5 Things You Need to Know About غَير
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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