بالنسبة للحضور، الغياب مشكلة.

بالنسبة لـ is a very common expression meaning regarding, as for, or when it comes to.

So:

بالنسبة للحضور = regarding attendance / as for attendance

It introduces the topic before the main statement.

Because لـ and الـ combine in writing.

• لـ = to / for
• الحضور = the attendance

So:

لـ + الحضور = للحضور

This is completely normal in Arabic spelling. In pronunciation, it is something like lel-ḥoḍoor or lil-ḥuḍūr, depending on the variety and how formal the speech is.

In Arabic, present-tense nominal sentences usually do not use a separate word for is/am/are.

So:

الغياب مشكلة
literally: the absence a problem
natural English: Absence is a problem

This is a basic Arabic pattern.

If you wanted past or future, then Arabic would usually use a verb:

• كان الغياب مشكلة = Absence was a problem
• in Egyptian, something like الغياب هيبقى مشكلة = Absence will be a problem

The main sentence is:

الغياب مشكلة = Absence is a problem

The opening phrase:

بالنسبة للحضور = As for attendance / Regarding attendance

just sets the topic or frame.

So the whole sentence works like:

As for attendance, absence is a problem.

This topic-first structure is very common in Arabic.

This is a very common Arabic pattern:

• الغياب is definite: the absence or absence as a known/general concept
• مشكلة is indefinite: a problem

So the sentence means:

الغياب مشكلة = Absence is a problem

If you made مشكلة definite too, as in الغياب المشكلة, the meaning would change toward Absence is the problem, which is much more specific and contrastive.

So the indefinite مشكلة is the normal choice for classifying something:
X is a problem, X is a good idea, X is a mistake, etc.

It is understandable in Egyptian Arabic, but it sounds somewhat formal or written.

The structure itself is fine, but بالنسبة لـ often feels a bit formal or administrative, especially in a short statement like this.

In everyday Egyptian speech, people might also say things like:

• في موضوع الحضور، الغياب مشكلة
• لو بنتكلم عن الحضور، الغياب مشكلة
• بالنسبة للحضور، الغياب مشكلة
  still possible, just a bit more formal

So yes, an Egyptian speaker would understand it easily, but it leans more toward Modern Standard Arabic / formal spoken Arabic than very casual conversation.

A natural Egyptian-style pronunciation would be approximately:

belnesba lel-ḥoḍoor, el-gheyāb moshkela

A few useful notes:

• الـ is usually pronounced el- in Egyptian
• حضور sounds like ḥoḍoor
• غياب often sounds like gheyāb
• مشكلة is commonly moshkela
• the final ة in مشكلة is pronounced like -a in normal speech

So the sentence does not sound exactly like very formal classroom pronunciation.

The comma marks a pause between the topic phrase and the main statement.

So the rhythm is:

بالنسبة للحضور، | الغياب مشكلة

In speech, you would usually make a small pause there.

Arabic punctuation is somewhat flexible in everyday writing, so you may sometimes see the sentence without a comma, but using one here is helpful and natural.

Yes, but the emphasis changes.

The original:

بالنسبة للحضور، الغياب مشكلة
puts attendance first as the topic.

Another possible order is:

الغياب مشكلة بالنسبة للحضور
which means something like Absence is a problem when it comes to attendance

Both are understandable, but the original version is better if you want to introduce attendance as the topic first.

It can mean either, depending on context.

• In school, work, records, schedules, and administration, الحضور usually means attendance
• In other contexts, it can mean presence

Likewise, الغياب can mean absence generally, but in school or work it often means being absent

So if this sentence is about students, employees, or meetings, attendance is the most likely meaning.

Not for Egyptian Arabic.

In full formal Arabic grammar, the sentence could be analyzed with case endings, but in Egyptian Arabic those endings are not pronounced. Even many speakers using formal Arabic in normal life do not fully pronounce them.

So for an Egyptian learner, it is enough to learn and say:

بالنسبة للحضور، الغياب مشكلة

without worrying about nominative or genitive endings in speech.