When discussing politics, policies, or controversial issues, you often need to describe public sentiment or a specific stance "towards" or "regarding" a topic. Arabic uses three advanced prepositions for this: إزاء, حيال, and تجاه.
These three words are largely interchangeable in meaning and are highly common in formal Arabic, news media, and debate. They are placed immediately before the noun they reference.
| The opposition is strong regarding the new policy. | المعارضة قوية إزاء السياسة الجديدة.al-mu'âraḍatu qawiyyatun izâ'a as-siyâsati al-jadîdah |
| There is great controversy concerning the legislation. | هناك جدل كبير حيال التشريع.hunâka jadalun kabîrun hiyâla at-tashrî |
| The division towards the reform is clear. | الانقسام تجاه الإصلاح واضح.al-inqisâmu tijâha al-islâhi wâdihun. |
Attaching Pronouns
Just like other prepositions, إزاء, حيال, and تجاه accept attached pronoun suffixes. This is essential when referring back to a policy, reform, or piece of legislation that has already been mentioned in the sentence.
| The opposition rejected the policy because the stance towards it is bad. | رفضت المعارضة السياسة لأن الموقف تجاهها سيئ.rafadati al-mu'aradatu as-siyasata li'anna al-mawqifa tijahaha sayyi'un |
| As long as the government ignored the reform, the controversy regarding it increased. | طالما تجاهلت الحكومة الإصلاح، زاد الجدل إزاءه.tâlamâ tajâhalati al-hukûmatu al-islâha, zâda al-jadalu izâ'ahu |
Expressing Stances
You will frequently see these prepositions paired with nouns that express attitudes or public sentiment. Common pairings include words like موقف (stance or position), تأييد (support), and انقسام (division).
| The union confirmed its stance concerning the new legislation. | أكدت النقابة موقفها حيال التشريع الجديد.akkadati n-niqâbatu mawqifahâ hiyâla t-tashrî‘i l-jadîdi |
| The union announced its support vis-à-vis the decision. | أعلنت النقابة تأييدها إزاء القرار.a'lanati n-niqâbatu ta'yîdahâ izâ'a l-qarâr. |
| Either you show support concerning the legislation, or you stand with the opposition. | إما أن تبدي التأييد حيال التشريع، أو تقف مع المعارضة.immâ an tubdiya at-ta'yîda hiyâla at-tashrîi, aw taqifa maa al-muâradati. |