ما...ش in Negative Commands | Arabic (Egyptian) Grammar

The ordinary Cairene way to say “don’t do X” is ما + second-person bare imperfect + ش, written as one word: ماتكتبش ma-tiktibsh “don’t write.” The positive command uses an imperative such as اكتب iktib; the negative command does not negate that imperative. It switches to a second-person imperfect form without habitual بـ and wraps it in the negative envelope.

English speakers often look for a separate word corresponding to do not. Egyptian instead combines negation, addressee marking, the verb, and any object pronoun into one verbal word. The grammar tells you what is prohibited; tone and context decide whether the command sounds like a reminder, a firm order, or an urgent warning.

The addressee paradigm

Addressee	Positive command	Negative command	Reading
masculine singular	اكتب	ماتكتبش	ma-tiktibsh
feminine singular	اكتبي	ماتكتبيش	ma-tiktibīsh
plural	اكتبوا	ماتكتبوش	ma-tiktibūsh

The initial تـ inside every negative form marks the addressee. Feminine ـي and plural ـوا keep their long vowels before final ـش.

اكتب العنوان في أول الصفحة

iktib il-ʿunwān fi ʾawwil iṣ-ṣafḥa

Write the address at the top of the page. (to a man)

ماتكتبش رقمك على النسخة العامة

ma-tiktibsh raʾamak ʿala n-noskha l-ʿāmma

Don’t write your number on the public copy. (to a man)

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Build the negative command from the present stem, not from the positive imperative: تكتب → ماتكتبش, not اكتب → مااكتبش.

Rule 1: use the bare imperfect, never habitual بـ

The بـ prefix presents a habit or ordinary event. A prohibition addresses a possible action directly, so it uses the bare second-person imperfect.

اقفلي الشباك قبل ما تمشي

iʾfili sh-shubbāk ʾabl ma timshi

Close the window before you leave. (to a woman)

ماتقفليش الشباك، الجو حر

ma-tiʾfilīsh ish-shubbāk, il-gaww ḥarr

Don’t close the window; it's hot. (to a woman)

ماتجرواش في الممر عشان الأرض مبلولة

ma-tigrūsh fi l-mamarr ʿashān il-ʾarḍ mablūla

Don’t run in the corridor because the floor is wet. (to several people)

The difference between ماتجرواش and habitual إنتوا مابتجرواش is grammatical: the first prohibits; the second says “you do not usually run.”

Rule 2: keep the whole negative envelope joined

Initial ماـ and final ـش are bound parts of the same negative word. Neither behaves like English free not.

ماتفتحش الملف ده على جهاز الشغل

ma-tiftaḥsh il-malaf da ʿala gihāz ish-shoghl

Don’t open this file on the work computer. (to a man)

ماتتأخروش عن القطر الصبح

ma-titʾakhkharūsh ʿan il-ʾaṭr iṣ-ṣubḥ

Don’t be late for the train in the morning. (to several people)

Ordinary unvocalized writing shows the whole construction as one orthographic word. Hyphens in romanization only reveal its pieces for learners.

Rule 3: object and recipient clitics go before ـش

Attach the object to the bare imperfect first, then close the negative envelope.

خد الفاتورة معاك

khod il-fātūra maʿāk

Take the invoice with you. (to a man)

ماتسيبهاش على الترابيزة

ma-tisībhāsh ʿala t-tarābēza

Don’t leave it on the table. (to a man)

ماتبعتهوش قبل ما أراجع الأرقام

ma-tibʿat-hūsh ʾabl ma ʾarāgiʿ il-ʾarʾām

Don’t send it before I review the figures. (to a man)

The order in ماتبعتهوش is ما + تبعت + ه + ش. The masculine object is inside the negative word. Writing it after ـش would place grammatical material outside a word that has already closed.

Rule 4: polarity items stay under the prohibition

Words such as حد “anyone,” أي حاجة “anything,” and خالص “at all” receive their negative interpretation from the command.

ماتقولش لحد على المفاجأة

ma-tiʾūlsh li-ḥadd ʿala l-mofāgaʾa

Don’t tell anyone about the surprise. (to a man)

ماتغيريش أي حاجة في الجدول دلوقتي

ma-tighayyarīsh ʾayy ḥāga fi l-gadwal dilwaʾti

Don’t change anything in the schedule now. (to a woman)

The negative command licenses the “any” reading. These expressions reinforce or fill out the scope; they do not replace ما...ش.

Rule 5: choose command strength separately from negative grammar

Neutral ما...ش can sound firm or gentle according to prosody and additions such as من فضلك and ياريت. Strong إوعى + bare imperfect warns of danger or deliberate defiance.

ياريت ماتعليش صوتك عشان الطفل نايم

yārēt ma-tiʿallīsh ṣōtak ʿashān iṭ-ṭifl nāyim

Please don’t raise your voice because the child is asleep. (to a man)

إوعى تلمس السلك المكشوف

iwʿa tilmis is-silk il-makshūf

Don’t touch the exposed wire! (urgent warning to a man)

The second is not simply “more negative.” It is a warning frame and can sound scolding in a low-risk service interaction. See strong prohibitions for full agreement.

Keep the four negative systems separate

ماتدخلش المكتب؛ المدير مش موجود ومفيش حد جوا

ma-tidkholsh il-maktab; il-modīr mish mawgūd wi-mafīsh ḥadd guwwa

Don’t enter the office; the manager isn’t there and nobody is inside.

ماتدخلش prohibits an event, مش موجود negates a predicate, and مفيش حد denies existence. English uses not/no across all three, but Egyptian selects a construction by host.

A corrective dialogue

ـ أبعت النسخة للعميل دلوقتي؟ ـ لأ، ماتبعتهالوش؛ ابعتهاله بعد ما المدير يمضيها. ـ تمام، وماأقولش لحد قبلها

— ʾabʿat in-noskha lil-ʿamīl dilwaʾti? — laʾ, ma-tibʿat-hā-lūsh; ibʿat-hā-lo baʿd ma l-modīr yimḍīha. — tamām, wi-ma-ʾaʾūlsh li-ḥadd ʾablaha

— Should I send the copy to the client now? — No, don’t send it to him; send it after the manager signs it. — Okay, and I won’t tell anyone beforehand.

The correction keeps the feminine theme ـها and masculine recipient ـله inside the negative chain before final ـش. The last clause is a statement of intention, not another command; context and first-person أـ make that clear.

Register and variation

The ما...ش + bare imperfect prohibition is mainstream urban Cairo (informal/neutral). Formal MSA uses لا with formal mood morphology (formal/MSA); it is appropriate in official notices, religious discourse, and prepared speech, but it is not a one-word upgrade for Cairo commands. Alexandrian, Delta, Upper Egyptian, Bedouin, age, class, and community varieties differ in final ـش, vowel shapes, and alternative prohibitives (regional/social). Drama and song may intensify prosody for character or meter (performance language).

Common Mistakes

❌ ما تفتح الباب

Incorrect as the ordinary Cairo negative command—the envelope needs final ـش and is written as one word.

✅ ماتفتحش الباب قبل ما أسألك

ma-tiftaḥsh il-bāb ʾabl ma ʾasʾalak

Don’t open the door before I ask you. (to a man)

❌ ماتكتب ش الباسورد هنا

Incorrect spacing—final ـش is attached to the verb.

✅ ماتكتبش الباسورد في الرسالة

ma-tiktibsh il-bāswōrd fi r-risāla

Don’t write the password in the message. (to a man)

❌ مابتفتحش الباب

Incorrect for a command—this is a statement about what you do not do, because it contains habitual بـ.

✅ ماتفتحيش الباب لأي حد

ma-tiftaḥīsh il-bāb li-ʾayy ḥadd

Don’t open the door for anyone. (to a woman)

❌ مفيش تلمس الجهاز

Incorrect—مفيش denies existence; it cannot form a prohibition.

✅ ماتلمسش الجهاز وإيدك مبلولة

ma-tilmis-sh il-gihāz wi-ʾīdak mablūla

Don’t touch the device while your hand is wet. (to a man)

❌ لا تكتب اسمك هنا

Incorrect as neutral everyday Cairo wording—لا تكتب belongs to formal Arabic.

✅ ماتكتبش اسمك في الخانة دي

ma-tiktibsh ismak fi l-khāna di

Don’t write your name in this box. (to a man)

Key Takeaways

An ordinary prohibition wraps ما...ش around a second-person bare imperfect, not a positive imperative.
Feminine ـي and plural ـوا remain inside the negative word before ـش.
Object and recipient clitics attach before the closing negative suffix.
مش negates predicates, مفيش denies existence, and إوعى adds warning force; none substitutes mechanically for the command envelope.

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