How to Say "I Am Sorry" in Arabic

أنا آسف

ana aasif

In Arabic, أنا آسف (ana aasif) is used to say "I am sorry".

This phrase is used for personal apologies and expressing regret for an action or mistake.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of ana, meaning "I" and aasif, meaning "sorry" or "regretful".

While the full phrase أنا آسف means "I am sorry", you can use the single word آسف to mean "sorry" in a more concise way.

In Egypt, the expression بعتذرلك is used to mean "I apologize to you" and in Lebanon, people say سامحني to mean "forgive me".

A female speaker uses the feminine form أنا آسفة instead of the masculine أنا آسف.

ana aasif

In some dialects, if you want to apologize very deeply, you might use the word حقك عليّ, which literally translates to 'the right is upon me', implying you owe the person a debt for your mistake.
In many Arabic-speaking cultures, a verbal apology like أنا آسف is often considered incomplete without a physical gesture, such as placing your hand over your heart to show sincerity.
The word أنا is a linguistic relative of the Hebrew word אני (aní), meaning both words share a common ancestor from thousands of years ago.

أنا آسف
I am sorry.
This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase أنا آسف.
Tatoeba #6679445 by marhabaan, translation #3120141 by harshnisar
أنا آسف لأنني تأخرت.
ana āsif li'annanī ta'akhart.
I am sorry that I am late.
أنا آسف على هذا الخطأ.
ana āsif 'alā hādhā al-khaṭa'.
I am sorry for this mistake.

Yousef accidentally broke Maryam's favorite mug.

مريم Maryam

يا يوسف، لقد كسرت الكوب الخاص بي!
yā yūsuf, laqad kasarta al-kūb al-khāṣ bī!
Yousef, you broke my mug!
يوسف Youssef

أنا آسف جداً يا مريم.
ana āsif jiddan yā maryam.
I am very sorry, Maryam.
مريم Maryam

لا بأس، ولكن كان كوبي المفضل.
lā ba's, walākin kāna kūbī al-mufaḍḍal.
It's okay, but it was my favorite mug.
يوسف Youssef

سأشتري لك كوباً جديداً.
sa'ashtarī laki kūban jadīdan.
I will buy you a new mug.

Sources

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