Breakdown of لحظة، المدير مشغول الآن.
الal
the
الآنal-ân
now
مديرmudîr
manager
مشغولmashghûl
busy
لحظةlahza
a moment
Questions & Answers about لحظة، المدير مشغول الآن.
Why isn't there a word for 'is' in المدير مشغول?
In Arabic, sentences describing what someone or something is right now don't use a word for 'is' or 'are' in the present tense. You simply put the subject (المدير, the manager) next to the description (مشغول, busy) to mean 'the manager is busy'.
Does لحظة literally mean 'one moment'? Where is the word for 'one'?
لحظة literally means 'a moment'. In Arabic, a singular noun on its own already implies 'a' or 'one', so you don't need to add a separate number. When spoken on its own like this, it acts as a polite phrase meaning 'Just a moment!'
If the manager were a woman, how would this sentence change?
Both the noun for manager and the adjective for busy would need a ة (taa marbuuta) added to the end to make them feminine. The sentence would become لحظة، المديرة مشغولة الآن.
What is the wavy line above the first letter in الآن (now)?
That wavy symbol is called a madda (آ). It tells you to pronounce a glottal stop (like the catch in your throat in 'uh-oh') followed by a long 'aa' sound. Because of this, الآن is pronounced 'al-aaan'.
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