Questions & Answers about Извините, я сегодня задерживаюсь на работе.
What is the function and nuance of Извините in this sentence?
Извините is the polite or formal imperative of извинить (“to excuse/sorry”). You use it when addressing someone with the вы–form or a group. In a casual context with friends you’d say Извини (informal singular).
What does задерживаюсь mean, and what aspect is this verb?
Задерживаюсь is the first-person singular present tense of the imperfective verb задерживаться. It literally means “I am being delayed” or “I stay late.” The imperfective aspect shows an ongoing or habitual action (“I am in the process of running late”). Its perfective counterpart is задержаться (“to get delayed,” focusing on completion).
Why is the present tense used here if the speaker is talking about a future situation?
In Russian, the present tense often expresses a near future plan or scheduled event, much like English present continuous: “I’m running late (soon).” So я задерживаюсь can be understood as “I’ll be late” or “I’m going to be delayed.”
Why do we say на работе (“at work”) instead of в работе?