Egyptian can shift a topic with a bare topic phrase, but speakers use the markers on this page when they want to label what kind of shift is happening. بالمناسبة bil-monāsba adds a related side thought, much like “by the way.” بالنسبة لـ bin-nisba li- establishes an explicit domain: “as for / regarding.” أما ʾamma selects one member of a contrastive set, often with conversational بقى.
These markers help a listener update the conversation without confusing a side comment, a framed answer, and a comparison between topics. Their English equivalents are frequently omitted in translation, but the Egyptian forms manage turn entry, relevance, and expectations about what comes next.
The internal grammar of the following topic and comment is developed on the topic–comment page.
Rule 1: بالمناسبة introduces a related side topic
بالمناسبة normally occurs at the beginning of an intonational unit and is followed by a pause. It says that the speaker is temporarily stepping away from the current line of talk to mention something relevant that the conversation has brought to mind.
بالمناسبة، إنت كلمت صاحب الشقة؟
bil-monāsba, ʾinta kallimt ṣāḥib ish-shaʾʾa?
By the way, did you call the landlord? (addressing a man)
الاجتماع خلص بدري. بالمناسبة، منى سألت عليك
il-igtimāʿ khalaṣ badri. bil-monāsba, Mona saʾalit ʿalek
The meeting ended early. By the way, Mona asked about you. (addressing a man)
The second topic need not follow logically from the first, but it should be recoverably relevant to the people, place, or occasion. With no connection at all, بالمناسبة can sound like an abrupt subject change disguised as a side note.
Rule 2: بالنسبة لـ frames the domain of a comment
بالنسبة لـ + noun phrase means “as for,” “regarding,” or “when it comes to.” The لـ belongs to the construction and attaches to a following noun: بالنسبة للشغل، بالنسبة للميزانية. With an independent pronoun, the common careful forms are بالنسبة لي، بالنسبة لك، بالنسبة له، بالنسبة لها، بالنسبة لنا، بالنسبة لكم، بالنسبة لهم.
بالنسبة للفاتورة، أنا دفعتها امبارح
bin-nisba lil-fātūra, ʾana dafaʿtaha imbāriḥ
As for the bill, I paid it yesterday.
بالنسبة لي، الموعد الصبح أنسب
bin-nisba li, l-mawʿid iṣ-ṣobḥ ʾansab
For me, a morning appointment works better.
The first example establishes الفاتورة as the domain and resumes it with object suffix ـها. The second marks a viewpoint holder, not the grammatical subject of أنسب. English speakers often treat every initial phrase as “the subject”; Egyptian keeps the framing relation and the clause’s internal roles separate.
In fast informal Cairo, contracted spellings and pronunciations such as بالنسبالي “as for me” and بالنسبالك “as for you” occur (informal variant). This page uses the transparent full form as its production baseline; the variants are genuine, not errors.
Rule 3: أما selects a contrastive or deferred topic
أما tells the listener to set one topic against another, or to return to an item that was left pending. In ordinary Cairo it commonly appears as أما X بقى، .... Here بقى helps mark the transition; it is not a past-tense verb in this use.
الأكل جاهز، أما المشروبات بقى، لسه في التلاجة
il-ʾakl gāhiz, ʾamma l-mashrūbāt baʾa, lissa fi t-tallāga
The food is ready; as for the drinks, they’re still in the fridge.
كلمت الفريق عن المواعيد. أما موضوع الميزانية بقى، حنناقشه بكرة
kallimt il-farīʾ ʿan il-mawāʿīd. ʾamma mawḍūʿ il-mīzāniyya baʾa, ḥanināʾsho bokra
I spoke to the team about the dates. As for the budget, we’ll discuss it tomorrow.
In the second example, أما reopens a deferred agenda item. The object suffix ـه on حنناقشه resumes موضوع. Without a contrast set or pending topic, bare أما can sound as though another half of a comparison is missing.
The same English subtitle: “As for the budget”
بالنسبة للميزانية، الأرقام الجديدة أوضح
bin-nisba lil-mīzāniyya, l-ʾarʾām il-gidīda ʾawḍaḥ
As for the budget, the new figures are clearer. (neutral domain framing)
الخطة متفقين عليها؛ أما الميزانية بقى، لسه مختلفين
il-khoṭṭa muttafʾīn ʿaleha; ʾamma l-mīzāniyya baʾa, lissa mokhtalfīn
We agree on the plan; as for the budget, we still disagree. (contrastive topic)
The first sentence merely tells the listener which domain is under discussion. The second constructs a contrast between agreement on the plan and disagreement on the budget. English “as for” hides that difference.
Rule 4: topic markers do not replace resumption or agreement
A marker introduces the topic relation, but the following comment still needs ordinary Egyptian grammar. An object or prepositional topic is normally resumed; a subject controls agreement; a loosely associated topic needs an explicit link.
بالنسبة للفرع الجديد، اشتغلنا فيه يومين بس
bin-nisba lil-farʿ il-gidīd, ishtaghalna fīh yomen bass
As for the new branch, we worked there for only two days.
أما الطلبات الجديدة، هي لسه ماوصلتش للإدارة
ʾamma ṭ-ṭalabāt il-gidīda, hiyya lissa ma-wiṣlitsh lil-ʾidāra
As for the new applications, they still haven’t reached the department. (nonhuman plural with feminine-singular agreement)
فيه resumes the branch’s place role. In the second sentence, the nonhuman plural الطلبات takes feminine-singular هي... ماوصلتش in the Cairene agreement pattern. A discourse marker does not suspend these links.
Rule 5: choose the marker by conversational purpose
The three markers can occur in the same meeting, but they do not freely replace one another.
| Purpose | Preferred marker | Listener’s expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Introduce a related side thought | بالمناسبة | A brief departure connected to the current talk |
| Set an explicit domain or viewpoint | بالنسبة لـ | A comment limited to that topic |
| Contrast or resume one member of a set | أما | Another topic is salient or will be compared |
بالمناسبة، بالنسبة للضيف الجديد، حد بعتله العنوان؟
bil-monāsba, bin-nisba liḍ-ḍef il-gidīd, ḥadd baʿatlo l-ʿonwān?
By the way, regarding the new guest, did anyone send him the address?
The markers legitimately co-occur: بالمناسبة opens a side move; بالنسبة لـ narrows that move to the new guest. Stacking markers without two separate functions would be heavy.
Paragraph-level topic management
خلصنا الكلام عن مكان الحفلة. بالنسبة للأكل، المطعم بعت قايمة جديدة النهارده. أما المشروبات بقى، هبة قالت إنها حتجيبها. بالمناسبة، لازم نسألها لو محتاجة حد يساعدها في النقل
khallaṣna l-kalām ʿan makān il-ḥafla. bin-nisba lil-ʾakl, il-maṭʿam baʿat ʾāyma gidīda n-nahārda. ʾamma l-mashrūbāt baʾa, Hiba ʾālit ʾinnaha ḥatgībha. bil-monāsba, lāzim nisʾalha law miḥtāga ḥadd yisāʿidha fi n-naʾl
We’ve finished discussing the party venue. As for the food, the restaurant sent a new menu today. As for the drinks, Hiba said she’ll bring them. By the way, we should ask whether she needs help transporting them.
بالنسبة لـ opens the next agenda domain. أما... بقى contrasts the other refreshments category. بالمناسبة then introduces a related practical side issue prompted by Hiba’s role.
A three-turn exchange
اتفقنا على ميعاد السفر؟
ittafaʾna ʿala mīʿād is-safar?
Have we agreed on the travel time?
بالنسبة لينا، الساعة سبعة مناسبة
bin-nisba līna, s-sāʿa sabʿa monāsba
For us, seven o’clock works.
تمام. بالمناسبة، مين حيحجز العربية؟
tamām. bil-monāsba, mīn ḥayiḥgiz il-ʿarabiyya?
Great. By the way, who’s going to book the car?
The second speaker limits the answer to their group’s viewpoint. The third closes that issue and moves to a related logistical question.
Register, prosody, and variation
بالمناسبة and بالنسبة لـ are common across everyday and professional Cairo (neutral). Contracted بالنسبالي is more conversational (informal). أما... بقى is a highly natural spoken contrast frame (informal/neutral). Formal MSA-oriented prose often uses فيما يتعلق بـ “with regard to” and أما... فـ “as for... then...” (formal).
فيما يتعلق بالميزانية، فسوف نراجع الأرقام لاحقا
fīmā yataʿallaʾ bil-mīzāniyya, fa-sawfa nurāgiʿ il-ʾarʾām lāḥiʾan
Regarding the budget, we will review the figures later. (formal MSA-oriented)
بالنسبة للميزانية، حنراجع الأرقام بعدين
bin-nisba lil-mīzāniyya, ḥanirāgiʿ il-ʾarʾām baʿden
As for the budget, we’ll review the figures later. (ordinary Cairene)
Formal wording is not wrong; it is a register choice. Alexandrian, Delta, Upper Egyptian, Bedouin, age, class, and community varieties differ in contraction, preferred transition particles, and intonation (regional/social). Hosts, lecturers, and comic performers may stretch أما... بقى to build anticipation (performance language); neutral conversation uses a shorter contour.
Common Mistakes
Dropping لـ after بالنسبة
❌ بالنسبة الميزانية، محتاجين أرقام أحدث
Incorrect—the topic complement requires لـ, attached here to the definite article.
✅ بالنسبة للميزانية، محتاجين أرقام أحدث
bin-nisba lil-mīzāniyya, miḥtāgīn ʾarʾām ʾaḥdath
As for the budget, we need more recent figures.
Using بالمناسبة for a direct answer on the same topic
❌ بالمناسبة، الاجتماع الساعة اتنين
Mismatched if this directly answers ‘What time is the meeting?’—there is no side-topic shift.
✅ الاجتماع الساعة اتنين، وبالمناسبة المكان اتغير
il-igtimāʿ is-sāʿa itnen, wi-bil-monāsba l-makān itghayyar
The meeting is at two, and by the way, the venue has changed.
Using أما with no contrastive or deferred set
❌ أما الشباك، مفتوح
Odd out of the blue—the frame suggests a contrast with another item that has not been established.
✅ الباب مقفول؛ أما الشباك بقى، مفتوح
il-bāb maʾfūl; ʾamma sh-shubbāk baʾa, maftūḥ
The door is closed; as for the window, it’s open.
Treating a formal frame as ungrammatical
أما فيما يخص الموعد، فسنتواصل معكم غدا
ʾammā fīmā yakhoṣṣ il-mawʿid, fa-sanatawāṣal maʿakom ghadan
As for the appointment, we will contact you tomorrow. (formal MSA-oriented; correct in that register)
✅ بالنسبة للميعاد، حنكلمكو بكرة
bin-nisba lil-mīʿād, ḥanikallimku bokra
As for the appointment, we’ll call you tomorrow. (ordinary Cairene)
Repeating بالنسبة لـ as a sentence-by-sentence template
بالنسبة للشقة، واسعة. بالنسبة للمواصلات، المترو قريب. بالنسبة للمنطقة، هادية
bin-nisba lish-shaʾʾa, wāsiʿa. bin-nisba lil-mowāṣalāt, il-mitro ʾarīb. bin-nisba lil-minṭaʾa, hādya
As for the apartment, it is spacious. As for transportation, the metro is close. As for the area, it is quiet. (grammatical but mechanically overframed when these details form one description)
بالنسبة للشقة، هي واسعة وقريبة من المترو، والمنطقة هادية
bin-nisba lish-shaʾʾa, hiyya wāsiʿa wi-ʾarība min il-mitro, wi-l-minṭaʾa hādya
As for the apartment, it is spacious and close to the metro, and the area is quiet. (more cohesive as one description)
Key Takeaways
- بالمناسبة introduces a related side thought and typically begins a new intonational unit.
- بالنسبة لـ frames an explicit topic or viewpoint; retain the required لـ.
- أما selects a contrastive or deferred topic, often as أما... بقى in conversation.
- Marking a topic does not remove ordinary agreement or resumptive-pronoun requirements.
- Formal فيما يتعلق بـ / أما... فـ are valid but belong to a different register from the Cairene baseline.
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