Lesson 88 · أَمَّا … فَـ
As for… and only: أَمَّا … فَـ and إِنَّمَا
أَمَّا means “as for”. It picks out one topic, and the rest of the sentence must start with فَـ: أَمَّا أَنَا فَأُفَضِّلُ الشَّايَ (as for me, I prefer tea).
Learn with pictures
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Examples
أَمَّا أَنَا فَأُفَضِّلُ الشَّايَammaa anaa fa-ufaḍḍilu sh-shaayaAs for me, I prefer tea.
أَمَّا أَخِي فَطَبِيبٌammaa akhii fa-ṭabiibunAs for my brother, he is a doctor.
أَمَّا الْيَوْمَ فَلَا أَسْتَطِيعُamma l-yawma fa-laa astaṭiiʿuAs for today, I can’t.
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِinnama l-aʿmaalu bin-niyyaatiActions are only by intentions.
إِنَّمَا أَنَا طَالِبٌinnamaa anaa ṭaalibunI am only a student.
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌinnama l-mu’minuuna ikhwatunThe believers are but brothers. (49:10)
Key points
- It is good for contrasts: أَمَّا أَخِي فَطَبِيبٌ، وَأَمَّا أُخْتِي فَمُهَنْدِسَةٌ (as for my brother, he is a doctor; as for my sister, she is an engineer). Letters and speeches use أَمَّا بَعْدُ (and now to the point) after the opening praise.
- إِنَّمَا means “only” or “nothing but”, and the part it stresses comes last: إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ (actions are only by intentions) · إِنَّمَا أَنَا طَالِبٌ (I am only a student).
- Unlike إِنَّ, إِنَّمَا does not change any endings and can come before a verb: إِنَّمَا أُرِيدُ الْمَاءَ (I only want water). The Quran: إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ (the believers are but brothers, 49:10).
Practice
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Say “As for my father, he is a teacher.”
أَمَّا أَبِي فَمُدَرِّسٌ ammaa abii fa-mudarrisun
Say “As for coffee, I don’t drink it.”
أَمَّا الْقَهْوَةُ فَلَا أَشْرَبُهَا amma l-qahwatu fa-laa ashrabuhaa
Say “I only want water” with إِنَّمَا.
إِنَّمَا أُرِيدُ الْمَاءَ innamaa uriidu l-maa’a
