استغفر الله
astaghfiru Allāh
The phrase "God forgive me" in Arabic is استغفر الله (astaghfiru Allāh).
استغفر الله is used in two primary ways: as a sincere prayer to seek God's forgiveness, or as a reflexive exclamation used when a person realizes they have made a mistake or has heard something offensive.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb stem استغفر literally means "I seek forgiveness".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is in the first-person singular present tense, which translates to "I seek forgiveness from God".
How do you pronounce it?
astaghfiru Allāh
Did you know?
- The word الله is closely related to the Hebrew word 'Eloah' and the Aramaic 'Alaha', meaning they share a common linguistic ancestor from the ancient Semitic language family.
- While استغفر الله is a prayer, it is often used as a social 'shorthand' to express shock, disapproval or disbelief when hearing something scandalous.
- In some dialects, the phrase is shortened or repeated rapidly to express intense frustration or patience, moving it from a formal prayer to an emotional sigh.
Examples in context
- استغفر الله على هذا الخطأ.Astaghfirullah 'ala hadha al-khata'.I ask God's forgiveness for this mistake.
- استغفر الله، لم أقصد ذلك.Astaghfirullah, lam aqsid dhalik.God forgive me, I did not mean that.
Example conversation
Yusuf admits he forgot a promise to Nour.
- يوسف Youssefنور، نسيت أن أشتري الغرض الذي طلبتِه.Nour, nasitu an ashtariya al-gharad alladhi talabtih.Nour, I forgot to buy the item you asked for.
- نور Nourلا بأس يا يوسف، لكنني كنت أحتاجه اليوم.La ba'sa ya Yusuf, lakinani kuntu ahtajuhu al-yawm.It's okay Yusuf, but I needed it today.
- يوسف Youssefاستغفر الله، سأذهب لإحضاره الآن فوراً.Astaghfirullah, sa'adhhabu li-ihdarihi al-an fawran.God forgive me, I will go get it right now.
- نور Nourشكراً لك، سأنتظرك هنا.Shukran lak, sa-antaziruka huna.Thank you, I will wait for you here.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries الله, CC BY-SA 4.0.
