However: غير أن، إلا أن
لكن is the everyday but. Writing prefers غير أن(ghayra anna) and إلا أن(illâ anna), however (literally except that); the two mean the same. Both end in أنّ, so a noun or an attached pronoun follows: غير أنه, إلا أنها.
| The food is delicious; however, the service is slow. | الطعام لذيذ، غير أن الخدمة بطيئة.attaâmu ladhîdhun, ghayra anna l-khidmata batî'ah |
| The place is beautiful; however, it is very small. | المكان جميل، غير أنه صغير جدا.al-makânu jamîlun, ghayra annahu saghîrun jiddan. |
Even so: مع ذلك
مع ذلك(ma'a dhâlika) (with that) grants the point just made and carries on regardless: nevertheless, even so. It opens the second clause, usually as ومع ذلك.
| meaning | where it goes | |
|---|---|---|
| لكن | but | between two clauses |
| غير أن، إلا أن | however | + a noun or a pronoun, like أنّ |
| ومع ذلك | nevertheless | opens the second clause |
| بالعكس | on the contrary | rejects a claim |
| The meals are expensive, and even so the restaurant is always crowded. | الوجبات غالية، ومع ذلك المطعم مزدحم دائما.al-wajabâtu ghâliyatun, wa ma'a dhâlika al-mat'amu muzdahimun dâ'iman. |
The opposite, or more exactly
بالعكس(bil-'aksi) rejects what was said or expected and claims the opposite, often as an answer. بالأحرى(bil-ahrâ) corrects your own word to a more exact one, almost always after أو: or rather.
| Was the food cold? On the contrary, it was very hot. | هل كان الطعام باردا؟ بالعكس، كان ساخنا جدا.hal kâna t-ta'âmu bâridan? bil-'aks, kâna sâkhinan jiddan. |
| The food is good, or rather excellent. | الطعام جيد، أو بالأحرى ممتاز.at-ta'âmu jayyidun, aw bil-ahrâ mumtâzun |
How sure, how much
These shade a statement: في الحقيقة(fil haqîqah) in fact, بلا شك(bilâ shakkin) without doubt, إلى حد ما(ilâ haddin mâ) to some extent, and بشكل خاص(bishaklin khâssin) in particular, a more formal خاصة. They stand at the start or after the words they qualify.
| The people say that the cook is French, but in fact he is Egyptian. | يقول الناس إن الطباخ فرنسي، لكنه في الحقيقة مصري.yaqûlu-nnâsu inna-ttabbâkha faransiyyun, lâkinnahu fil-haqîqati misriyyun |
| The prices are acceptable to some extent. | الأسعار مقبولة إلى حد ما.al-as'âru maqbûlatun ilâ haddin mâ |
Anyway: على كل حال
على كل حال(ala kulli hâlin) (in any case) drops a side issue and moves on, like English anyway.
| Anyway, I will write an article about the restaurant. | على كل حال، سأكتب مقالا عن المطعم.alâ kulli hâlin, sa'aktubu maqâlan 'ani l-mat'ami. |
