Decluttering often means getting rid of excess. To emphatically state that you want "neither this nor that," or that you "neither kept nor bought" unnecessary things, use the repeated negative structure لا ... ولا (neither ... nor).
Repeated Negation with Nominal Sentences
To express categorical negation with nominal clauses (sentences starting with a noun), place لا before the first noun, and ولا (and not) before the second.
| Neither is simplicity difficult nor are material possessions important. | لا البساطة صعبة ولا المقتنيات المادية مهمة.lâ al-basâtatu sabatun wa lâ al-muqtanayâtu al-mâddiyyatu muhimmatun |
Use this same structure to state that neither one object nor another exists in a space:
| There is neither extra furniture in my room nor a pile of clothes. | لا أثاث زائد في غرفتي ولا كومة ملابس.lâ athâtha zâ'idun fî ghurfatî walâ kawmatu malâbis. |
Repeated Negation with Past Tense Verbs
Normally, negating a past action in Arabic requires ما (with a past tense verb) or لم (with a jussive verb). However, there is a special exception for repeated negation. To say someone "neither did X nor did Y", use لا directly before the first past tense verb, and ولا before the second.
| He neither kept the old possessions nor threw anything in the trash. | هو لا احتفظ بالمقتنيات القديمة ولا رمى شيئا في القمامة.huwa lâ ihtafaza bil-muqtanayâti al-qadîmati wa lâ ramâ shay'an fî al-qumâmati |
| Maryam neither gave up her comfort nor felt any burden. | مريم لا تخلت عن راحتها ولا شعرت بأي عبء.maryamu lâ takhallat 'an râhatihâ wa lâ sha'arat bi ayyi 'ib'in |
| The man neither kept the old desk nor gave up his comfort. | الرجل لا احتفظ بالمكتب القديم ولا تخلى عن راحته.ar-rajulu lâ ihtafaza bil-maktabi al-qadîmi wa-lâ takhallâ an râhatihi. |
