Metadiscourse is language about the organization, significance, and degree of commitment of the discourse itself. In formal Modern Standard Arabic, فيما يلي “in what follows,” تجدر الإشارة إلى “it is worth noting,” and من ناحية أخرى “from another perspective/on the other hand” do more than decorate a paragraph: each makes a promise about how the next proposition relates to what the reader has already processed.
That promise is the key to using these expressions well. فيما يلي points forward, تجدر الإشارة إلى assigns special relevance, and من ناحية أخرى asks the reader to inspect a second aspect of an established topic. These are (formal/academic) resources; everyday conversation normally uses lighter, often regional, ways of managing the exchange. This page treats their logic, grammar, position, and punctuation—not ornamental phrases added merely to sound scholarly. For the clause architecture around these markers, see Long Periodic Sentences in Formal Arabic.
فيما يلي points forward to identifiable material
فيما يلي consists historically and transparently of في + ما + يلي: “in that which follows.” It is a forward-pointing, or cataphoric, anchor. The next words must therefore deliver something that can genuinely be understood as the promised material: a list, explanation, set of results, procedure, or section of the argument.
فيما يلي نعرض النتائج الرئيسة، ثم نناقش حدود الدراسة.
fīmā yalī naʿriḍu n-natāʾija r-raʾīsata, thumma nunāqishu ḥudūda d-dirāsa(h).
In what follows, we present the main results and then discuss the study's limitations. (academic)
At the start of a sentence, a comma after فيما يلي is possible when the writer wants a marked framing pause, but it is often unnecessary before a short finite clause. A colon is natural when the expression directly announces a displayed list or an explicit enumeration.
تتمثل الخطوات فيما يلي: جمع البيانات، ثم مراجعتها، ثم نشرها.
tatamaththalu l-khuṭuwātu fīmā yalī: jamʿu l-bayānāti, thumma murājaʿatuhā, thumma nashruhā.
The steps are as follows: collecting the data, then reviewing it, then publishing it. (formal/procedural)
The expression can also occur after the verb it frames. This second position is especially useful when the writer first names the act of presentation.
سنوضح فيما يلي سبب اختلاف التقديرين.
sanuwaḍḍiḥu fīmā yalī sababa khtilāfi t-taqdīrayn.
We will explain below why the two estimates differ. (academic)
تجدر الإشارة إلى assigns relevance
تجدر الإشارة إلى is an impersonal-looking but grammatically ordinary verbal clause: feminine singular تجدر agrees with the following subject الإشارة, and إلى introduces the point being indicated. The complement may be a noun phrase, as in إلى هذا الاستثناء, or أنّ + clause. After أنّ, its subject is accusative in fully inflected formal pronunciation.
تجدر الإشارة إلى أن العينة صغيرة نسبيا؛ ولذلك لا نعمم النتائج.
tajduru l-ishāratu ʾilā ʾanna l-ʿayyinata ṣaghīratun nisbiyyan; wa-li-dhālika lā nuʿammimu n-natāʾij.
It is worth noting that the sample is relatively small; therefore, we do not generalize the results. (academic)
أغفل التقرير عام ألفين وعشرين، وتجدر الإشارة إلى هذا الاستثناء عند مقارنة المتوسطات.
ʾaghfala t-taqrīru ʿāma ʾalfayni wa-ʿishrīna, wa-tajduru l-ishāratu ʾilā hādhā l-istithnāʾi ʿinda muqāranati l-mutawassiṭāt.
The report omitted the year 2020, and this exception should be noted when the averages are compared. (academic)
The phrase is stronger than a neutral transition. It tells the reader that overlooking the next point would distort the interpretation, qualify a conclusion, or hide an exception. If the proposition is merely the next predictable sentence, state it directly.
من ناحية أخرى changes the angle
من ناحية أخرى literally means “from another aspect.” من governs the indefinite genitive phrase ناحيةٍ أخرى, and the adjective follows the noun in feminine singular agreement. The expression normally occurs initially and is followed by an Arabic comma when it frames a substantial clause. It can introduce the second side of an explicit pairing—من ناحية ... ومن ناحية أخرى ...—or a new perspective recoverable from the preceding context.
من ناحية الكلفة، يوفر النظام الجديد المال. ومن ناحية أخرى، يتطلب تدريب الموظفين وقتا إضافيا.
min nāḥiyati l-kulfati, yuwaffiru n-niẓāmu l-jadīdu l-māl. wa-min nāḥiyatin ʾukhrā, yataṭallabu tadrību l-muwaẓẓafīna waqtan ʾiḍāfiyyan.
In terms of cost, the new system saves money. From another perspective, training the employees requires additional time. (formal)
Compare في المقابل, which presents a countervailing fact or a contrast between two sides. من ناحية أخرى changes the analytical angle; في المقابل sets one result against another. English “on the other hand” can cover both relations, so translating it mechanically hides the Arabic distinction.
يتيح النظام الجديد تحليلا أدق للبيانات. في المقابل، زادت كلفة التشغيل بعد تحديثه.
yutīḥu n-niẓāmu l-jadīdu taḥlīlan ʾadaqqa li-l-bayānāt. fī l-muqābili, zādat kulfatu t-tashghīli baʿda taḥdīthih.
The new system permits more precise data analysis. By contrast, operating costs increased after it was updated. (formal)
Stance should reveal the source and strength of a claim
Academic Arabic can mark authorial stance explicitly with نرى أن “we consider that,” cautiously with يبدو أن “it appears that,” or impersonally with يمكن القول إن “it can be said that.” These are not interchangeable padding. نرى أن identifies the authors as responsible for an interpretation; يبدو أن presents an inference rather than a directly established fact; يمكن القول إن frames a defensible formulation while leaving room for qualification.
نرى أن التفسير الثاني ينسجم مع جميع الشواهد المتاحة.
narā ʾanna t-tafsīra th-thāniya yansajimu maʿa jamīʿi sh-shawāhidi l-mutāḥa(h).
We consider the second interpretation consistent with all the available evidence. (academic; explicit author stance)
يبدو أن الانخفاض مؤقت، لكن البيانات الحالية لا تكفي للجزم بذلك.
yabdū ʾanna l-inkhifāḍa muʾaqqatun, lākini l-bayānātu l-ḥāliyyatu lā takfī li-l-jazmi bi-dhālik.
The decline appears to be temporary, but the current data are not sufficient for certainty. (academic; cautious inference)
يمكن القول إن الإصلاح نجح إداريا، لا ماليا.
yumkinu l-qawlu ʾinna l-iṣlāḥa najaḥa ʾidāriyyan, lā māliyyan.
It can be said that the reform succeeded administratively, but not financially. (academic; qualified assessment)
English academic prose often hides the author behind nouns such as “the evidence suggests.” Arabic can do that too, but repeated impersonal frames do not make weak evidence stronger. Choose a stance expression only after deciding who owns the claim and how firmly the evidence supports it.
From unmarked sentences to a guided argument
Two adjacent propositions can be grammatical yet leave their relationship underspecified:
انخفض زمن المعالجة بعد التحديث. ارتفع عدد الأخطاء في الأسبوع الأول.
inkhafaḍa zamanu l-muʿālajati baʿda t-taḥdīth. irtafaʿa ʿadadu l-ʾakhṭāʾi fī l-ʾusbūʿi l-ʾawwal.
Processing time fell after the update. The number of errors rose in the first week. (The relation is left for the reader to infer.)
The revised passage tells the reader to interpret the second proposition as a countervailing early cost:
انخفض زمن المعالجة بعد التحديث. في المقابل، ارتفع عدد الأخطاء في الأسبوع الأول، وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن المعدل عاد إلى مستواه السابق في الأسبوع الثاني.
inkhafaḍa zamanu l-muʿālajati baʿda t-taḥdīth. fī l-muqābili, irtafaʿa ʿadadu l-ʾakhṭāʾi fī l-ʾusbūʿi l-ʾawwali, wa-tajduru l-ishāratu ʾilā ʾanna l-muʿaddala ʿāda ʾilā mustawāhu s-sābiqi fī l-ʾusbūʿi th-thānī.
Processing time fell after the update. By contrast, the number of errors rose in the first week; it is worth noting that the rate returned to its previous level in the second week. (academic)
Here is the same principle across a coherent argumentative paragraph:
تقترح الدراسة توسيع البرنامج إلى ثلاث مدن. من ناحية الجدوى، تشير النتائج التجريبية إلى انخفاض الكلفة. ومن ناحية أخرى، ما زالت قدرة الفرق المحلية على التنفيذ غير متساوية. لذلك نرى أن التوسع ينبغي أن يكون تدريجيا، وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن هذا الاستنتاج مشروط بتوفير تدريب إضافي.
taqtariḥu d-dirāsatu tawsīʿa l-barnāmaji ʾilā thalāthi mudun. min nāḥiyati l-jadwā, tushīru n-natāʾiju t-tajrībiyyatu ʾilā nkhifāḍi l-kulfa(h). wa-min nāḥiyatin ʾukhrā, mā zālat qudratu l-firaqi l-maḥalliyyati ʿalā t-tanfīdhi ghayra mutasāwiya(h). li-dhālika narā ʾanna t-tawassuʿa yanbaghī ʾan yakūna tadrījiyyan, wa-tajduru l-ishāratu ʾilā ʾanna hādhā l-istintāja mashrūṭun bi-tawfīri tadrībin ʾiḍāfiyy.
The study proposes expanding the program to three cities. In terms of feasibility, the pilot results indicate lower costs. From another perspective, local teams still differ in their capacity to implement it. We therefore consider that expansion should be gradual, and it is worth noting that this conclusion is conditional on providing additional training. (academic)
Common Mistakes
Joining every proposition with و
❌ انخفضت الكلفة، وارتفعت الجودة، وكانت العينة صغيرة، ونحتاج إلى دراسة أخرى.
Poor academic cohesion—even though each conjunction is grammatical, wa does not tell the reader which proposition is a result, qualification, or contrast.
✅ انخفضت الكلفة وارتفعت الجودة. ومع ذلك، كانت العينة صغيرة؛ لذلك نحتاج إلى دراسة أخرى.
inkhafaḍati l-kulfatu wa-rtafaʿati l-jawda(h). wa-maʿa dhālika, kānati l-ʿayyinatu ṣaghīratan; li-dhālika naḥtāju ʾilā dirāsatin ʾukhrā.
Costs fell and quality rose. Nevertheless, the sample was small; therefore, we need another study.
Translating every English connector with one invariant phrase
❌ لم تصل البيانات؛ ومع ذلك أرجأنا التحليل.
Incorrect relation—the postponement is a result of the missing data, not a concession equivalent to ‘however.’
✅ لم تصل البيانات؛ لذلك أرجأنا التحليل.
lam taṣili l-bayānātu; li-dhālika ʾarjaʾnā t-taḥlīl.
The data did not arrive; therefore, we postponed the analysis.
Reading لكن as لكنّ before a verb
❌ لكن حقق الفريق تقدما واضحا.
lākinna ḥaqqaqa l-farīqu taqadduman wāḍiḥan
Incorrect reading and analysis—lākinna requires a nominal subject, so it cannot directly introduce the verb ḥaqqaqa.
✅ لكن الفريق حقق تقدما واضحا.
lākinna l-farīqa ḥaqqaqa taqadduman wāḍiḥan.
But the team made clear progress. (Lākinna introduces the nominal subject al-farīqa.)
Using a prestige formula as empty padding
❌ تجدر الإشارة أن هذا القسم يعرض ما يعرضه.
Incorrect and empty—the required preposition ʾilā is missing, and the sentence merely repeats that the section presents material.
✅ يستبعد هذا القسم بيانات عام ألفين وعشرين لأنها غير مكتملة.
yastabʿidu hādhā l-qismu bayānāti ʿāmi ʾalfayni wa-ʿishrīna li-ʾannahā ghayru muktamila(h).
This section excludes the 2020 data because they are incomplete.
Key Takeaways
- A metadiscourse marker is a promise about the relationship of the next proposition to the surrounding text.
- فيما يلي points forward; تجدر الإشارة إلى marks special relevance; من ناحية أخرى changes the analytical angle.
- في المقابل signals counterbalance more directly than من ناحية أخرى.
- Stance expressions should identify responsibility and evidential strength, not inflate ordinary claims.
- Use Arabic punctuation to display a relationship already expressed by syntax and meaning; punctuation cannot supply the relation by itself.
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- Evidence and Inference: إذ، حيث، ومن هناC1 — Present supporting grounds with explanatory إذ and causal حيث, then draw an explicit inference with ومن هنا without confusing spatial readings.
- Addition: أيضًا، كذلك، بالإضافة إلى ذلكA2 — Add a parallel item or proposition with أيضًا، كذلك، and بالإضافة إلى ذلك while making its scope and link to earlier discourse explicit.
- Reformulation: أي، بمعنى آخر، بعبارة أخرىB2 — Restate an expression or proposition with أي، بمعنى آخر، and بعبارة أخرى while keeping apposition, scope, and register clear.