Arabic · Unit 4 · Lesson 4
Daily Life
One win: talk a listener through your day — when do you wake up? · I wake at dawn · I pray fajr in the mosque · after the prayer I read the Qur'an · I go to school at seven, by bus — then say what everyone will do on the day off.
1. When? — Tahir's morning
Unit 4's new question word is مَتى when?, and page 1 is one morning answered six times. Watch it go by — press ▶ or step with ‹ › — and say each answer aloud before the caption:
When do you wake up? — I wake up at dawn. عِنْدَ + a moment = at (the time of).
Where do you pray fajr? — I pray fajr in the mosque. Lesson 2's في, and Lesson 2's verb with أُ in front: I pray.
Do you sleep after the prayer? — No, I don't sleep after the prayer. بَعْدَ = after; and لا in front of a verb = don't.
What do you do after the prayer? — I read the Qur'an. ماذا before a verb, as in Lesson 3.
When do you go to school? — I go at seven o'clock. No word for at: the time word ends in -a, and that ending is the whole preposition.
Do you go by car? — No, I go by bus. بِـ = by when it is about how you travel.
2. Six ways to say when
Pages 1 and 3 between them give six time shapes. Two of them have no little word at all — the ending does the work. Say the endings; they are what a listener hears:
| English | Arabic | the shape | |
|---|---|---|---|
| at dawn | عِنْدَ الفَجْرِ | عِنْدَ + moment, ending -i | |
| after the prayer | بَعْدَ الصَّلاةِ | بَعْدَ + event, ending -i | |
| in the morning | في الصَّباحِ | في + part of the day, ending -i | |
| at seven o'clock | السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ | no little word — السّاعَةَ ends in -a | |
| on the day off | يَوْمَ العُطْلَةِ | no little word — يَوْمَ ends in -a | |
| early / late | مُبَكِّراً / مُتَأَخِّراً | one word ending in ـًا |
Why السّاعَةَ and يَوْمَ manage without a preposition is the new section of the prepositions chapter. For now, copy the sound: أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ · أَسْتَيْقِظُ يَوْمَ العُطْلَةِ مُبَكِّراً .
3. The verbs of the day
Lesson 3 gave you the two prefixes: أَ I, تَ you. Unit 4 puts them on ten verbs (pages 1–3; drills 1, 7–8). Same machine, new words:
| meaning | I … | you (m.) … | |
|---|---|---|---|
| wake up | أَسْتَيْقِظُ | تَسْتَيْقِظُ | |
| pray | أُصَلّي | تُصَلّي | |
| sleep | أَنامُ | تَنامُ | |
| do | أَفْعَلُ | تَفْعَلُ | |
| read | أَقْرَأُ | تَقْرَأُ | |
| go | أَذْهَبُ | تَذْهَبُ | |
| sweep | أَكْنُسُ | تَكْنُسُ | |
| wash | أَغْسِلُ | تَغْسِلُ | |
| iron | أَكْوي | تَكْوي beyond the book | |
| watch | أُشاهِدُ | تُشاهِدُ |
Two of them end in ي — أُصَلّي، أَكْوي — and carry no -u; the sound just stops. (The book prints only أَفْعَلُ's question form, ماذا تَفْعَلُ؟, and only I iron; the you-form of iron is here so the row is complete.)
Speaking to a woman: add ـينَ
The first feminine you in the course (page 2, drills 3–4). The prefix stays تَ; the ending becomes ـينَ:
تَفْعَلُ ← تَفْعَلينَ · تَكْنُسُ ← تَكْنُسينَ · تُشاهِدُ ← تُشاهِدينَ
So the mother asks ماذا سَتَفْعَلُ يا طارِقُ؟ but ماذا سَتَفْعَلينَ يا فاطِمَةُ؟ . The ending works on every verb in the table; the book drills it on these three.
4. What will you do? — سَـ
Page 2 is the day off, and everyone says what they will do. One letter glued to the front of the verb, سَـ, moves it into the future:
now
أَكْنُسُ الغُرْفَةَ · أَغْسِلُ المَلابِسَ · أَقْرَأُ القُرْآنَ
I sweep the room · I wash the clothes · I read the Qur'an
will
سَأَكْنُسُ الغُرْفَةَ · سَأَغْسِلُ المَلابِسَ · سَأَقْرَأُ القُرْآنَ
I will sweep · I will wash · I will read
The whole family, in the book's order (page 2). The two-word names of rooms are Lesson 3's غُرْفَةُ الجُلوسِ / غُرْفَةُ النَّوْمِ:
- الأم هَذا يَوْمُ العُطْلَةِ. ماذا سَتَفْعَلُ يا طارِقُ؟
meaning
This is the day off. What will you do, Tariq? After يا the name ends in -u (يا طارِقُ) — copy the sound.
- طارق سَأَكْنُسُ غُرْفَةَ الجُلوسِ.
meaning
I'll sweep the living room.
- فاطمة سَأَكْنُسُ غُرْفَةَ النَّوْمِ.
meaning
I'll sweep the bedroom. She was asked ماذا سَتَفْعَلينَ؟ — but the I form is the same for everyone.
- أحمد سَأَغْسِلُ المَلابِسَ.
meaning
I'll wash the clothes.
- لطيفة سَأَكْوي المَلابِسَ.
meaning
I'll iron the clothes.
- الجدة · الجد أَنا سَأَغْسِلُ الأَطْباقَ. — وأَنا سَأَقْرَأُ القُرْآنَ.
meaning
I'll wash the dishes. — And I'll read the Qur'an. The thing done-to ends in -a (الأَطْباقَ، القُرْآنَ) — Lesson 3's ـًا shape, on a word with الـ.
5. Telling the time
السّاعَة the hour is a she-noun, so the ranking words from Lesson 3 wear their ة: الخامِس becomes الخامِسَة. Two are new — sixth and seventh (drill 6; page 1):
| # | o'clock | I go at … | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ١ | السّاعَةُ الواحِدَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ الواحِدَةَ | |
| ٢ | السّاعَةُ الثّانِيَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ الثّانِيَةَ | |
| ٣ | السّاعَةُ الثّالِثَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ الثّالِثَةَ | |
| ٤ | السّاعَةُ الرّابِعَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ الرّابِعَةَ | |
| ٥ | السّاعَةُ الخامِسَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ الخامِسَةَ | |
| ٦ | السّاعَةُ السّادِسَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّادِسَةَ | |
| ٧ | السّاعَةُ السّابِعَة | أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ |
Hear the difference between the two columns: the hour is seven ends in -u (السّاعَةُ السّابِعَةُ); I go at seven ends in -a (السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ) — that -a is the “at”. Sixth is سادِس, from an older root, not from سِتَّة; the rest are the فاعِل mould you met in the numbers chapter.
6. The big mosque — الـ on both
Lesson 3's describing word followed a noun without الـ. When the noun has الـ, the adjective takes it too — and after في both take the -i (page 3):
Unit 3 — a nice flat
شَقَّةٌ جَميلَة
no الـ on either word
Unit 4 — the big mosque
المَسْجِدُ الكَبيرُ · في المَسْجِدِ الكَبيرِ
الـ on both — and both end in -i after في
7. Lines of the holiday morning
- early / late مَتى تَسْتَيْقِظُ يَوْمَ العُطْلَةِ؟ — أَسْتَيْقِظُ مُبَكِّراً. — أَسْتَيْقِظُ مُتَأَخِّراً.
meaning
When do you wake up on the day off? — I wake up early. — I wake up late.
- or أَقْرَأُ صَحيفَةً أَو كِتاباً.
meaning
I read a newspaper or a book. أَو = or. Both things read carry the ـًا ending.
- TV ماذا تَفْعَلُ في الصَّباحِ؟ — أُشاهِدُ التِّلْفازَ.
meaning
What do you do in the morning? — I watch television.
- Friday أَيْنَ تُصَلّي الجُمُعَةَ؟ — أُصَلّي الجُمُعَةَ في المَسْجِدِ الكَبيرِ.
meaning
Where do you pray Friday (prayer)? — I pray Friday prayer in the big mosque. Lesson 3's day-name doing duty for its prayer; the book vowels it الجُمُعَة here.
- also أُصَلّي في المَسْجِدِ الكَبيرِ أَيْضاً.
meaning
I pray in the big mosque too. أَيْضاً = also, at the end of the sentence.
8. Build it yourself
Tap chips right-to-left, say it aloud as you build. The later ones are whole exchanges — build both roles.
“When do you wake up? — I wake up at dawn.”
مَتى تَسْتَيْقِظُ؟ أَسْتَيْقِظُ عِنْدَ الفَجْرِ.
بَعْدَ تَنامُ
“I go to school at seven o'clock.”
أَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ.
في الخامِسَةَ
“What will you (to a woman) do? — I'll sweep the bedroom.”
ماذا سَتَفْعَلينَ؟ سَأَكْنُسُ غُرْفَةَ النَّوْمِ.
سَتَفْعَلُ الجُلوسِ
“No, I don't sleep after the prayer. I read the Qur'an.”
لا، لا أَنامُ بَعْدَ الصَّلاةِ. أَقْرَأُ القُرْآنَ.
عِنْدَ تَقْرَأُ
“Where do you pray fajr? — I pray fajr in the mosque.”
أَيْنَ تُصَلّي الفَجْرَ؟ أُصَلّي الفَجْرَ في المَسْجِدِ.
إِلى الجُمُعَةَ
“Do you sleep after the prayer? — No, I don't sleep after the prayer.”
هَلْ تَنامُ بَعْدَ الصَّلاةِ؟ لا، لا أَنامُ بَعْدَ الصَّلاةِ.
عِنْدَ تَقْرَأُ
“What will you do, Ahmad? — I'll wash the clothes.”
ماذا سَتَفْعَلُ يا أَحْمَدُ؟ سَأَغْسِلُ المَلابِسَ.
سَتَفْعَلينَ الأَطْباقَ
“When do you wake up on the day off? — I wake up late.”
مَتى تَسْتَيْقِظُ يَوْمَ العُطْلَةِ؟ أَسْتَيْقِظُ مُتَأَخِّراً.
مُبَكِّراً يَوْمُ
“What do you do in the morning? — I watch television.”
ماذا تَفْعَلُ في الصَّباحِ؟ أُشاهِدُ التِّلْفازَ.
أَقْرَأُ الصَّحيفَةَ
“I read a newspaper or a book.”
أَقْرَأُ صَحيفَةً أَو كِتاباً.
كِتابٌ التِّلْفازَ
“Where do you pray Friday prayer? — I pray Friday prayer in the big mosque.”
أَيْنَ تُصَلّي الجُمُعَةَ؟ أُصَلّي الجُمُعَةَ في المَسْجِدِ الكَبيرِ.
الفَجْرَ أَيْضاً
“This is the day off. — This is a work day.”
هَذا يَوْمُ العُطْلَةِ. هَذا يَوْمُ العَمَلِ.
يَوْمَ هَذِهِ
9. Quick check
“I wake up at dawn” is:
- أَسْتَيْقِظُ بَعْدَ الفَجْرِ
- أَسْتَيْقِظُ عِنْدَ الفَجْرِ
- تَسْتَيْقِظُ عِنْدَ الفَجْرِ
- أَسْتَيْقِظُ عِنْدَ الصَّباحِ
Which asks a woman “what will you do?”
- ماذا سَتَفْعَلُ؟
- ماذا تَفْعَلُ؟
- ماذا سَتَفْعَلينَ؟
- ماذا تَفْعَلينَ؟
“I go at seven o'clock” is:
- أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّادِسَةَ
- تَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ
- أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَ
- أَذْهَبُ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ
“The big mosque” is:
- المَسْجِدُ الكَبيرُ
- مَسْجِدٌ كَبيرٌ
- المَسْجِدُ كَبيرٌ
- المَسْجِدُ الكَبيرَة
Say aloud: “Do you go by car? — No, I go by bus.”
هَلْ تَذْهَبُ بِالسَّيّارَةِ؟ — لا، أَذْهَبُ بِالحافِلَةِ.
Say aloud, as Latifa: “I'll iron the clothes” — then as the grandmother: “I'll wash the dishes.”
سَأَكْوي المَلابِسَ. — أَنا سَأَغْسِلُ الأَطْباقَ.
10. Where this came from
- Class textbook (Al-Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk, Book 1), Unit 4 — the morning dialogue p.1, the day-off dialogue p.2, the holiday-morning dialogue p.3, drill tables p.4. Photos in your library. One print point is flagged in the dialogue reader (الجُمُعَة vowelled differently from Unit 3's strip).
- Word readings and glosses verified against Wiktionary's Arabic entries (2026-09-02). The check caught that bare أصلي reads “original” before “I pray”, that عند is “at someone's / have” before “at the time of”, and that مدرسة is spelt like مُدَرِّسَة — details in the vocabulary set's notes.
- Wikipedia — Arabic verbs (read 2026-09-02): the future prefix سَـ on the present-tense verb, and the paradigm row giving the feminine you-form its ـينَ ending.
Next: the Unit 4 flashcard deck (42 cards — the verbs and the clock are most of it), then speak all three dialogues in the dialogue reader, and read the new time section of the prepositions chapter before class. Anything unclear? Bring it to your teacher — in class.