Breakdown of هناك جدل كبير حيال التشريع.
الal
the
هناكhunâka
there
كبيرkabîr
big
جدلjadal
controversy
حيالḥiyâla
concerning / regarding
تشريعtashrî'
legislation
Questions & Answers about هناك جدل كبير حيال التشريع.
How exactly does حيال work in this sentence, and could I swap it with إزاء or تجاه?
In this context, حيال acts as an abstract preposition meaning "concerning" or "regarding" the legislation. You can seamlessly swap it with إزاء or تجاه here, as all three are heavily used in news and formal Arabic to express an attitude, stance, or situation relative to an abstract issue.
What case ending does the word التشريع (legislation) take here?
It takes the genitive case (majrur), making it التشريعِ (at-tashri'i). This is because words like حيال, تجاه, and إزاء function grammatically like spatial nouns that form a possessive construction (idafa) with the noun that follows them.
Could I use حيال if I wanted to say I am walking "towards" a physical building?
No, you generally wouldn't. While حيال historically comes from a root meaning "facing," in Modern Standard Arabic it is almost exclusively used for abstract relationships, like a feeling, debate, or policy "regarding" a topic. For physical movement towards a place, you would use نحو (toward) or إلى (to).
Why doesn't جدل كبير (great controversy) need the definite article (al-) if we are talking about a specific controversy regarding the legislation?
In Arabic, when introducing the existence of something using هناك (there is/are), the noun being introduced is typically indefinite. We are stating that "a" great controversy exists concerning the legislation, rather than pointing to "the" specific controversy.
Learn هناك جدل كبير حيال التشريع 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