مع أن القميص جميل، لن أشتريه لأن القميص الآخر أرخص.

beautiful

Breakdown of مع أن القميص جميل، لن أشتريه لأن القميص الآخر أرخص.

• لن: (future negation)
• يشتري: to buy
• لأن: because

Questions & Answers about مع أن القميص جميل، لن أشتريه لأن القميص الآخر أرخص.

What does مع أن mean here?

مع أن means although / even though.

It introduces a contrast:

• مع أن القميص جميل = Although the shirt is جميل

A literal word-for-word translation would not sound natural in English, so it is best learned as a fixed expression meaning although.

In more formal grammar terms, it introduces a subordinate clause of concession.

Why is there no Arabic word for is in القميص جميل and القميص الآخر أرخص?

In present-tense Arabic, the verb to be is usually omitted.

So:

• القميص جميل literally looks like the shirt beautiful
• القميص الآخر أرخص literally looks like the other shirt cheaper

But in normal English, we translate them as:

• The shirt is beautiful
• The other shirt is cheaper

This is very common in Arabic nominal sentences.

What does لن do in لن أشتريه?

لن is used to negate the future, so it means will not or am not going to.

So:

• أشتريه = I buy it / I am buying it / I will buy it depending on context
• =