بعد ساعة لدينا اجتماع في الشركة.

Questions & Answers about بعد ساعة لدينا اجتماع في الشركة.

What is the basic word order in بعد ساعة لدينا اجتماع في الشركة?

Arabic often uses a time expression first to set the scene.

  • بعد ساعة = time frame (After an hour / In an hour)
  • لدينا = we have
  • اجتماع = the thing we have (a meeting)
  • في الشركة = location (in/at the company)
    So the sentence is basically: [Time] + [We have] + [Thing] + [Place].
Does بعد ساعة mean after an hour or in an hour?
It can be understood either way depending on context, and both are common in English too. In practical speech, بعد ساعة is often used to mean in an hour (i.e., one hour from now). If you want to be very explicit about one hour from now, you can also say بعد ساعة من الآن.
Why is it ساعة (singular) and not a plural?
In Arabic, after numbers you often see special singular/plural patterns, but here ساعة is not being used with an explicit number word like واحدة. The phrase بعد ساعة is a fixed, natural way to mean after/in one hour. You can say بعد ساعة واحدة to make one explicit.
Why is it لدينا and what exactly does it mean?

لدينا literally means with us / in our possession, and idiomatically it means we have. It’s a common, slightly formal MSA way to express possession or scheduled items:

  • لدينا اجتماع = we have a meeting
  • لديهم وقت = they have time
Is لدينا different from عندنا?

Yes, mainly in register:

  • لدينا is more formal / MSA-style (news, writing, announcements).
  • عندنا is also correct in MSA but feels more everyday and is very common in dialects.
    Both can mean we have. In a workplace announcement, لدينا fits well.
Why doesn’t Arabic use a verb like we have here?
In Arabic, possession is commonly expressed with a preposition-like structure (such as لدي / عند) rather than a verb. So instead of a direct verb equivalent of to have, Arabic often says something like with me is…I have….
Why is اجتماع indefinite (no الـ)?

Because the sentence is introducing it as a meeting (unspecified). If you mean the meeting (a specific known one), you’d say:

  • بعد ساعة لدينا الاجتماع في الشركة
    or more naturally:
  • بعد ساعة لدينا الاجتماع في الشركة / بعد ساعة الاجتماع في الشركة (context-dependent)
Why is there no word for a/an before اجتماع?

Arabic doesn’t have an indefinite article like a/an. Indefiniteness is usually shown by:

  • no الـ on the noun (so اجتماع = a meeting), and optionally
  • tanwīn in full vocalized text (اجتماعٌ), which is usually omitted in normal writing.
What grammatical role does بعد have here?

بعد is used as a time adverb/preposition meaning after. It commonly comes in an iḍāfa-like structure with the following noun:

  • بعد ساعة = after an hour
  • بعد يوم = after a day
    In fully vowelled grammar, the noun after it is typically in the genitive (e.g., بعدَ ساعةٍ), but case endings aren’t written in everyday text.
What does في الشركة imply—in the company or at the company?

في literally means in, but English often uses at for workplaces. Both interpretations are fine:

  • في الشركة = at the company / in the company (i.e., at the office premises)
    If you want to specify at headquarters or in the office, Arabic might say في المكتب (in the office).
Could الشركة mean the company even though we didn’t previously mention it?

Yes. الـ can be used for:

  • something already known in context, or
  • something treated as a known institution (e.g., the company we work for).
    In a workplace setting, الشركة naturally means the company (we’re talking about / we belong to).
How would you pronounce the sentence in MSA?

A common careful reading (without full case endings) is:
baʿda sāʿa ladaynā ijtimāʿ fī ash-sharika
Notes:

  • اجتماع is ijtimāʿ (the ج is j in MSA).
  • في الشركة is pronounced fī ash-sharika because الـ
    • ش (a “sun letter”) causes assimilation: al-sharika → ash-sharika.
Why does الـ in الشركة sound like ash-?

Because ش is a sun letter (حرف شمسي). With sun letters, the l sound in الـ assimilates into the next consonant:

  • الشركة is written al-sharika but pronounced ash-sharika.
Can I move parts around, like putting the location earlier?

Yes. Arabic word order is flexible for emphasis. For example:

  • بعد ساعة في الشركة لدينا اجتماع (emphasizes location early; a bit heavier style)
  • لدينا اجتماع في الشركة بعد ساعة (more like English order; still fine)
    The original بعد ساعة لدينا اجتماع في الشركة sounds very natural as an announcement.
How would I say In two hours we have a meeting using the same pattern?

You can keep the same structure:

  • بعد ساعتين لدينا اجتماع في الشركة = in/after two hours we have a meeting at the company
    (ساعتين is the dual form for two hours.)
If I want to say We have a meeting at the company in an hour but stress we (not someone else), what can I do?

You can add an explicit pronoun for emphasis:

  • بعد ساعة لدينا نحن اجتماع في الشركة
    or, more naturally, restructure:
  • نحن لدينا اجتماع في الشركة بعد ساعة
    The pronoun نحن isn’t usually needed unless you’re contrasting we with someone else.
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