اعتذر
i'tadhir
To apologize in Arabic is اعتذر (i'tadhir).
The verb اعتذر is used to express regret. When you want to say you are apologizing for something, you typically follow the verb with the preposition عن (an) to indicate the reason.
Meaning: to express regret (verb)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the form بعتذر is used to say 'I apologize'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form اعتذر (i'tadhir) is the third-person masculine past tense. To say 'I apologize' in the first-person singular present tense, use أعتذر (a'tadhir). The form تعتذر (ta'tadhir) is used for 'you (masculine) apologize' or 'she apologizes'.
How do you pronounce it?
i'tadhir
Did you know?
- While اعتذر is the formal way to apologize, in a social setting, many people use the phrase حقك عليّ (haqqak 'alayya), meaning 'your right is upon me'.
- Depending on the dialect, an apology for a minor mistake might be replaced by a religious invocation like استغفر الله (astaghfir Allah), which is a plea for God's forgiveness.
- The word اعتذر shares a root with the concept of 'excuse' or 'justification', implying that an apology is a way to provide a reason for a mistake.
Examples in context
- هل اعتذر زيري؟Did Ziri apologize?This sentence is useful for asking if someone named Ziri apologized using اعتذر.Tatoeba #10237285 by Amastan, translation #10213624 by Amastan
- انا اعتذر لهذا.I apologize for this.This sentence is useful for expressing that you apologize for something using اعتذر.Tatoeba #1486263 by AsliAbbasi, translation #1560329 by Grim_fandango
- أعتذر عن الخطأ الذي وقعت فيه.I apologize for the mistake I made.
- أتمنى أن تقبل اعتذاري.I hope you accept my apology.
- يجب أن اعتذر لصديقي.yajib an a'tadhira li sadiqi.I must apologize to my friend.
Example conversation
Yousef arrives late to a meeting with Maryam.
- يوسف Youssefأنا اعتذر لأنني تأخرت.Ana a'tadhir li-annani ta'akhart.I apologize for being late.
- مريم Maryamلا بأس، يا يوسف.La ba's, ya Yousef.It's okay, Yousef.
- يوسف Youssefهل يمكنك مسامحتي؟Hal yumkinuka musamahati?Can you forgive me?
- مريم Maryamبالطبع، لا مشكلة.Biltab', la mushkila.Of course, no problem.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
