Question 1

How exactly does كنت سألغي mean "I was going to cancel"?

Accepted Answer

To express the "future in the past" (something you were going to do but maybe didn't), Arabic combines the past tense of كان (to be) with the future tense of the main verb. Here, كنت means "I was," and سألغي means "I will cancel." Together, they create the meaning "I was going to cancel."

Question 2

If I dropped the سـ and just said كنت ألغي, how would the meaning change?

Accepted Answer

If you just use كان followed by a regular present tense verb without the future prefix سـ or سوف, it changes the meaning to the past continuous or habitual past. كنت ألغي would mean "I was canceling" or "I used to cancel," rather than "I was going to cancel."

Question 3

Why doesn't the word for "but" (لكن) have an attached pronoun here, like لكنه?

Accepted Answer

The conjunction لكن (but) doesn't always need an attached pronoun. It can be followed directly by a noun, as it is here with المدير (the manager). Because لكن is a "sister of Inna," it makes the noun immediately following it take the accusative case, so it would be pronounced المديرَ (al-mudīra) with a fatha at the end.

Question 4

What is the root of الاجتماع (the meeting) and how does it help with its meaning?

Accepted Answer

The root is ج - م - ع (j-m-'), which relates to gathering, collecting, or grouping. الاجتماع is a verbal noun meaning "the gathering" or "the meeting." You will see this same root in words you probably already know, like جامعة (university) and يوم الجمعة (Friday, the day of gathering).

كنت سألغي الاجتماع، لكن المدير رفض.

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