In professional agreements and negotiations, you often need to set firm boundaries. To express "unless" in Arabic, use the phrase (إلا إذا), which literally translates to "except if."
| unless | إلا إذاillâ idhâ |
The Past Tense Rule
Because (إلا إذا) contains the conditional particle (إذا) (if), the verb immediately following it takes the past tense, even when the overall meaning applies to the present or future.
Notice how the verbs following (إلا إذا)—such as (كان) and (أرسلت)—are in the past tense:
| The contract is not binding unless there is a written agreement. | ليس العقد ملزما إلا إذا كان هناك اتفاق خطي.laysa al-aqdu mulziman illa idha kana hunaka ittifaqun khattiyyun |
| This condition is void unless you send a notice. | هذا الشرط باطل إلا إذا أرسلت إشعارا.hâdhâ ash-shartu bâtilun illâ idhâ arsalta ishâran. |
Present and Future Restrictions
The main clause can also be an action in the present or future. The condition following (إلا إذا) still stays in the past tense:
| We will not agree to any extension unless we receive a written request. | لن نوافق على أي تمديد إلا إذا استلمنا طلبا خطيا.lan nuwâfiq 'alâ 'ayyi tamdîdin illâ idhâ istalamnâ talaban khattiyyan |
| She cannot terminate the contract unless the deadline ends. | لا تستطيع أن تفسخ العقد إلا إذا انتهت المهلة.lâ tastatîu an tafsakha al-aqda illâ idhâ intahati al-muhlatu. |
This pattern is highly common in business dealings, such as setting conditions for payments and deadlines:
| The lawyer will not start the work unless he receives the fee in advance. | لن يبدأ المحامي العمل إلا إذا استلم الأجر سلفا.lan yabda'a al-muhâmî al-'amala illâ idhâ istalama al-ajra salafan |
| The agreement is void unless you pay the fee. | الاتفاق باطل إلا إذا دفعتم الأجر.al-ittifâqu bâtilun illâ idhâ dafa'tumu al-ajra. |
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