Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
وَاو الْمَعِيَّة
waw al-ma'iyya
Waw of accompaniment
Nahw · syntaxSpecific particleadvanced term
In one line
The وَ meaning 'together with': after negation or request it pairs actions — and the mudari' after it turns mansub.
Definition (modern)
وَاوُ الْمَعِيَّةِ: هِيَ حَرْفُ عَطْفٍ بِمَعْنَى (مَعَ) فَتُفِيدُ الْمُصَاحَبَةَ، أَيْ أَنَّ حُصُولَ مَا قَبْلَهَا وَمَا بَعْدَهَا فِي وَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍ. وَيُشْتَرَطُ فِيهَا أَنْ تُسْبَقَ بِنَفْيٍ مَحْضٍ أَوْ طَلَبٍ.
“The waw of accompaniment is a conjunction meaning 'with', conveying accompaniment — that is, what precedes it and what follows it occur at one time. Its condition: it must be preceded by pure negation or a request.”
(النحو التطبيقي)
Key words in the Arabic
بِمَعْنَى (مَعَ)meaning 'with'
فِي وَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍat one and the same time
Understand it
The pin translates this waw as مَعَ: the two actions are taken as one package — لَا آكُلُ وَأَتَكَلَّمَ denies the combination of eating and talking, not each act alone. Like fa' al-sababiyya it needs prior negation or talab, and the mudari' after it is mansub by a hidden أَنْ. Before a noun the same 'with' idea gives the maf'ul ma'ahu: سِرْتُ وَالنِّيلَ, the noun mansub after the waw.
How to spot it
Recognition test
Negation or request + وَ + mansub mudari' = ma'iyya, 'while also…'. وَ + mansub noun after a complete clause = maf'ul ma'ahu. If what follows simply matches the i'rab of what precedes, it is plain 'atf.
In the Qur'an
وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
Al Imran 3:142 — “while Allah has not yet made evident those of you who strove and made evident the patient”
لَمَّا jazms يَعْلَمِ — but وَيَعْلَمَ carries a fatha: the waw of ma'iyya with its hidden أَنْ.
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