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How do you use ما and لا differently?

You mean if you can use it for many kind of speaking ?!
*ما أصابك لم يكن ليخطئك وما أخطأك لم يكن ليصيبك = this is proverb in arabic
i used ما for a negative sentence
*ماذا أكلت ? i used it in question
and i think that ما often been used with question and negative sentence form ^__^

salamu alakaum السلام عليكم
You impress me about your questions, they are so good to ask. You'll help the other learners to know that too.
Well, I will try to explain to you 'inshallah' but read carefully and try to understand by using examples.
using of : ما
it's negative particle using to negate the verbal sentence [الجملة الفعلية] and the noun sentence [ الجملية الاسمية] | remember the words in Arabic, not in English|.
How question:
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We use it for الجملة الاسميةto negate a situation in the sentence, and that situation supposes to be in the future. In addition, in الجملة الاسمية we should talk about someone or somebody in sense " they, he, she". example
he (will) not be in travelling for tomorrow. [ he'll not travel for tomorrow] .
مَا هُوَ مُسَافِرًا غَذًَا [maa huwa musaafiran ghadan]
they (will not be in travelling for tomorrow. [ They'll not travel for tomorrow].
مَا هُمْ مُسَافِرينَ غَذًا [maa hum musaafireena ghadan]
The same for "she".
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For الجملة الفعلية it uses to negate the past verb " i meant conjugated in الماضي", when you want to meant that you never 'verb'
example:
ما قَرَأْتُ هَذَا الكتابَ [ I haven't learned this book ' means you didn't know it before to learn'].
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We also use it as an answer for القَسَمُ [swear]
example:
والله مَا سَمِعْتُكَ [ I swear I didn't hear you]
*RB: Remark ما negates the all words in the sentence, and it's related to every word.

2. Using of لاَ
This is a negative particle too. It's using to negate the word not the sentence. It negates the verb or the noun.
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The noun:
- has the sense of "no..." like in English: nobody, no one, no idea, no suggestion, no comment .....
لاَ فِكْرَةَ لَدَيَّ
لاَ أَحَدَ فِي المَنْزِلِ
- When we'll use it with lots of nouns, like in English: no... and no .... EITHER
No friend and Nobody can can help me
لاَ صَدِيقَ وَلاَ أَحَدَ يَسْتَطِيعُ مُسَاعَدَتِي
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The verb:
الفعل الماضي : it uses when we are using to negative verbs in the sentence, that means between two situation no one of them can be done.
Example:
لاَ قَرَأَ الكتَابَ وَلاَ أجَابَ عَنِ الأَسْئِلَةِ [ he didn't read the book and he didn't answer the question EITHER.
الفعل المُضَارعُ [the present verb]: Here, I have to come back to ما because you have to know when you use لا and when you use ما
with ما when the effect of the verb in right now like in the present continue. I am reading ---> I am not reading.
Example :
مَا يَكُونُ رَاشِدًا حَتَّى يَتَعَلَّمَ أُسْلُوبَ الحِوارِ (you are talking right, and the verb "be" is continued in the present)
with لا and we conjugate the verb in the present, but we still don't do it.
لاَ يَكُونُ النَّجَاحُ بالكَسَل( the verb "be" here we didn't do it.) (No "be" success with 'being' lazy.)
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Remark: we can use بِ with the noun when we are using ما
last example:
مَا هُوَ بِمَسَافِرٍ [ he's not in travel]
مَا هُنَّ بِكَاذِبَاتٍ [they are not liars]
Regard

that easy just remember that ما with past like ما فعلت هذا : i didn't do that and لا with present like لا أفعل هذا : i don't do that

ما
use it with past simple
1- !ما قرأت هذا الكتاب didn't read this book !

2- !ما سافرت حتى الان didn't travel yet !

3- !ما سمعتك didn't hear you !

ألم
use it with past in the question
1-ألم تقرأ هذا الكتاب ؟ Did you not read this book ?

2- ألم تسافر حتى الان؟ Did you not travel yet ?

3- ألم تسمع ما قلت لك؟ Did you not hear what I said to you ?

لا
use it with present simple
1- لا تغضب don't get angry.

2- لا تسرق don't steal

3- لا تغادر المنزل don't leave home