Breakdown of الامتحان الكتابي سهل، إلا أن الامتحان الشفهي صعب.
الal
the
سهلsahl
easy
امتحانimtihân
exam
صعبsa'b
difficult
إلا أنillâ anna
however (except that)
كتابيkitâbiyy
written (as opposed to oral)
شفهيshafahiyy
oral
Questions & Answers about الامتحان الكتابي سهل، إلا أن الامتحان الشفهي صعب.
Why does the second الامتحان take the accusative case (ending in a fatha)?
The connector إلا أن (except that / however) ends with أنّ (anna). Like all sisters of إنّ, it forces the subject of the following nominal sentence into the accusative (mansub) case. Therefore, it is read as إلا أنّ الامتحانَ (illaa anna al-imtiHaana).
Can I substitute لكنّ (but) for إلا أن here?
Yes, they are very similar in both meaning and grammar. Both act as sisters of إنّ and make the following subject accusative. Using إلا أن just elevates the register slightly, translating closer to 'except that' or a formal 'however' rather than a simple 'but'.
Could we attach a pronoun to أن to avoid repeating the word الامتحان (exam)?
While إلا أن commonly takes attached pronouns (like إلا أنه for 'except that it...'), doing so here would make the sentence awkward. Because you are directly contrasting the 'written' exam with the 'oral' exam, you need the full noun phrase الامتحان الشفهي to carry the contrasting adjective clearly.
How are the adjectives الكتابي (written) and الشفهي (oral) formed?
They are Nisba adjectives, which are formed by adding the suffix ـيّ (iyy) to a noun to mean 'related to.' الكتابي is derived from كتابة (writing), and الشفهي comes from شفة (lip), literally meaning 'related to the lips' or 'oral'.
Learn الامتحان الكتابي سهل، إلا أن الامتحان الشفهي صعب 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