Breakdown of نجحت أختي في الامتحان، في حين رسب أخي.
الal
the
أخakh
brother
أختukht
sister
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
Questions & Answers about نجحت أختي في الامتحان، في حين رسب أخي.
Why is the preposition في used after نجحت when the English translation just says "passed the exam"?
In Arabic, you cannot "pass" a test directly. The verb نجح literally means "to succeed," so you must say that you "succeeded in" the exam by always pairing it with the preposition في.
Is the phrase في حين used similarly to بينما for "whereas"?
Yes, في حين is an excellent B2-level connector that means "whereas" or "while" when showing a contrast. It is completely interchangeable with بينما in this context to contrast the sister's success with the brother's failure.
The verb رسب means "failed," but shouldn't it also take a preposition like نجح did?
It certainly can! You could explicitly say رسب في الامتحان (failed in the exam). However, since the exam was already established in the first half of the sentence, it is left out here to avoid clunky repetition. The verb stands perfectly on its own.
Could I say في حين أخي رسب (Subject-Verb) instead of في حين رسب أخي (Verb-Subject)?
Yes, you can. Unlike some conjunctions that force a specific word order (like أنّ), في حين can be followed by either a verbal sentence (starting with a verb, as seen here) or a nominal sentence (starting with a noun). Starting with the verb is simply the classic, elegant Modern Standard Arabic style.