אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו, כי יש פגישה.

I can't talk now, because there is a meeting.

Breakdown of אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו, כי יש פגישה.

• אני: I
• יש: there is
• עכשיו: now
• לא: not
• להיות יכול: to be able
• כי: because
• פגישה: meeting
• לדבר: to talk

Questions & Answers about אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו, כי יש פגישה.

Why is it יכולה and not יכול?

Because יכולה is the feminine singular form of יכול / יכולה = able / can.

Hebrew often shows the speaker’s gender in this kind of sentence:

• אני לא יכולה = I can’t / I am not able to (female speaker)
• אני לא יכול = I can’t / I am not able to (male speaker)

Other forms are:

• יכולים = masculine plural
• יכולות = feminine plural

So this sentence tells you the speaker is female.

Where is the word am? Why doesn’t Hebrew say something like I am not able?

In the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a separate word for am / is / are.

So:

• אני לא יכולה לדבר
  literally: I not able to speak

That is normal Hebrew. The idea of am is understood even though it is not said.

This happens a lot in Hebrew:

• אני עייפה = I am tired
• הוא בבית = He is at home

Why does לא יכולה mean can’t?

Hebrew does not usually have a special one-word contraction like English can’t. Instead, it often says not able:

• לא יכולה = not able / can’t
• לא יכול = not able / can’t

So:

• אני לא יכולה לדבר
  literally: I am not able to speak
• natural English: I can’t talk

This is a very common Hebrew way to express can’t.

Why is לדבר used after יכולה?

Because after יכול / יכולה, Hebrew normally uses the infinitive form of the next verb.

Here:

• יכולה = can / is able
• לדבר = to speak / to talk

So the pattern is:

• אני יכולה לדבר = I can speak
• אני לא יכולה לבוא = I can’t come
• הוא יכול לעזור = He can help

This is similar to English can + base verb, except Hebrew uses יכול/יכולה + infinitive.

Does לדבר mean talk or speak?

It can mean both, depending on context.

• לדבר = to speak / to talk

So אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו can naturally be translated as:

• I can’t talk now
• I can’t speak now

In everyday English, talk often sounds more natural in this kind of sentence, which is why that is a common translation.

What does עכשיו mean, and does it have to go there?

עכשיו means now.

In this sentence:

• אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו = I can’t talk now

Its position here is very natural and neutral.

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, so you may also hear:

• עכשיו אני לא יכולה לדבר = Now I can’t talk
• אני עכשיו לא יכולה לדבר = I now can’t talk

These can sound slightly different in emphasis, but the original sentence is the most straightforward everyday version.

What does כי mean here?

Here כי means because.

So:

• כי יש פגישה = because there is a meeting

Be aware that כי can mean different things in different contexts, including that in some sentences, but in this sentence it clearly means because.

Why does Hebrew say יש פגישה?

יש is the Hebrew word used for there is / there are.

So:

• יש פגישה = there is a meeting

This is called an existential structure. Hebrew uses יש very often to say that something exists or is present.

More examples:

• יש זמן = there is time
• יש בעיה = there is a problem
• יש אנשים בחוץ = there are people outside

Shouldn’t it be יש לי פגישה if the speaker means I have a meeting?

That is a very good question.

• יש פגישה = there is a meeting
• יש לי פגישה = I have a meeting

If the speaker means that they personally have a meeting, then כי יש לי פגישה is often the more explicit and natural way to say it.

So:

• אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו, כי יש לי פגישה.
  = I can’t talk now, because I have a meeting.

Without לי, the sentence more literally means:

• I can’t talk now, because there’s a meeting.

That can still be natural if the context already makes it clear whose meeting it is, or if the point is simply that a meeting is happening.

How do you pronounce the sentence?

A common modern Israeli pronunciation would be:

Ani lo yecholá ledabér akhsháv, ki yesh p'gishá.

A few notes:

• יכולה = yecholá or y'cholá
• לדבר = ledabér
• עכשיו = akhsháv
• פגישה = p'gishá

The kh / ch sound in akhsháv is like the sound in Scottish loch or German Bach.

The stress is usually near the end in these words:

• yechoLÁ
• ledaBÉR
• akhSHÁV
• p'giSHÁ

Is the comma before כי important?

In standard writing, a comma before כי can be perfectly normal, especially when it introduces a reason or explanation:

• אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו, כי יש פגישה.

In casual writing, people may sometimes leave it out:

• אני לא יכולה לדבר עכשיו כי יש פגישה

Both are understandable. In speech, of course, there is no comma—just a pause, if any.

So the comma here is a writing convention, not a change in meaning.