אני יכולה להגיע רק אחרי העבודה.

Because the speaker is female.

• אני יכולה = I can / I am able (said by a woman)
• אני יכול = I can / I am able (said by a man)

So if a male speaker said the same sentence, it would be:

אני יכול להגיע רק אחרי העבודה.

Usually, yes, if you want to be clear.

Hebrew often allows subject pronouns to be dropped, but in this sentence יכולה by itself only tells you feminine singular, not specifically I. So without אני, it could also mean she can in the right context.

• אני יכולה להגיע... = clearly I can arrive...
• יכולה להגיע... = could mean I can arrive... or she can arrive..., depending on context

So learners should usually keep אני here.

Hebrew does not usually use a separate little helper word exactly like English can. Instead, it uses יכול / יכולה, which literally means able, plus an infinitive.

So the structure is:

subject + able + infinitive

In this sentence:

• אני = I
• יכולה = am able / can
• להגיע = to arrive

So literally, it is something like I am able to arrive.

Because after יכול / יכולה, Hebrew normally uses an infinitive.

Examples:

• אני יכולה להגיע = I can arrive
• אני יכולה לבוא = I can come
• אני יכולה לעזור = I can help

The ל־ at the beginning of להגיע is the usual infinitive marker, similar to English to in to arrive.

להגיע means to arrive, to get there, or sometimes to reach.

In this sentence, it means to arrive / get there.

A very similar alternative is לבוא (to come):

• אני יכולה להגיע רק אחרי העבודה.
• אני יכולה לבוא רק אחרי העבודה.

Both are natural. להגיע focuses a bit more on arriving, while לבוא is more like come.

Grammatically, יכולה is a present-form word, but the whole sentence can easily refer to a future situation in everyday speech.

So Hebrew speakers often use this kind of sentence for availability or plans:

אני יכולה להגיע רק אחרי העבודה.
= I can only arrive after work.

Even though the form is present, the meaning can be about later today or some future time, depending on context.

If you wanted a more explicitly future form, you could also hear:

אוכל להגיע רק אחרי העבודה.
= I’ll be able to arrive only after work.

רק means only.

Here it limits the phrase אחרי העבודה, so the meaning is:

only after work

That is why the sentence means:

I can arrive only after work.

Hebrew word order with רק can change the emphasis, so its position matters. In this sentence, its placement is natural and clear.

Because Hebrew usually says after the work / after work with the definite article here:

• עבודה = work
• העבודה = the work

So:

• אחרי העבודה = after work

Even though English often says just after work without the, Hebrew commonly uses ה־ in this expression.

Because את is used for a definite direct object, not after a preposition.

Here, אחרי is a preposition meaning after, and the noun comes directly after it:

• אחרי העבודה = after work

So את would be incorrect here.

It is pronounced roughly ha-avodá.

That is because the word starts with the letter ע, so the ה־ article stays separate in pronunciation:

• עבודה = avodá
• העבודה = ha-avodá

So the whole phrase אחרי העבודה is roughly:

acharéi ha-avodá

A simple pronunciation guide is:

ani yecholá lehagía rak acharéi ha-avodá

A few stress points:

• אני = a-NI
• יכולה = ye-cho-LA
• להגיע = le-ha-gi-A
• רק = rak
• אחרי = a-cha-REI
• העבודה = ha-a-vo-DA

The ח in אחרי is a throatier sound than English h, but many learners start with a simple kh/h-like sound and that is fine.

It is completely natural in everyday spoken Hebrew.

A speaker might say it when explaining availability, for example:

• when making plans
• when answering a message
• when scheduling a meeting

A very common spoken alternative would be:

אני יכולה לבוא רק אחרי העבודה.

Both sound normal and everyday.