Breakdown of لا بأس، أنا مشغول الآن.
الآنal-ân
now
أناana
I
مشغولmashghûl
busy
لا بأسlâ ba's
not bad / it's all right
Questions & Answers about لا بأس، أنا مشغول الآن.
How does لا بأس translate to "not bad"?
لا بأس is a very common Arabic expression. Literally, لا means "no" and بأس means "harm" or "hardship." While it translates literally as "no harm," it is used exactly like "not bad," "no problem," or "never mind" in English.
Where is the word for "am" in أنا مشغول?
Arabic does not use a word for "to be" (like "am", "is", or "are") in present tense sentences. You just put the pronoun أنا (I) right next to the adjective مشغول (busy). Literally, the phrase reads as "I busy."
If a woman is speaking, does she still say مشغول?
No, she needs to make the adjective feminine to match her gender. She would add the feminine ending "taa marbuta" (ة) to the end of the word, making it مشغولة. A woman would say أنا مشغولة الآن instead.
Why does the word for "now" (الآن) start with الـ (the)?
The word الآن combines the definite article الـ (the) with آن (a moment or time). So it literally translates to "the moment," which is how Arabic expresses the idea of "now."
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