سواء كانت فيها نقود أم بطاقة مصرفية، سأكتب المحتويات.

سواء introduces the idea of it makes no difference whether... or... / regardless of whether... or....

In this sentence, سواء ... أم ... sets up two possibilities:

• فيها نقود = it contains money
• بطاقة مصرفية = it contains a bank card

So the whole opening means something like:

• Whether it has money or a bank card
• Regardless of whether there is money in it or a bank card

A learner should recognize سواء ... أم ... as a common fixed pattern meaning whether... or....

After سواء, Arabic normally uses أم rather than أو.

So this pattern is:

• سواء ... أم ...

not usually:

• سواء ... أو ...

Both أم and أو can mean or in some contexts, but أم is especially common in structured alternatives, especially after words like سواء.

So here:

• سواء كانت فيها نقود أم بطاقة مصرفية

means:

• whether it had money or a bank card

This is a pattern worth memorizing as a unit.

كانت is the feminine singular past form of كان.

That tells us the thing being referred to is grammatically feminine. The sentence does not repeat the noun, but it is understood from context. For example, it might refer to something like:

• المحفظة (wallet) — feminine
• الحقيبة (bag) — feminine

So if the implied noun is feminine, Arabic uses:

• كانت

If the implied noun were masculine, it would be:

• كان

This is very common in Arabic: a pronoun or implied noun from the context controls agreement, even if it is not stated directly in the sentence.

فيها is made of:

• في = in
• ها = her / it (feminine)

Together, فيها means:

• in it
• inside it

So:

• كانت فيها نقود literally = there was money in it
• more naturally = it contained money

Because the attached pronoun is ها, the thing being referred to is feminine.

If the noun were masculine, you might see:

• فيه = in it (masculine)

نقود means money, but grammatically it is a plural/broken plural form. In actual usage, though, it often behaves like an uncountable noun meaning cash or money.

So in translation, you usually do not say monies in normal English. You simply say:

• money
• cash

In Arabic, many nouns that refer to collections or substances do not match English word-for-word in number.

So:

• نقود = money / cash

even though its form is plural.

They are indefinite because the sentence is talking about possible contents in a general way, not specific previously identified items.

• نقود = money
• بطاقة مصرفية = a bank card

If you added ال, the meaning would become more specific:

• النقود = the money
• البطاقة المصرفية = the bank card

But here the idea is simply:

• whether there was money
• or a bank card

So the indefinite form fits the meaning.

Great question. Arabic often omits repeated words when the meaning is clear.

The full idea would be something like:

• سواء كانت فيها نقود أم كانت فيها بطاقة مصرفية

or at least:

• سواء كانت فيها نقود أم فيها بطاقة مصرفية

But Arabic commonly shortens this because the second half is understood from the first. So:

• سواء كانت فيها نقود أم بطاقة مصرفية

is a more concise way to say:

• whether it had money or a bank card in it

This kind of ellipsis is very common in both Arabic and English.

بطاقة مصرفية is a noun phrase meaning a bank card.

It consists of:

• بطاقة = card
• مصرفية = banking / bank-related

Because بطاقة is feminine, the adjective must also be feminine:

• بطاقة → feminine noun
• مصرفية → feminine adjective

The adjective comes after the noun in Arabic, unlike English.

So literally:

• بطاقة مصرفية = card banking-related
• natural English = bank card

In Arabic, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

So:

• بطاقة = card
• مصرفية = banking / bank-related

Together:

• بطاقة مصرفية = a bank card

This is the normal Arabic order:

• noun + adjective

Also, the adjective must match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness
• case

Since بطاقة is feminine singular and indefinite, مصرفية is also feminine singular and indefinite.

سأكتب means I will write.

It is formed from:

• سـ = a prefix marking the future
• أكتب = I write / I write down

So:

• أكتب = I write / I am writing
• سأكتب = I will write

The prefix سـ is a very common way to form the future in Modern Standard Arabic.

There is also another future form using سوف:

• سوف أكتب = I will write

Both are correct, but سـ is shorter and very common.

المحتويات means the contents.

The definite article ال is used because the speaker means the contents of the item already being discussed. In other words, these are not just any contents in general, but the contents of that specific thing.

So:

• المحتويات = the contents
• محتويات = contents

Using the definite form sounds natural here because the contents are understood from context.

المحتويات is the plural of محتوى in the sense of contents.

In practical usage, المحتويات means:

• the contents
• the items inside

Even if only one or two things are mentioned, Arabic often uses contents as a plural collective idea, just like English often says the contents of a bag, wallet, or box.

So this is very natural.

More or less, yes. The structure with كان often expresses existence or state.

So:

• كانت فيها نقود literally means something like there was money in it
• in smoother English: it contained money

Arabic often uses كان plus a phrase like فيها to describe what was present in something.

So although the English translation may be more natural as whether it had money or a bank card, the Arabic structure is closer to whether there was money in it or a bank card.

The comma separates the concession/condition-like phrase from the main statement.

Structure:

• سواء كانت فيها نقود أم بطاقة مصرفية = whether it contained money or a bank card
• سأكتب المحتويات = I will write down the contents

So the sentence as a whole means:

• Whether it contains money or a bank card, I will write down the contents.
• more naturally: Regardless of whether it has money or a bank card, I’ll write down the contents.

The first part sets up that the exact type of content does not matter; the second part gives the speaker’s action.