding (المَعْطُوف عليه) and following (المَعْطُوف) elements

(تَجْمَعُ المَعْطُوف والمَعْطُوف عليه في حُكْمٍ وَاحِدٍ)

زَارَنِي مُـحَـمَّــدٌ وخَالِــدٌ Muhammad and Khalid visited me

الفاء

Shows immediate sequence (B follows A quickly). Indicates order, immediate succession, and continuity.

(تفيد الترتيب ، والتعقيب ، والتوالي)

جَاءَ خَالِــدٌ فـَـعَلِــيٌ فَــطَارِقٌ Khalid came, then Ali, then Tariq

ثُمَّ

Indicates sequence with a delay (B happens later than A)

(تفيد الترتيب والتراخي)

بَدَأْتُ القِرَاءَةَ ثُمَّ الكِتَابَــةَ I started with reading, then writing

ماتَ الرشيــدُ ثُمَّ خالــدٌ Al-Rashid died, then Khalid

أَوْ

Expresses choice or uncertainty between two options.

(تفيد التخيير أو الشك)

خُذْ هذا الكتابَ أوْ الدَّفتــرَ Take this book or that notebook

نَقَلَ الـخَبَرَ عَلِــيٌّ أوْ فَرِيــدٌ Either Ali or Farid relayed the news

أمْ

Means "or" for choosing between options (in questions) or showing they’re equal (in statements)

(تفيد تُعَيِّين أحدَ الشيئين، أو تُسوّي بينهما)

أ تَذْهَبُ أم تَبْقَى؟ ?Will you go or stay

هَل تَـشْرَبُ الشايَ أم القهوةَ؟ ?Do you drink tea or coffee

لا

Affirms the first element (المَعْطُوف عليه) while negating the second (المَعْطُوف).

(تفيد إثبات المعطوف عليه، ونفي المعطوف)

يَفُوزُ الشُّجَاعُ لا الـجُبَانُ The brave one wins, not the coward

حَصَدْنا القَمْــحَ لا الشعيــرَ We harvested wheat, not barley

لَكِنْ

Contrasts or corrects the first statement.

(تفيد معنى الاســتدراك)

ما جَاءَ السَّيِّــدُ لَكِنْ الـخَادِمُ The master did not come, but the servant did

Note that for لَكِنْ to function as a conjunction particle, the following conditions must be met:

1. It must not be preceded by واو (e.g., incorrect: وَلَكِنْ).
2. There must be negation before it (e.g., ما... لَكِنْ).
3. It must connect words, not full sentences."

بَلْ

Replaces or emphasizes the second word

1. After affirmation: "No, rather…"
2. After negation: "But instead…"

(وتفيد الإضراب عن القول الأول)

كَتَبْتُ مَقَالَــةً بَلْ قِصّـةً I wrote an article—no, a story

لا تُصَاحِبْ الأَحْمَــقَ بَلْ العَاقِــلَ Do not befriend a fool, but rather a wise person

لَمْ آكُلْ لَـحْــمًا بَلْ بَـيْــضًا I did not eat meat, but I ate eggs

حتّى

As a conjunction, حتّى exclusively links nouns (not sentences) to preceding clauses, creating emphatic inclusions while maintaining grammatical parallelism, as in "حتى الأطفالُ" (even the children)

ضَـحِكَ عَـلَـيْكَ الـجميــعُ حتّى الأطفالُ Everyone laughed at you, even the children

• 🔸 Preceding clause: ضَحِكَ عَلَيْكَ الجَمِيعُ (complete sentence)
• 🔸 Linked noun: الأطفالُ (standalone noun, اسم ظاهر)
• 🔸 Grammatical match: Both الجَمِيعُ and الأطفالُ are مرفوع.