أما

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 Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) can well be used for positing two alternatives.

• IPA^(key): /ʔam.maː/

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)

• 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!

• أَمَّا بَعْدُ‎ (ʔammā baʕdu)

• Maltese: imma
• Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)
• → 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)
• → Hausa: àmmā
  • → Yoruba:

    Latin script: àmọ́

    Arabic script: اموَْ‎

    • → Gun: àmɔ́
  • → Nupe: àmáà

From أَ‎ (ʔa) +‎ مَا‎ (mā).

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.maː/

أَمَا • (ʔamā)

1. verily, truly, indeed, oh yes!

   Synonym: أَلَا‎ (ʔalā)

From Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value).

• IPA^(key): /ʔam.ma/

• Audio

  (file)

أما • (ʔamma)

1. as for
2. but

From Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value).

• IPA^(key): /ʔam.ma/, [ˈʔam.ma]

• Audio (al-Lidd)

  (file)

أما • (ʔamma)

1. whereas, as for, but

   Synonym: بسّ‎ (bass)

   Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

   Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

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

   Synonym: ما‎ (ma)

   Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

• Note that ما‎ (ma) can only be used in the third sense before an elative adjective, whereas Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) is more flexible. Although Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) could be used before an elative adjective, it is most commonly seen before a nominal phrase introduced by شو‎ (šū).