Learn ArabicB1 › نَفَى

نَفَى

to deny /naˈfaː/

verbB1#2043 most common

Also: to negate, refute, to banish, exile, to rule out

Example sentences

نَفَى الرَّجُلُ التُّهْمَةَ.
The man denied the accusation.
نَفَتِ الشَّرِكَةُ الخَبَرَ.
The company denied the news.
نَفَى الوَزيرُ وُجودَ أَزْمَةٍ اقْتِصادِيَّةٍ.
The minister denied the existence of an economic crisis.
نَفَيْتُ كُلَّ ما قيلَ عَنّي في الصَّحيفَةِ.
I denied everything said about me in the newspaper.
نَفَى المُتَّهَمُ عَلاقَتَهُ بِالجَريمَةِ نَفْياً قاطِعاً.
The accused categorically denied any connection to the crime.
كانَ الحُكّامُ في العُصورِ القَديمَةِ يَنْفُونَ خُصومَهُمُ السِّياسِيّينَ إلى جُزُرٍ نائِيَةٍ.
Rulers in ancient times used to banish their political opponents to remote islands.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgأَنْفينَفَيْتُسَأَنْفي
2sgتَنْفينَفَيْتَسَتَنْفي
3sgيَنْفينَفَىسَيَنْفي
1plنَنْفينَفَيْناسَنَنْفي
2plتَنْفونَنَفَيْتُمْسَتَنْفونَ
3plيَنْفونَنَفَوْاسَيَنْفونَ

Word family

نَفْيdenial, negation; exile
مَنْفَىexile, place of banishment
مَنْفِيّexiled; negated
انْتَفَىto be negated, to cease to exist
نافٍone who denies; negating particle

Etymology

The verb comes from the triliteral Semitic root ن-ف-ي (n-f-y), whose core idea is driving something away or removing it. From that sense of pushing off grew two branches: denying a claim, which pushes a statement away, and exiling a person, which pushes them out of the land. Both meanings remain in use today.

Learn Arabic the way that sticks.
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free

More Arabic words

رَمْيthrowingأَمْرِيكِيّAmericanقَلّto become few, to decreaseخائِنtraitorنَفَقtunnelحِزامbeltدامto lastحَسّاسsensor