رأيت صديقي مؤخرا.

رأيت means I saw.

Its dictionary form is رأى (to see).
In رأيت:

• رأى = he saw / to see (basic past-stem form)
• -تُ / -تَ / -تِ type endings are used in the past tense with pronoun suffixes
• Here, رأيتُ means I saw

In normal Arabic writing, the final short vowel is often not written, so you usually see رأيت instead of fully vowelled رأيتُ.

Because صديق means friend, and the ending ـي is the possessive suffix meaning my.

So:

• صديق = friend
• صديقي = my friend

This suffix attaches directly to the noun. Arabic often expresses possession this way instead of using a separate word like my.

Because صديقي already means my friend, and nouns with possessive suffixes are inherently definite.

Compare:

• صديق = a friend / friend
• الصديق = the friend
• صديقي = my friend

So adding ال would be wrong here. You do not say الصديقي.

Yes. A very common Arabic sentence order is:

• Verb + Subject + Object if the subject is stated
• or simply Verb + Object if the subject is already understood from the verb ending

In رأيت صديقي مؤخرا:

• رأيت = I saw
• The I is already built into the verb
• صديقي = my friend
• مؤخرا = recently

So the sentence structure is perfectly normal.

Arabic can also allow different word orders for emphasis, but this version is very standard.

Yes. صديقي is the direct object of رأيت.

The verb رأى (to see) takes a direct object, just like English see:

• I saw my friend
• رأيت صديقي

In fully vowelled formal grammar, the direct object would be in the accusative case. But because صديقي ends with the possessive ـي, the case ending is not as visibly obvious as with some other nouns.

مؤخرا means recently, and here it is being used adverbially.

This is an accusative adverbial form often called ظرف or sometimes a kind of حال/adverbial accusative usage, depending on how it is analyzed in context.

The final -ا here reflects the written form of tanwīn fatḥ on many words:

• fully vowelled: مؤخراً
• common plain writing: مؤخرا

So مؤخرا is the usual way to write recently in everyday unvowelled text.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

raʾaytu ṣadīqī muʾakhkharan

A more learner-friendly breakdown:

• رأيت = ra-ʾay-tu
• صديقي = sa-dee-qee (with an emphatic ṣ, not plain s)
• مؤخرا = mu-ʾakh-kha-ran

A few important sounds:

• ء = a glottal stop, like a break in the throat
• ص = emphatic s
• خ = a throaty sound, like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch

Because both words contain the consonant hamza (ء), which is a real consonant in Arabic.

• رأيت has a hamza after ر
• مؤخرا has a hamza written on ؤ

The seat of the hamza (أ, ؤ, ئ, or standalone ء) depends on spelling rules, not on a change in meaning. So in both words, the hamza is part of correct spelling and pronunciation.

Yes, absolutely. In fully vowelled formal Arabic, that is the careful written form:

• رأيتُ صديقي مؤخراً

This shows:

• ـُ on رأيتُ = I
• ـً on مؤخراً = the adverbial accusative ending

But in normal everyday print, short vowels are usually omitted, so you commonly see:

• رأيت صديقي مؤخرا

Both represent the same sentence.

Yes. Arabic word order is flexible, especially with adverbs.

For example, these are possible:

• رأيت صديقي مؤخرا = I saw my friend recently
• مؤخرا رأيت صديقي = Recently, I saw my friend

The first is the most straightforward neutral order.
The second puts more emphasis on recently.

Because when you attach the possessive suffix ـي (my) to a noun, the noun takes a special attached form.

So:

• صديق = friend
• صديقي = my friend

The long ī sound at the end comes from the suffix itself. You do not add a separate independent word for my.

Also, in normal unvowelled writing, many fine grammatical vowel details are not shown. So learners should focus first on recognizing the pattern:

• noun + ـي = my + noun

In many contexts, English might translate it that way, but the Arabic form itself is simply the past tense:

• رأيت = I saw

Arabic and English do not match tense usage perfectly. Depending on context, English may prefer:

• I saw my friend recently
• I’ve seen my friend recently

But grammatically, the Arabic sentence is built with the simple past.

Yes, it is perfectly good Modern Standard Arabic.

It is natural in formal speech, writing, news language, education, and examples for learners.

In everyday conversation, many native speakers would usually use their local dialect instead of MSA, and the exact wording would vary by region. But as an MSA sentence, رأيت صديقي مؤخرا is completely normal and correct.