Contrast, concession and focus (في حين، رغم ذلك، خصوصا)

Whereas: في حين

في حين(fî hîni) (whereas) sets two facts side by side, like بينما, in a more written register. A verb can follow it directly; a noun comes after في حين أنّ.

Despite that: رغم ذلك

رغم ذلك(raghma dhâlika) (despite that) grants what came before and carries on, like مع ذلك. It usually opens the second sentence or follows و.

At least: ولو

Before a small amount, ولو(wa law) means at least, even if only: ولو مرة at least once, ولو قليلا even a little. Before a past verb it means even if, like حتى لو and وإن: سأذهب ولو كان الجو باردا.

If: لو أن

لو أن(law anna) is لو with أنّ, so a noun or a pronoun comes first. The answer usually takes لـ, as after لو.

Narrowing the focus

In في حد ذاته the pronoun agrees with the noun: في حد ذاتها for a feminine noun.