Breakdown of ليس جارنا بخيلا، بل كريم جدا.
جارjâr
neighbor
ناnâ
our / us (object) / we (subject suffix on past verb)
جداjiddan
very
ليسlaysa
to not be
بلbal
but rather (after a negative)
كريمkarîm
noble, generous
بخيلbakhîl
stingy
Questions & Answers about ليس جارنا بخيلا، بل كريم جدا.
Why is the word بخيلا written with an extra alif at the end?
Why use the word بل here instead of لكن for "but"?
While both can translate to "but", بل specifically means "but rather" or "on the contrary." You use it after a negative statement to completely reject the first idea and replace it with the opposite truth. If you used لكن (lakin), it would simply add contrasting information rather than directly correcting the negated trait.
Why isn't كريم in the accusative case to match بخيلا?
You might expect it to be written as كريماً to match the previous word, but the particle بل usually introduces a brand new clause. Here, the subject "he" (هو) is omitted but understood: بل هو كريم جدا (but rather [he is] very generous). Because كريم is the predicate of this new, hidden subject, it resets to the default nominative case (marfu').
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