أما

See also: آما, اما, and إما

Arabic

Etymology 1

Univerbation of أَن (ʔan, “that”) +‎ مَا (mā, relative), the original thought being “that this matter be touched”, “be it that”, or just a dialectal variant of disjunctive إِمَّا (ʔimmā, “be it that”) as أَمَّا (ʔammā) can well be used for positing two alternatives.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔam.maː/

Conjunction

أَمَّا • (ʔammā)

1. as for; followed by a noun or pronoun, itself followed by the particle فَـ (fa-)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 92:4-10:

     إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى
     فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَٱتَّقَى
     وَصَدَّقَ بِٱلْحُسْنَى
     فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى
     وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَٱسْتَغْنَى
     وَكَذَّبَ بِٱلْحُسْنَى
     فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى

     ʔinna saʕyakum lašattā
     fa-ʔammā man ʔaʕṭā wa-ttaqā
     wa-ṣaddaqa bi-l-ḥusnā
     fa-sanuyassiruhu li-l-yusrā
     wa-ʔammā man baḵila wa-staḡnā
     wa-kaḏḏaba bi-l-ḥusnā
     fa-sanuyassiruhu li-l-ʕusrā

     Indeed, your efforts are diverse.
     As for he who gives and fears Allah
     And believes in the best [reward],
     We will ease him toward ease.
     But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need
     And denies the best [reward],
     We will ease him toward difficulty.

   • (Can we date this quote?), (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     وَلَمْ أَرَ كَٱلمَعْرُوفِ؛ أَمَّا مَذَاقُهُ / فَحُلْوٌ، وَأَمَّا وَجْهُهُ فَجَمِيلُ

     wa-lam ʔara ka-l-maʕrūfi; ʔammā maḏāquhu / fa-ḥulwun, wa-ʔammā wajhuhu fa-jamīlu

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• It doesn't affect the case of the noun that follows:
• أَمَّا ٱلرَّجُلُ فَهُوَ فَقِيرٌ. ― ʔammā r-rajulu fahuwa faqīrun. ― As for the man, he is poor.
• أَمَّا ٱلرَّجُلَ ٱلْفَقِيرَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ! ― ʔammā r-rajula l-faqīra falā taqhar! ― As for the poor man, don't oppress him!

Derived terms

• أَمَّا بَعْدُ (ʔammā baʕdu)

Descendants

• Maltese: imma
• Moroccan Arabic: أما (ʔamma)
• → Azerbaijani: amma
• → Bashkir: әммә (əmmə)
• → Khalaj: əmmâ
• → Classical Persian: اَمَّا (ammā)
  • Dari: اَمَّا (ammā)
  • Iranian Persian: اَمَّا (ammâ)
  • Tajik: аммо (ammo)
  • → Hindustani:
    • Urdu: اَمَّا (ammā)
    • Hindi: अम्मा (ammā) (literary, uncommon)
• → Ottoman Turkish: اما (ammâ)
  • Turkish: ama
  • → Albanian: ama (Kosovo)
  • → Armenian: ամա (ama), ամմա (amma)
  • → Laz: ამა (ama)
  • → Macedonian: ама (ama)
• → Hausa: àmmā
  • → Yoruba:

    Latin script: àmọ́

    Arabic script: اموَْ

    • → Gun: àmɔ́
  • → Nupe: àmáà
• → Uzbek: ammo

Etymology 2

From أَ (ʔa) +‎ مَا (mā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.maː/

Particle

أَمَا • (ʔamā)

1. verily, truly, indeed, oh yes!

   Synonym: أَلَا (ʔalā)

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَمَّا (ʔammā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔam.ma/

• Audio:

  (file)

Conjunction

أما • (ʔamma)

1. as for
2. but

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَمَّا (ʔammā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔam.ma/, [ˈʔam.ma]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Conjunction

أما • (ʔamma)

1. whereas, as for, but

   Synonym: بسّ (bass)

   ألف شيكل ممكن اعطيك — أمّا ألفين، هلا والله ما بقدر.

   ʔalf šēkel mumken aʕṭīk, ʔamma ʔalfēn halla walla mā baʔdar.

   I can give you a thousand shekels — as for two thousand, I really can't right now.

   كل هادا، معليش — أمّا يكذب علي كمان؟

   kull hāda, maʕlēš — ʔamma yikzeb ʕalay kamān?

   All of this is fine — but that he should lie to me too?

2. used to indicate surprise or other strong feelings in an exclamation

   Synonym: ما (ma)

   دخلنا جول — أمّا شو جول!

   daḵalna gōl — ʔamma šū gōl!

   We scored a goal — what a goal!

Usage notes

• Note that ما (ma) can only be used in the third sense before an elative adjective, whereas أمّا (ʔamma) is more flexible. Although أمّا (ʔamma) could be used before an elative adjective, it is most commonly seen before a nominal phrase introduced by شو (šū).