Lesson 154: Exception with illā

Step 1 of 5: Learn

An exception has three parts: the general term (اَلْمُسْتَثْنَى مِنْهُ), the particle (إِلَّا), and the thing excepted (اَلْمُسْتَثْنَى). In حَضَرَ الْمُوَظَّفُونَ إِلَّا سَعِيدًا the employees attended except Saʿīd, الْمُوَظَّفُونَ is the general term and سَعِيدًا the excepted noun. The case of the excepted noun depends on two questions: is the sentence affirmative or negative? and is the general term actually mentioned? Learn the three answers below in order; together they cover almost every إِلَّا you will read.

Rule 1: 1. After an affirmative sentence: always accusative

When the sentence is affirmative and the general term is mentioned, the excepted noun is put in the accusative, whatever the case of the general term. The general term may be subject, object or the noun after a preposition; it makes no difference.

حَضَرَ الْمُوَظَّفُونَ إِلَّا مُوَظَّفًا وَاحِدًا.
ḥaḍara l-muwaẓẓafūna illā muwaẓẓafan wāḥidan
The employees attended except one employee.
General term in the nominative; excepted noun accusative.
أُغْلِقَتِ الْمَكَاتِبُ يَوْمَ الْعِيدِ إِلَّا مَكْتَبَ الْبَرِيدِ.
ughliqati l-makātibu yawma l-ʿīdi illā maktaba l-barīdi
The offices were closed on the feast day except the post office.
قَرَأْتُ الصُّحُفَ كُلَّهَا إِلَّا صَحِيفَةً وَاحِدَةً.
qaraʾtu ṣ-ṣuḥufa kullahā illā ṣaḥīfatan wāḥidatan
I read all the newspapers except one.
سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى الْوُزَرَاءِ إِلَّا وَزِيرَ الْمَالِيَّةِ.
sallamtu ʿala l-wuzarāʾi illā wazīra l-māliyyati
I greeted the ministers except the minister of finance.
The general term is genitive after عَلَى, yet the excepted noun is still accusative.

Rule 2: 2. After a negative sentence: agreement (preferred) or accusative

When the sentence is negative (or a prohibition or a question expecting 'no') and the general term is mentioned, the excepted noun may either take the same case as the general term, as if it stood in apposition to it, or stand in the accusative. Agreement is the commoner and preferred construction. If the general term is itself accusative, both choices give the same form.

مَا حَضَرَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا الْوَزِيرُ.
mā ḥaḍara aḥadun illa l-wazīru
No one attended except the minister.
Also correct: إِلَّا الْوَزِيرَ.
مَا مَرَرْتُ بِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا خَالِدٍ.
mā marartu bi-aḥadin illā khālidin
I did not pass anyone except Khālid.
Genitive in agreement with أَحَدٍ; also correct: إِلَّا خَالِدًا.
لَمْ أُقَابِلْ أَحَدًا إِلَّا الْمُدِيرَ.
lam uqābil aḥadan illa l-mudīra
I met no one except the director.
General term accusative, so both constructions coincide.
لَا يَعْرِفُ هٰذَا الطَّرِيقَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا السَّائِقُ.
lā yaʿrifu hādha ṭ-ṭarīqa aḥadun illa s-sāʾiqu
No one knows this road except the driver.

Rule 3: 3. The 'empty' exception and restrictive مَا … إِلَّا

Very often a negative sentence leaves the general term out altogether (اَلِاسْتِثْنَاءُ الْمُفَرَّغُ 'the emptied exception'). Then إِلَّا has no effect on case: the word after it takes whatever case the sentence gives it, subject, object, predicate or genitive after a preposition. The same holds when a preposition with its noun (مِنْ أَحَدٍ) fills the place of the general term. English renders this construction with 'only': مَا جَاءَ إِلَّا سَعِيدٌ only Saʿīd came. With a predicate it restricts the subject to one description: مَا هُوَ إِلَّا مُوَظَّفٌ he is only a clerk. After لَا of absolute negation the excepted noun is nominative: لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ.

مَا حَضَرَ إِلَّا سَعِيدٌ.
mā ḥaḍara illā saʿīdun
Only Saʿīd attended.
سَعِيدٌ is the subject: nominative.
مَا قَابَلْتُ إِلَّا سَعِيدًا.
mā qābaltu illā saʿīdan
I met only Saʿīd.
Object: accusative.
لَمْ أَتَكَلَّمْ إِلَّا مَعَ سَعِيدٍ.
lam atakallam illā maʿa saʿīdin
I spoke only with Saʿīd.
Genitive after مَعَ.
مَا اتَّصَلَ بِي مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا جَارِي.
ma ttaṣala bī min aḥadin illā jārī
No one at all called me except my neighbour.
مِنْ أَحَدٍ stands for أَحَدٌ; the exception is unaffected.
مَا الْوَزِيرُ إِلَّا خَادِمٌ لِلنَّاسِ.
ma l-wazīru illā khādimun li-n-nāsi
The minister is nothing but a servant of the people.

Rule 4: 4. غَيْرُ and سِوَى

غَيْرُ 'other than' and سِوَى 'apart from' are nouns: the excepted word follows them in the genitive as the second term of a construct. غَيْرُ itself takes the case that the excepted noun would have taken after إِلَّا: accusative after an affirmative sentence, agreement or accusative after a negative one, and its ordinary case in the empty exception. سِوَى ends in alif maqṣūra, so its case never shows.

حَضَرَ الْمُوَظَّفُونَ غَيْرَ سَعِيدٍ.
ḥaḍara l-muwaẓẓafūna ghayra saʿīdin
The employees attended except Saʿīd.
غَيْرَ accusative, like إِلَّا سَعِيدًا.
مَا حَضَرَ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُ سَعِيدٍ.
mā ḥaḍara aḥadun ghayru saʿīdin
No one attended except Saʿīd.
غَيْرُ agrees with أَحَدٌ; غَيْرَ is also correct.
مَا حَضَرَ غَيْرُ سَعِيدٍ.
mā ḥaḍara ghayru saʿīdin
Only Saʿīd attended.
Empty exception: غَيْرُ is the subject.
لَيْسَ لِي صَدِيقٌ فِي هٰذِهِ الْمَدِينَةِ سِوَى أَخِي.
laysa lī ṣadīqun fī hādhihi l-madīnati siwā akhī
I have no friend in this city apart from my brother.

Rule 5: 5. عَدَا، خَلَا، حَاشَا

These three are used after a complete sentence. They may be treated as verbs, with the excepted noun as their object in the accusative, or as prepositions, with the noun in the genitive. When مَا precedes them (مَا عَدَا، مَا خَلَا) they can only be verbs, so the noun must be accusative. حَاشَا also appears in the exclamation حَاشَ لِلّٰهِ God forbid!

زُرْتُ الْمُحَافَظَاتِ عَدَا الْجَنُوبِيَّةَ.
zurtu l-muḥāfaẓāti ʿada l-janūbiyyata
I visited the provinces except the southern one.
As a verb; also correct: عَدَا الْجَنُوبِيَّةِ.
نَجَحَ الطُّلَّابُ مَا عَدَا طَالِبَيْنِ.
najaḥa ṭ-ṭullābu mā ʿadā ṭālibayni
The students passed except two.
After مَا only the accusative is possible.
صَامَ الْقَوْمُ خَلَا الْمَرْضَى.
ṣāma l-qawmu khala l-marḍā
The people fasted except the sick.
مَرْضَى ends in alif maqṣūra: no case can show.
أَحْسَنَ اللَّاعِبُونَ حَاشَا لَاعِبٍ وَاحِدٍ.
aḥsana l-lāʿibūna ḥāshā lāʿibin wāḥidin
The players did well except one player.
حَاشَا as a preposition with the genitive.

The case of the excepted noun

One sentence, four constructions.
Situation	Rule	Example
Affirmative, general term present	accusative	رَجَعَ الْمُسَافِرُونَ إِلَّا خَالِدًاrajaʿa l-musāfirūna illā khālidanthe travellers returned except Khālid
Negative, general term present	same case as the general term (preferred) or accusative	مَا رَجَعَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا خَالِدٌ / خَالِدًاmā rajaʿa aḥadun illā khālidun / khālidanno one returned except Khālid
Negative, general term omitted	the case the sentence demands	مَا رَجَعَ إِلَّا خَالِدٌmā rajaʿa illā khālidunonly Khālid returned
With غَيْر	excepted noun genitive; غَيْر takes the case above	رَجَعَ الْمُسَافِرُونَ غَيْرَ خَالِدٍrajaʿa l-musāfirūna ghayra khālidinthe travellers returned except Khālid
With عَدَا، خَلَا، حَاشَا	accusative (verb) or genitive (preposition)	رَجَعَ الْمُسَافِرُونَ عَدَا خَالِدًا / خَالِدٍrajaʿa l-musāfirūna ʿadā khālidan / khālidinthe travellers returned except Khālid
With مَا عَدَا، مَا خَلَا	accusative only	رَجَعَ الْمُسَافِرُونَ مَا عَدَا خَالِدًاrajaʿa l-musāfirūna mā ʿadā khālidanthe travellers returned except Khālid

Exception or restriction?

حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ إِلَّا سَعِيدًا.

ḥaḍara ṭ-ṭullābu illā saʿīdan

The students attended except Saʿīd. (Saʿīd was absent.)

مَا حَضَرَ إِلَّا سَعِيدٌ.

mā ḥaḍara illā saʿīdun

Only Saʿīd attended. (Everyone else was absent.)

The same particle produces opposite pictures. In the affirmative sentence the excepted noun is the one who is left out; in the negative sentence without a general term it is the only one included.

Vocabulary

Why do words end with “-un”?

The -un ending is called tanween (nunation). It marks indefinite nouns — similar to “a/an” in English.

كِتَابٌ (kitaabun) = a bookvsكِتَاب (kitaab) = book (base word)

To find the base word, simply remove the final “-un” sound (the double-stacked damma بٌ on the last letter).

اِسْتَثْنَى يَسْتَثْنِي

istathnā, yastathnī

to except, exclude

مُسْتَثْنًى

mustathnan

excepted; the excepted noun

غَيْرُ

ghayru

other than, except; non-

سِوَى

siwā

apart from, except

إِصْلَاحٌ

iṣlāḥun

reform, improvement; repair

مَشْرُوعٌ

mashrūʿun

project, scheme

طَرِيقٌ سَرِيعٌ

ṭarīqun sarīʿun

motorway, highway

نَاءٍ

nāʾin

remote, distant

شَحِيحٌ

shaḥīḥun

scarce; stingy

تَحْلِيَةٌ

taḥliyatun

desalination; sweetening

أُنْبُوبٌ

unbūbun

pipe, tube

مُسْتَوْصَفٌ

mustawṣafun

clinic, dispensary

مُحَافَظَةٌ

muḥāfaẓatun

province, governorate

تَكْلِفَةٌ

taklifatun

cost, expense

أَهْمَلَ يُهْمِلُ

ahmala, yuhmilu

to neglect

Step 2 of 5: Read

Building the Peninsula (1)

بِنَاءُ الْجَزِيرَةِ (١)

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.Which places are still not linked by motorways?
2.Why is desalination not a complete solution?
3.How are the few areas without hospitals or clinics served?
4.What two faults of the projects does the writer mention?

In the Quran

فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِٱلْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍۢ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّىٓ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةًۢ بِيَدِهِۦ ۚ فَشَرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا مِّنْهُمْ ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُۥ هُوَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ قَالُوا۟ لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَـٰقُوا۟ ٱللَّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍۢ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةًۭ كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
Surah Al-Baqarah · 2:249
فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْهُمْ 'they drank from it, except a few of them': an affirmative sentence, so the excepted noun قَلِيلًا is accusative.
Read in context
وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ ٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ أَوِ ٱخْرُجُوا۟ مِن دِيَـٰرِكُم مَّا فَعَلُوهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُوا۟ مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِۦ لَكَانَ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتًۭا
Surah An-Nisa · 4:66
مَا فَعَلُوهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ مِنْهُمْ 'they would not have done it, except a few of them': after a negative sentence قَلِيلٌ agrees in the nominative with the subject of فَعَلُوا.
Read in context
وَتِلْكَ ٱلْأَمْثَـٰلُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَآ إِلَّا ٱلْعَـٰلِمُونَ
Surah Al-'Ankabut · 29:43
وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ 'and none understand them except those who know': an empty exception; الْعَالِمُونَ is the subject of يَعْقِلُ in the nominative.
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Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 70/0 correct

Fill in the blank

Give the excepted noun its case:

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

فُتِحَتِ الْأَبْوَابُ كُلُّهَا إِلَّا بَابًا وَاحِدًا.

2.

مَا وَصَلَ إِلَى الْقَرْيَةِ إِلَّا طَبِيبٌ وَاحِدٌ.

3.

لَمْ يَبْقَ فِي الْمَكْتَبِ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُ الْحَارِسِ.

4.

زَارَ الْوَزِيرُ الْمُسْتَوْصَفَاتِ مَا عَدَا مُسْتَوْصَفًا وَاحِدًا.

5.

مَا هٰذَا الْمَشْرُوعُ إِلَّا بِدَايَةٌ.

6.

لَيْسَ فِي هٰذِهِ الْمُحَافَظَةِ مَاءٌ سِوَى مَاءِ الْآبَارِ.

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