Breakdown of زميلي يرجع من المكتب متأخرا.
الal
the
مكتبmaktab
office
رجعraja'a
to return
منmin
from
زميلzamîl
colleague
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
متأخرmuta'akhkhir
late
Questions & Answers about زميلي يرجع من المكتب متأخرا.
Why does متأخرا end with an extra Alif and two small lines?
The two lines make an -an sound. Together with the extra Alif, they show the indefinite accusative case. In Arabic, words acting as adverbs that describe how or when an action happens, like being late here, take this accusative form.
Do I pronounce the extra Alif at the end of متأخرا?
No, the Alif is completely silent. It just acts as a seat to hold the -an ending. You pronounce the word muta'akhkhiran. Adding this silent Alif is a standard spelling rule for most nouns and adjectives in the indefinite accusative case.
Why doesn't المكتب take the accusative ending since it comes after the verb?
The word المكتب is not the direct object of the verb, nor is it an adverb. It comes directly after the preposition من. In Arabic, any noun following a preposition must take the genitive case instead of the accusative.
How would this sentence change if I was talking about a female colleague?
You would say زميلتي for my female colleague and change the verb to ترجع for she returns. The word for late would become متأخرة without an extra Alif. When a feminine word ends with a Taa Marbuta, the accusative -an ending just sits directly on top of it.
Learn زميلي يرجع من المكتب متأخرا and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free