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تبددت عتمة المدينة شيئا فشيئا.

تبددت عتمة المدينة شيئا فشيئا.tabaddadat 'atamatu al-madînati shay'an fashay'an
The gloom of the city dissipated little by little.
From Lesson 483:Gradual repetition (شيئاً فشيئاً)·Arabic (Modern Standard)

Questions & Answers about تبددت عتمة المدينة شيئا فشيئا.

How does شيئا فشيئا translate to 'little by little' when شيئا means 'a thing'?
In Arabic, repeating an indefinite noun in the accusative case with the conjunction ف (meaning 'and then') creates a sense of gradual progression. Literally, شيئا فشيئا means 'a thing, then a thing,' but it is the standard idiom for 'little by little' or 'gradually.'
Why are both words in شيئا فشيئا in the accusative case with the -an ending?
They function together as an adverbial phrase describing how the action happened. In Arabic, words expressing manner, state, or gradual progression usually take the accusative case (mansub). The -an ending (tanwin fatha) on both words reflects this grammatical role.
Why is the Form V verb تبددت used here?
تبدد is a Form V verb, which often expresses the reflexive or natural result of an action. While the Form II verb بدد means 'to scatter or disperse something', Form V تبدد means 'to become scattered' or 'to dissipate' on its own. The -t at the end simply makes it feminine to match the subject, عتمة.
Why does the hamza in شيئا look different from the base word شيء?
In the base word شيء, the hamza sits on the line. However, when you add the accusative alif for the -an ending, the preceding letter ي connects to that alif. Because of this connection, the hamza moves to sit on a 'tooth' (nabira), changing the spelling to شيئا.

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