Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): فجأة، قابلت صديقي في المطعم. - Suddenly, I met my friend in the restaurant.

In Arabic past tense verbs, the person doing the action is shown by a suffix at the end of the word. The base verb for "he met" is قابل. To say "I met", we add the suffix ـت (pronounced "tu") to the end, making it قابلت.

Since Arabic doesn't always write the short vowels, could قابلت also mean "you met"?

Yes! Without short vowel marks, the written word قابلت can be pronounced "qabaltu" (I met), "qabalta" (you met, masculine), or "qabalti" (you met, feminine). In real life, you rely on context to know which one it is. Here, "I met my friend" makes the most sense.

Where is the word for "my" in صديقي?

Instead of a separate word for "my", Arabic uses attached pronouns. The suffix ـي (makes an "ee" sound) is added to the end of a noun to mean "my". So, صديق (friend) becomes صديقي (my friend).

How does the word فجأة get the "an" sound at the end to mean "suddenly"?

The word ends with a grammar mark called "tanween fatha" (two small diagonal lines over the last letter). This adds an "an" sound to the end of the word. It is frequently used to turn concepts into adverbs, giving us فجأة (suddenly).