لكن

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.[1]

• IPA^(key): /laː.kin.na/

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لٰكِنَّ • (lākinna)

1. but, however

• 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

• (ʾinna and her sisters) إِنَّ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا‎ (ʔinna waʔaḵawātuhā); إِنَّ‎ (ʔinna), أَنَّ‎ (ʔanna), لٰكِنَّ (lākinna), كَأَنَّ‎ (kaʔanna), لَعَلَّ‎ (laʕalla), لَيْتَ‎ (layta), ^{(Category: Sisters of ʾinna)}

• IPA^(key): /laː.kin/

لٰكِنْ • (lākin)

1. but, however
2. but, rather

   ‏لَمْ يُسَافِرِ الطُّلَابُ لٰكِنْ وَكِيلُهُمْ‎

   lam yusāfiri ṭ-ṭulābu lākin wakīluhum

   The students didn’t travel but their principal did.

   Synonym: بَلْ‎ (bal)

3. but not, after an affirmative.

• 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”).

• وَلٰكِن‎ (walākin)

• → South Levantine Arabic: لاكن‎ (lāken)
• → Persian: لیکن‎ (lekin)
  • → Azerbaijani: lakin
  • → Bengali: লেকিন (lekin)
  • → Hindustani: lekin

    Hindi: लेकिन

    Urdu: لیکن‎

  • → Ottoman Turkish: لكن‎ (lakin)
    • Turkish: lakin
  • → Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi: ਲੇਕਿਨ (lekin), ਲੇਕਨ (lekan)

    Shahmukhi: لیکن‎ (lekin, lekan)

• → Swahili: lakini
• → Uzbek: lekin

لكن • (lāken)

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