Questions & Answers about Я не уверен, смогу ли я прийти на семинар завтра утром.
Why is it Я не уверен and not Я не уверенный?
Уверен is the short-form adjective (краткая форма) used very often in predicative positions (after “to be” in English): Я (есть) уверен = “I am sure.”
Уверенный is the long-form adjective (полная форма) and typically modifies a noun: уверенный человек (“a confident person”).
You can say Я не уверенный in some contexts, but it sounds like you’re describing your general character (“I’m not a confident person”), not your certainty about a specific situation.
How would this change if the speaker is female or plural?
Short-form adjectives agree in gender/number:
- male: Я не уверен
- female: Я не уверена
- plural: Мы не уверены
Why is there a comma after уверен?
Because this is a complex sentence: the main clause Я не уверен is followed by a subordinate clause that functions like an embedded question: смогу ли я прийти…
In Russian, such clauses are normally separated by a comma.
What does ли do here, and why is it placed after ?