Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): يمكن أن نسافر غدا.

يمكن أن نسافر غدا.yumkinu an nusâfira ghadan.

We can travel tomorrow.

Breakdown of يمكن أن نسافر غدا.

Questions & Answers about يمكن أن نسافر غدا.

Why do we need the word أن between "can" and "travel"?

In Arabic, you don't literally say "we can travel." The verb يمكن means "it is possible." To connect it to the action, you use أن, which means "that" or "to." So, the structure literally translates to "It is possible that we travel."

If the sentence means "we can", why doesn't the first verb يمكن start with نـ (for "we")?

The first verb, يمكن, stays in the "it" form because it literally means "it is possible." The "we" part of the sentence is entirely handled by the second verb, نسافر (we travel), which correctly starts with the letter نـ to show who is traveling.

Does the word أن change how we pronounce the verb نسافر?

Yes, it does. Normally, a present tense verb ends with a "u" sound (nusafiru). But when it comes right after أن, the ending changes to an "a" sound. So, if you pronounce the full grammatical endings, it becomes أن نسافرَ (an nusafira).

What is the extra letter at the end of the word غدا (tomorrow)?

The base word for tomorrow is غد (ghad). The extra alif at the end carries a pronunciation mark called tanween (two small diagonal lines), which makes an "-an" sound. This gives us غدا (ghadan). Arabic often uses this "-an" ending on time words to show exactly when an action happens.