When reviewing products, comparing features, or organizing your thoughts, you can highlight a specific topic using the two-part structure أمّا ... فـ ("As for...").
Equational Sentences (فهو / فهي)
The word أمّا starts the phrase and is immediately followed by the topic. Crucially, the second part of the sentence—the comment about that topic—must begin with the prefix فـ (so/then).
If the comment is an equational (nominal) sentence, the prefix فـ attaches to an independent pronoun matching the topic's gender (فهو for masculine, فهي for feminine). Arabic literally structures this as, "As for this phone, then it is simple."
| As for this phone, it is simple. | أما هذا الهاتف فهو بسيط.ammâ hâdhâ-l-hâtifu fahuwa basîtun. |
| As for the size, it is small, and as for the battery, it is big. | أما الحجم فهو صغير، وأما البطارية فهي كبيرة.ammâ al-hajmu fahuwa saghîrun, wa-ammâ al-battâriyyatu fahiya kabîratun |
This structure is extremely common for drawing clear, side-by-side contrasts.
| The first design is simple. As for the second design, it is complicated. | التصميم الأول بسيط. أما التصميم الثاني فهو معقد.at-tasmîmu l-awwalu basîtun. ammâ t-tasmîmu th-thâni fahuwa mu'aqqadun. |
Using (أمّا) with Verbs
The topic following أمّا can also be a person or an independent pronoun (like أنا). If the comment is an action (a verbal sentence), the prefix فـ attaches directly to the beginning of the verb.
| Why did you buy this model? As for me, I prefer the old model. | لماذا اشتريت هذا الطراز؟ أما أنا فأفضل الطراز القديم.limâdhâ ishtarayta hâdhâ at-tirâza? ammâ anâ fa-ufaddilu at-tirâza al-qadîm. |
| As for Ahmad, he bought the complicated model. | أما أحمد فاشترى الطراز المعقد.amma ahmadu fashtarâ attirâza almuaqqada |