Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| آسِف | ʔāsif | masculine |
| اِعْذِرْنِي | iʕḏirnī | |
| آسِفَة | ʔāsifa | feminine |
| أَنَا آسِف | ʔanā ʔāsif | masculine |
| أَنَا آسِفَة | ʔanā ʔāsifa | feminine |
In Arabic, words for 'sorry' depend on whether you are describing your own state of being sorry or describing a situation. Use آسِف or its forms to express personal regret. If you want to describe a situation as being 'sorry' or 'unfortunate' (for example, 'a sorry state of affairs'), use the adjective مُؤْسِف instead of the personal forms.
What does it mean word for word?
The form أَنَا آسِف becomes a complete sentence ('I am sorry') by adding the pronoun أَنَا, which means 'I'.
Which one should you use?
The forms in this pack differ based on gender and grammatical function. While آسِف is an adjective describing your state of being sorry, the form اِعْذِرْنِي is a verb-based command meaning 'excuse me' or 'forgive me'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the variant آسفة is used to mean 'Sorry'. In Gulf Arabic, the form معذرة is a formal way to apologize.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Arabic adjectives change based on the gender of the speaker. A male speaker uses the masculine form آسِف, while a female speaker must use the feminine form آسِفَة.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for آسِف is ʔāsif.
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, people do not just say 'sorry' to apologize, but instead use the phrase حقك علي which literally translates to 'your right is upon me'. It implies that you acknowledge a debt of respect owed to the other person.
- In religious contexts, a person might say أَسْتَغْفِرُ الله when they feel 'sorry' for a mistake. This phrase translates to 'I seek forgiveness from God' and is used as a general expression of remorse.
- If you make a mistake in a social setting, you might say سامحني (forgive me) followed by a hand placed over the heart. This physical gesture shows that the apology is coming from a sincere place of emotion.
Examples in context
- أعتذر عن تأخريI apologize for being late
- أطلب المغفرة عما فعلتهI ask for forgiveness for what I have done
- أسف جداً على التأخيرI'm very sorry for the delay
- آسف على الإزعاجSorry for the inconvenience
- أنا آسِف على التأخير.ana āsif 'alā at-ta'khīr.I am sorry for being late.
- كُنْتُ آسِفًا جدًا لما حدث.kuntu āsifan jiddan limā hadath.I was very sorry for what happened.
- هَل أنتَ آسِف حقًا؟hal anta āsif haqqan?Are you truly sorry?
Example conversation
Ziad accidentally bumps into Maryam at the store.
- زياد Ziadآسِف، لم أركِ يا مريم.Asif, lam araki ya Maryam.Sorry, I didn't see you, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamلا بأس، حصل خير.La ba's, hasala khayr.No problem, it's okay.
- زياد Ziadهل أنتِ بخير؟Hal anti bikhayr?Are you okay?
- مريم Maryamنعم، أنا بخير، شكراً لك.Na'am, ana bikhayr, shukran lak.Yes, I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sorry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
