5 Things You Need to Know About غَير
غَير will remind you of the verb غَيَّرَ, which means “to change”. It denotes “a change” and is commonly used in the following five ways:
1- You have probably seen it A LOT with adjectives, as in:
غَيرُ مُمكِنٍ = Not possible
غَيرُ صَحيحٍ ٍ = Not correct
2- With an adjective, after a negated verb, as in:
لَم يَكتُب غَيرَ رِسالةٍ واحِدةٍ =
He didn’t write except one letter, meaning he only wrote one letter
لا يُصاحِبُ غَيرَ المُثَقَّفينَ =
He doesn’t befriend except educated people, meaning he only befriends educated people
3- With a pronoun suffix (referring to a previous “understood” noun), as in:
لم أَرَ غَيرَها في الغُرفةِ =
I didn’t see (people, understood) other than her in the room, meaning I only saw her in the room
لَن أَزورَ غَيرَ مَدينةٍ واحِدَةٍ =
I will not visit (any cities, understood) except one city, meaning I will only visit one city
4- With a noun (referring to a previous “understood” noun), as in:
لَم يُقابِل غَيرَ وَزيرِ الدّاخِلِيّةِ =
He did not meet (anyone, understood) except the Interior Minister, meaning he only met the Interior Minister
ما شاهَدتُ غَيرَ فيلمٍ واحِدٍ =
I did not watch (any movies, understood) except one movie, meaning I only watched one movie
5- Followed by a noun, as in:
صافَحَ رجلا غَيرَ صَديقِهِ =
He shook hands with a man other than his friend
أَخَذَ كِتاباً غَيرَ كِتابِهِ =
He took a book other than his