Breakdown of من ناحية، الحياة في المدينة سهلة، ومن ناحية أخرى، غالية.
الal
the
وwa
and
فيfî
in / about, regarding
مدينةmadîna
city
سهلsahl
easy
حياةhayâh
life
غاليghâli
expensive
من ناحيةmin nâhiyatin
on the one hand
من ناحية أخرىmin nâhiyatin ukhrâ
on the other hand
Questions & Answers about من ناحية، الحياة في المدينة سهلة، ومن ناحية أخرى، غالية.
What is the literal translation of the phrase used for 'on the one hand... on the other hand'?
The phrase is من ناحية ... ومن ناحية أخرى. The word ناحية means side, direction, or aspect. So literally, this translates to 'from a side... and from another side'. It is the standard way to express this idiom in Arabic.
Why is the word for 'other' written as أخرى here instead of آخر?
In Arabic, adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender. The noun it describes here is ناحية (side or aspect), which is feminine because it ends with a taa marboota. Therefore, you must use the feminine form أخرى instead of the masculine form آخر.
Why are the words for 'easy' (سهلة) and 'expensive' (غالية) in their feminine forms?
They are both describing the main subject of the sentence, which is الحياة (life). Since الحياة is a feminine noun, the adjectives describing it must also be feminine, which is why they both end with a taa marboota.
Why isn't there a word for 'it is' before غالية (expensive)?
Arabic uses nominal sentences to express 'is' or 'are' without needing a verb in the present tense. The subject الحياة logically carries over to the second part of the sentence, so you only need the adjective غالية to complete the thought 'it is expensive'.
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