Breakdown of الانقراض ليس تهديدا لهذه الفصيلة فحسب، بل للغابة كلها أيضا.
الal
the
غابةghâba
forest
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
أيضاaydan
also
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
لli
for, to (attached)
ليسlaysa
to not be
كلkull
all / every
بلbal
but rather (after a negative)
فحسبfahasbu
only (merely)
فصيلةfasîla
species
انقراضinqirâd
extinction
تهديدtahdîd
the threat
Questions & Answers about الانقراض ليس تهديدا لهذه الفصيلة فحسب، بل للغابة كلها أيضا.
Why does فحسب come after the phrase لهذه الفصيلة instead of right after ليس?
While English puts 'only' right after 'is not', Arabic often places فحسب at the very end of the negated clause. The structure ليس ... فحسب frames the entire phrase you are limiting. You could use ليس فقط earlier in the sentence, but فحسب strongly prefers to anchor the end of its clause before بل introduces the addition.
Why is تهديدا written with an alif and tanween (the accusative case) instead of the nominative case?
Because it is the predicate (khabar) of ليس. The verb ليس changes the case of its predicate to the accusative (mansub). The subject of ليس here is an implied 'it' referring back to الانقراض (extinction).
Could we drop the second لـ preposition and just say بل الغابة كلها أيضا?
It is much better and more natural to repeat the preposition. In Arabic correlative structures like ليس ... فحسب، بل ... أيضا, matching the grammatical structure in both halves is highly preferred. Since the first threat was لهذه (to this), the second should explicitly be للغابة (to the forest).
What role does كلها play here, and why does it end with the feminine suffix ـها?
كلها means 'all of it' or 'the whole'. It acts as an emphatic word (tawkeed) confirming the full extent of the forest. The suffix ـها is used because it refers back to الغابة (the forest), which is a feminine noun.
Learn الانقراض ليس تهديدا لهذه الفصيلة فحسب، بل للغابة كلها أيضا and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free