«Lamma» also governs a jussive imperfect but ordinarily marks an occurrence as not having taken place yet, often with an expectation that it may happen later. «لمّا يصلْ البريدُ» means “The mail has not arrived yet.”
«Lam yasil al-barid» denies a past occurrence; «lamma yasil al-barid» foregrounds non-arrival up to the speaking moment. Their temporal and pragmatic implications can differ.
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Al-Itlaq wa al-Taqyid: Rhetorical Functions of Unrestricted and Qualified Expression
«Lamma» also governs a jussive imperfect but ordinarily marks an occurrence as not having taken place yet, often with an expectation that it may happen later. «لمّا يصلْ البريدُ» means “The mail has not arrived yet.”
«Lam yasil al-barid» denies a past occurrence; «lamma yasil al-barid» foregrounds non-arrival up to the speaking moment. Their temporal and pragmatic implications can differ.