אחר כך הצטערתי שלא באתי, כי בסוף כולם נהנו.

not

Breakdown of אחר כך הצטערתי שלא באתי, כי בסוף כולם נהנו.

• לבוא: to come
• כי: because
• ש: that

Questions & Answers about אחר כך הצטערתי שלא באתי, כי בסוף כולם נהנו.

What does אחר כך mean, and why is it two words?

אחר כך is a fixed expression meaning after that / afterward / then.

It is written as two separate words:

• אחר = after
• כך = so / thus / that way

Together, they function as one time expression. In this sentence, it sets up the sequence of events: first one thing happened, and afterward the speaker felt regret.

---

What form is הצטערתי, and what does the ending -תי do?

הצטערתי is the past tense, first person singular form of להצטער = to regret / to be sorry.

The ending -תי is the normal past-tense ending for I:

• הצטערתי = I regretted / I was sorry
• באתי = I came

So Hebrew often does not need a separate word for I, because the verb ending already tells you that.

---

Why is it שלא באתי and not just לא באתי?