أن

Probably identical to هَمّ‎ (hamm, “concern”) from the root ه م م‎ (h-m-m), with sound changes typical to Arabic, as e.g. in إن‎ (ʾin). Note also the noun هَن‎ (han, “thing; self, synonym of نَفْس‎ (nafs)”), often mentioned in grammars as one of “the six nouns” also known as “five nouns“, which became obsolete due to often referring to genitalia.

• IPA^(key): /ʔan/

أَنْ • (ʾan)

1. Introduces a verb clause in place of the definite verbal noun.

   Synonym: مَا‎ (mā)

   1. to, that; introduces a subjunctive verb (often corresponding to the English infinitive)

      ‏سَيَنْتَخِبُ الشَّعْبُ رَئِيسًا جَدِيدًا بَعْدَ أَنْ يُكْتَبَ الدُّسْتُور.‎‎

      sayantaḵibu š-šaʿbu raʾīsan jadīdan baʿda ʾan yuktaba ad-dustūr.

      The people will elect a new president after the constitution is written.

      (literally, “...after [that] the constitution be written”)

      ‏أُرِيدُ أَنْ آكُلَ.‎‎

      ʾurīdu ʾan ʾākula.

      I want to eat.

      (literally, “I want that I eat.”)

      ‏أُرِيدُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ.‎‎

      ʾurīdu ʾan yaʾkula.

      I want him to eat.

      (literally, “I want that he eat.”)

   2. that; introduces a past-tense verb

      ‏سَبَقَ أَنْ قُلْتُ لَكَ ذٰلِكَ‎

      sabaqa ʾan qultu laka ḏālika

      I already told you so.

      (literally, “it has passed that I told you so.”)

      ‏اِنْتَخَبَ الشَّعْبُ رَئِيسًا جَدِيدًا بَعْدَ أَنْ كُتِبَ الدُّسْتُور.‎‎

      intaḵaba š-šaʿbu raʾīsan jadīdan baʿda ʾan kutiba ad-dustūr.

      The people elected a new president after the constitution was written.

      (literally, “...after [that] the constitution was written”)

2. (literary) introduces a reported speech
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:44:

     ‏وَنَادَىٰ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ أَن قَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّا فَهَلْ وَجَدتُّم مَّا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا ۖ قَالُوا نَعَمْ ۚ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن لَّعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ‎

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

     And the Companions of the Garden shall cry out to the Companions of the Fire [literally "that"] "We have found true what our Lord promised us. So did ye find true what your Lord promised you?" They shall say, "Yes", then an an announcer shall announce between them [literally "that"] "God's curse is on the evildoers!"
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:117:

     ‏وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ‎

     wa-ʾawḥaynā ʾilā mūsā ʾan ʾalqi ʿaṣāka

     And we intimated to Moses, “throw your staff!”

     (literally, “and we intimated to Moses that throw your staff”)

3. Form of أَنَّ (ʾanna)

   ‏أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللّٰهُ.‎‎

   ʾašhadu ʾan lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāhu.

   I bear witness that there is no god but God.

   ‏عَلِمْتُ أَنْ سَيُسَافِرُ زُهَيْرٌ‎

   ʿalimtu ʾan sayusāfiru zuhayrun

   I knew that Zuhayr would travel

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 10:10:

     ‏وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ‎

     wa-ʾāḵiru daʿwāhum ʾani l-ḥamdu li-llahi rabbi l-ʿālamīna

     And the last of their call will be [that] "Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds!"

4. lest

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:172:

     ‏وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ‎

     And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this."

• In sense 1.2, if أَنْ (ʾan) and the clause it introduces pertain to a verb, then they are syntactically its subject. However, this clause is never allowed to precede the verb: Arabic does not accept the phrasing *أَنْ قُلْتُ لَكَ ذٰلِكَ سَبَقَ (*ʾan qultu laka ḏālika sabaqa, literally “that I told you so has passed”).
  • If the verb phrase inside the clause is relatively short, this can serve to distinguish an أَنْ-phrase from the equivalent verbal noun. A sentence like سَبَقَ أَنْ تَعَامَلْنَا (sabaqa ʾan taʿāmalnā, “we have already done business together”) is perfectly fine being reworded to تَعَامُلُنَا سَبَقَ (taʿāmulunā sabaqa) instead of سَبَقَ تَعَامُلُنَا (sabaqa taʿāmulunā), but *أَنْ تَعَامَلْنَا سَبَقَ (*ʾan taʿāmalnā sabaqa) is ungrammatical.
• Notice that sense 1 is twice shown introducing the complement of prepositions like قَبْلَ‎ (qabla, “before”) and بَعْدَ‎ (baʿda, “after”); this also includes phrasal ones like بِمُجَرَّدِ‎ (bi-mujarradi, “as soon as”, بِـ‎ (bi-, “with”) + مُجَرَّد‎ (mujarrad, “merely”)). If this preposition is in a past context, then the verb inside the clause can in fact be either past or nonpast: the overall meaning will be past-tense either way. Compare the example above that translates to "the people elected...", which shows the use of a past-tense verb with بَعْدَ أَن (baʿda ʾan), to the following:

  ‏مَرِضَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسَافِرَ‎

  mariḍa qabla ʾan yusāfira

  He fell sick before he traveled.

  (literally, “he fell sick before [that] he travel”)

• أَلَّا‎ (ʾallā)
• أَلَّن‎ (ʾallan)
• أَلَّو‎ (ʾallaw)
• لِأَنْ‎ (liʾan)
• لِئَلَّا‎ (liʾallā)
• أَن التَّفْسِيرِيَّة‎ (ʾan at-tafsīriyya)

Adverbial accusative of the noun underlying the former conjunction.

• IPA^(key): /ʔan.na/

أَنَّ • (ʾanna)

1. that (introduces an equational clause or a verb phrase)

   ‏هَلْ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّنِي أَطْوَلُ مِنْكَ؟‎‎

   hal taʿlamu ʾannanī ʾaṭwalu minka?

   Do you know that I'm taller than you?

   ‏أَعْرِفُ أَنَّ ٱبْنَكَ سَرَقَ سَيَّارَتِي.‎‎

   ʾaʿrifu ʾanna bnaka saraqa sayyāratī.

   I know that your son stole my car.

• If pertaining to a verb, أَنَّ (ʾanna) and the clause it introduces are syntactically its object. This distinguishes أَنَّ (ʾanna) from أَنْ (ʾan), especially in the case outlined in the usage note above.
• أَنَّ (ʾanna) must be followed immediately by the subject of the clause it introduces, in the accusative case. An attached object pronoun can satisfy this condition.
  • The sole exception is in the relevant sense of أَنْ (ʾan) above. In that case, such a subject can appear and cause the أَنَّ (ʾanna) pronunciation to resurface, but it is only optional. Compare the following alternative phrasing:
    ‏أَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ‎

    ʾašhadu ʾannahu lā ʾilāha ʾillā l-lahu

    I bear witness that there is no god but God.

• إِنَّ‎ (ʾinna) (after certain verbs)

• (ʾinna and her sisters) إِنَّ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا‎ (ʾinna waʾaḵawātuhā); إِنَّ‎ (ʾinna), أَنَّ (ʾanna), لٰكِنَّ‎ (lākinna), كَأَنَّ‎ (kaʾanna), لَعَلَّ‎ (laʿalla), لَيْتَ‎ (layta), ^{(Category: Sisters of ʾinna)}

From the root ء ن ن‎ (ʾ-n-n), probably also related to the root ه م م‎ (h-m-m) connected to the idea of worry, affect. Compare هَنَاة‎ (hanāh, “misfortune, accident”).

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ʔan.na/
• (noun) IPA^(key): /ʔann/

أَنَّ • (ʾanna) I, non-past يَئِنُّ‎‎ (yaʾinnu)

1. to moan, to sough
   • ‏كُلَّمَا أَنَّ بِالْعِرَاقِ جَرِيحٌ / لَمَسَ الشَّرْقُ جَنْبَهُ فِي عُمَانِهِ‎

     kullamā ʾanna bi-l-ʿirāqi jarīḥun / lamasa š-šarqu janbahu fī ʿumānihi

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

2. to groan

أَنّ • (ʾann) m

1. verbal noun of أَنَّ (ʾanna) (form I)

• Tropper, Josef (2003), “Sekundäres wortanlautendes Alif im Arabischen”, in Kogan, Leonid, editor, Studia Semitica (Orientalia: Papers of the Oriental Institute; III), Moscow, →ISBN, page 207–209