Concessive Conditionals

Practically nothing! بالرغم من is just a slightly heavier, more formal version of رغم. Use them interchangeably, but remember بالرغم من often takes a noun or أن.

Yes, but it implies a counter-factual past. حتى لو عرفت، لم أكن لأذهب (Even if I had known, I wouldn't have gone). It highlights that the outcome wouldn't have changed.

مهما is almost strictly followed by a verb (usually past tense in form, future in meaning). مهما كلف الأمر (No matter what it costs).

This is a quirk of Arabic conditionals! We use the 'Perfect' (past) form to indicate the *hypothetical* nature, not necessarily the time. مهما قلت can mean 'Whatever you say [in the future]'.

It's rare in pure slang (Ammiya). In dialects, people prefer حتى لو or simply لو. وإن sounds very Fusha (Standard Arabic).

Just add لم or لا before the verb in the condition. حتى لو لم تدرس (Even if you didn't study).

مع أن is usually followed by a noun or a suffix pronoun. مع أنه متعب (Even though he is tired). It doesn't like jumping straight to a verb.

بيد أن is very formal and means 'However' or 'Except that'. It's close, but it functions more like غير أن (But) than 'Even if'.

Yes! لن أذهب حتى لو دفعت لي (I won't go even if you paid me). This is very common and natural.

Yes, it relates to the *manner* or state. كيفما شئت (However you wish / As you wish).

أياً كان means 'Whichever it was' or 'Whatever it be'. It's similar to مهما but functions more like an adjective phrase sometimes.

In spoken Arabic, yes! It's a polite interjection meaning 'Not at all' or 'Of course'. 'Thanks for the food' -> 'ولو!' (Don't mention it!).

In written Arabic, a comma is helpful to separate the condition from the result, specifically if the condition comes first. رغم التعب، واصل العمل.

لئن (La-in) is an emphatic conditional, often found in the Quran or high poetry. It means 'If indeed...'. It can be concessive depending on context, but it's very advanced.

Ideally, no. It's redundant. رغم أنه قصير، هو قوي is better than رغم أنه قصير، لكنه قوي. But native speakers do slip up and use both!

If رغم is followed by a noun directly (without أن), it's a genitive construction (إضافة). So the noun takes Kasra. رغم الألمِ (Raghma al-alam-i).

You can use أينما. أينما ذهبت (Wherever / No matter where you go).

سواء means 'Whether... or...'. سواء جئت أم لا (Whether you come or not). It shares the spirit of 'it doesn't matter' logic.

على الرغم من أن or مع أن are solid choices for essays. وإن is great for powerful closing statements.

Think of it as 'Mah-ma' -> 'Matter-matter'. No *matter* what!