الآن
al-'ān
In Arabic, "right now" is expressed as الآن (al-'ān).
The word الآن means "now" and is a common way to say "right now" in Arabic, referring to the precise moment in time.
Meaning: at this precise moment (adv)
Which one should you use?
While الآن means "now", you can increase the sense of urgency to mean "right this instant" by adding حالاً (ḥālan) after it. Additionally, the phrase في الحال is used to mean "immediately" or "right away".
How do you pronounce it?
al-'ān
Did you know?
- In Egypt, the word for 'now' is دلوقتي, which is a contraction of a phrase meaning 'since this time'.
- The word الآن can be transformed into 'back then' or 'at that time' simply by adding the suffix to create آنذاك, effectively turning 'now' into 'then'.
- In many spoken Arabic dialects, الآن is replaced by words like دلوقتي in Egypt or هلق in the Levant, meaning a learner using الآن in a cafe might sound like they are reading a formal textbook.
Examples in context
- هل أنتَ بخير الآن؟Are you all right now?This sentence shows how to ask if someone is okay using الآن.Tatoeba #2600269 by Samer, translation #31665 by CK
- أنا لست جائعا الآن.I'm not hungry right now.This sentence shows how to state a current state of being with الآن.Tatoeba #1575892 by Amastan, translation #1137366 by CK
- عُد إلى المنزل الآن.Go in the house right now.This sentence demonstrates using الآن to give an instruction to do something at the present time.Tatoeba #5873346 by OsoHombre, translation #5835881 by OsoHombre
- أحتاج مساعدتك الآن.I need your help right now.
- يرجى الحضور في الحال.Please come immediately.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Omar and Nour are talking in the office.
- عمر Omarهل أنتِ مشغولة الآن؟Hal anti mashghula al-an?Are you busy right now?
- نور Nourنعم، أنا مشغولة جداً الآن.Na'am, ana mashghula jiddan al-an.Yes, I am very busy right now.
- عمر Omarحسناً، سأتحدث معكِ لاحقاً.Hasanan, sa-atahad-dathu ma'aki lahiqan.Okay, I will talk to you later.
- نور Nourشكراً لك يا عمر.Shukran laka ya Omar.Thank you, Omar.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
