Breakdown of الإفصاح عن أي أصل مهم جدا، سواء كان كبيرا أو صغيرا.
الal
the
كبيرkabîr
big
صغيرsagheer
small
مهمmuhimm
important
جداjiddan
very
أوaw
or
كانkâna
to be
عن'an
about / from (far from) / on the basis of (merit)
أيayy
which (+ noun) / any
سواءsawâ'un
whether (regardless of whether, ... or ...)
إفصاحifsâh
disclosure
أصلasl
asset
Questions & Answers about الإفصاح عن أي أصل مهم جدا، سواء كان كبيرا أو صغيرا.
Why does this sentence use أو (or) instead of أم after سواء?
In classical Arabic, سواء is usually followed by the question particle أ (whether) and then أم for "or" (e.g., سواء أكان كبيرا أم صغيرا). However, in Modern Standard Arabic, it is very common to drop the أ and simply use أو for "or", as seen here: سواء كان ... أو. Both structures are correct and widely understood at your level.
Why are كبيرا (big) and صغيرا (small) in the accusative case (ending in -an)?
They are the predicate (khabar) of the verb كان. The phrase translates to "whether it was big or small". Because كان always puts its predicate in the accusative case, both adjectives take the "-an" ending regardless of the سواء conditional structure.
Why does الإفصاح (disclosure) use the preposition عن here instead of being in an Idafa (disclosure of)?
The verbal noun الإفصاح comes from the Form IV verb أفصح, which means "to disclose" or "to state clearly." This verb and its masdar are always paired with the preposition عن (about/concerning). While English uses "disclosure of," Arabic relies on its fixed verb-preposition pairing, making it "disclosure about."
Why is أصل (asset) indefinite here instead of taking the definite article?
Learn الإفصاح عن أي أصل مهم جدا، سواء كان كبيرا أو صغيرا and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free