Questions & Answers about آسف، أنا متأخر.
Why is there no Arabic word for "am" in this sentence?
In Arabic, "to be" verbs like "am", "is", and "are" are usually skipped in the present tense. Instead of saying "I am late", you just put the pronoun and the adjective next to each other: أنا (I) and متأخر (late). This is a very common structure called a nominal sentence.
How would a woman say this sentence?
A woman would say آسفة، أنا متأخرة. In Arabic, words that describe people must match their gender. Since both آسف (sorry) and متأخر (late) act as adjectives here, a female speaker adds the feminine ending ة (taa' marbuuTa) to the end of both words.
What is the wavy line over the first letter in آسف?
That symbol is called a madda (آ). It is a shorthand spelling symbol that replaces a glottal stop followed by a long "aa" sound. When reading it, you pronounce it as a long, stretched-out "a", making the word sound like "aa-sif".
Can I use متأخر to say that a train or a meeting is late?
Yes! متأخر is a standard adjective meaning "late" or "delayed", so you can use it for objects and events, not just people. Just remember to use the feminine version (متأخرة) if the noun you are describing is feminine.
Learn آسف، أنا متأخر 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