Arabic · Unit 7 · Dialogue Reader

Unit 7 Dialogues

Three dialogues, line by line: two boys reading the timetable off the wall, two women meeting at university, and a boy leaving for school before six. Then the book's own questions on each, both reading passages, and the four listening scripts from the back of the book. Read each line aloud before 🔊, reveal the meaning only when you need it.

Reproduced from the class textbook, Unit 7, book pp.164–184 and p.254 (the book PDF in your library) · translations match Lesson 7 · the past-tense lines are marked where they fall

1. غانِم وغالِب: the timetable

• غانماُنْظُرْ إِلى اللَّوْحَةِ. اِقْرَأِ الجَدْوَلَ الدِّراسِيَّ.🔊
  meaning

  Look at the board. Read the timetable. Two commands from Unit 6's machine, used without ceremony. اِقْرَأِ takes the joining vowel because الجَدْوَل follows.

• غالبالدِّراسَةُ خَمْسَةُ أَيّامٍ في الأُسْبوعِ.🔊
  meaning

  School is five days a week. خَمْسَةُ keeps its ة because يَوْم is a he-noun: the first time the course sees the other half of Unit 3's counting rule. See the numbers chapter.

• غانمنَعَمْ، يَوْمُ السَّبْتِ، ويَوْمُ الأَحَدِ، ويَوْمُ الإِثْنَيْنِ، ويَوْمُ الثُّلاثاءِ، ويَوْمُ الأَرْبِعاءِ.🔊
  meaning

  Yes: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Unit 3's days, now as a school week. Each is يَوْمُ + the day, both ending -i after the first.

• غالبالعُطْلَةُ يَوْمَ الخَميسِ، ويَوْمَ الجُمُعَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  The holiday is Thursday and Friday. Now يَوْمَ with a fatḥa: “on Thursday”, the missing preposition (Prepositions §5). One line apart from يَوْمُ with a ḍamma above.

• غانماُكْتُبِ المَوادَّ الدِّراسِيَّةَ.🔊
  meaning

  Write the school subjects. المَوادّ is the plural of مادَّة. The doubled دّ carries the -a ending on top of the shadda: المَوادَّ.

• غالبالثَّقافَةُ الإِسْلامِيَّةُ، واللُّغَةُ العَرَبِيَّةُ، والرِّياضِيّاتُ، والعُلومُ، والحاسوبُ. مَتى تَبْدَأُ الاِخْتِباراتُ؟🔊
  meaning

  Islamic studies, Arabic, maths, science and computing. When do the exams start? Every subject is a noun plus a describing word, or a plain plural. تَبْدَأُ is “they start” about a feminine plural: الاِخْتِبارات.

• غانمفي شَهْرِ شَعْبانَ.🔊
  meaning

  In the month of Shaʿban. شَعْبانَ ends -a where -i is due: a فَعْلان word that never takes tanwīn, like Unit 5's جَوْعانُ and Unit 6's كَسْلانُ.

• غالبومَتى يَنْتَهي العامُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟🔊
  meaning

  And when does the school year end? يَنْتَهي ends in ى, so its ending is silent, like أُصَلّي.

• غانمفي شَهْرِ رَمَضانَ.🔊
  meaning

  In the month of Ramadan. Same no-tanwīn ending as شَعْبانَ.

• غالبالعُطْلَةُ ثَلاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ.🔊
  meaning

  The holiday is three months. ثَلاثَةُ keeps its ة, because شَهْر is a he-noun; أَشْهُر is its plural.

• غانمالحَمْدُ لله، العُطْلَةُ طَويلَةٌ.🔊
  meaning

  Praise God, the holiday is long. طَويلَةٌ with ة, agreeing with العُطْلَة.

• غالببَدَأَتِ الحِصَّةُ، وجاءَ المُعَلِّمُ. هَيّا بِنا إِلى الصَّفِّ.🔊
  meaning

  The class has started, and the teacher has come. Let's go to the classroom. The hinge of the unit. بَدَأَتْ and جاءَ are past-tense verbs, the first in any dialogue in this course. بَدَأَتْ is the she-form: the past marks the person with an ending, not a front letter. Before الـ it takes the joining vowel, بَدَأَتِ. See Lesson 7 §2.

• غانمهَيّا بِنا.🔊
  meaning

  Let's go. Unit 2's phrase, unchanged.

The book's eight questions on dialogue 1 (p.165)

تَدْريب: أَجِبْ عَنِ الأَسْئِلَةِ بِاخْتِصارٍ 🔊, answer briefly. Say your answer aloud, then open it.

• ١كَمْ يَوْماً الدِّراسَةُ في الأُسْبوعِ؟🔊
  answer

  خَمْسَةُ أَيّامٍ.

  How many days is school in a week? كَمْ takes one thing with ـاً: كَمْ يَوْماً.

• ٢مَتى العُطْلَةُ؟🔊
  answer

  يَوْمَ الخَميسِ، ويَوْمَ الجُمُعَةِ.

  When is the holiday?

• ٣ماذا سَيَدْرُسُ غانِمٌ وغالِبٌ؟🔊
  answer

  الثَّقافَةَ الإِسْلامِيَّةَ، واللُّغَةَ العَرَبِيَّةَ، والرِّياضِيّاتِ، والعُلومَ، والحاسوبَ.

  What will Ghanim and Ghalib study? سَـ on a he-form. In the answer every subject takes the -a ending, because it is what they will study.

• ٤مَتى تَبْدَأُ الاِخْتِباراتُ؟🔊
  answer

  في شَهْرِ شَعْبانَ.

  When do the exams start?

• ٥مَتى يَنْتَهي العامُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟🔊
  answer

  في شَهْرِ رَمَضانَ.

  When does the school year end?

• ٦كَمْ شَهْراً العُطْلَةُ؟🔊
  answer

  ثَلاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ.

  How many months is the holiday? Note the question counts with كَمْ + singular (شَهْراً) and the answer counts with a number + plural (أَشْهُرٍ).

• ٧أَيْنَ دارَ هَذا الحِوارُ؟🔊
  answer

  في المَدْرَسَةِ.

  Where did this dialogue take place? A third past-tense verb, دارَ. The book never says “at school” in words: the board, the timetable, the bell and the teacher say it for you.

• ٨أَيْنَ المُعَلِّمُ؟🔊
  answer

  جاءَ إِلى الصَّفِّ.

  Where is the teacher? He has come to the classroom.

2. نَدى وإِلْهام: at university

• ندىالسَّلامُ عَلَيْكُم.🔊
  meaning

  Peace be upon you.

• إلهاموعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلامُ.🔊
  meaning

  And upon you be peace.

• ندىاِسْمي نَدى. أَنا سورِيَّةٌ.🔊
  meaning

  My name is Nada. I'm Syrian. Unit 1's opening, word for word, three units later.

• إلهاماِسْمي إِلْهام. أَنا سُعودِيَّةٌ.🔊
  meaning

  My name is Ilham. I'm Saudi. سُعودِيَّة is Unit 1's nisba machine on a new country.

• ندىأَنا طالِبَةٌ في جامِعَةِ دِمَشْقَ.🔊
  meaning

  I'm a student at Damascus University. دِمَشْقَ ends -a after جامِعَةِ, where -i is due: another name that never takes tanwīn, like مَكَّةَ.

• إلهامأَنا طالِبَةٌ في جامِعَةِ أُمِّ القُرى.🔊
  meaning

  I'm a student at Umm al-Qura University. In Mecca. The name means “mother of the towns”, an old name for Mecca itself.

• ندىفي أَيِّ كُلِّيَّةٍ تَدْرُسينَ؟🔊
  meaning

  Which faculty do you study at? Unit 3's أَيّ with Unit 4's ـينَ. The noun after أَيِّ is indefinite and ends -in: كُلِّيَّةٍ.

• إلهامأَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّرْبِيَةِ. وفي أَيِّ كُلِّيَّةٍ تَدْرُسينَ أَنْتِ؟🔊
  meaning

  I study at the faculty of education. And which faculty do you study at? أَنْتِ tags the question back, as وماذا تَأْكُلُ أَنْتَ؟ did in Unit 5.

• ندىأَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطِّبِّ.🔊
  meaning

  I study at the faculty of medicine. Same root as Unit 1's طَبيب.

• إلهامسَأَكونُ مُدَرِّسَةً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I'll be a teacher, God willing. أَنا مُدَرِّسَةٌ needs no verb; سَأَكونُ مُدَرِّسَةً does, and the ending changes from ـٌ to ـً because of it. Lesson 7 §3.

• ندىوسَأَكونُ طَبيبَةً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  And I'll be a doctor, God willing. The faculty answers the question: medicine gives a doctor, education gives a teacher.

The book's nine questions on dialogue 2 (p.167)

تَدْريب: أَجِبْ بِنَعَمْ (✓) أَوْ بِلا (X) 🔊.

• ١نَدى سورِيَّةٌ.🔊
  answer

  Nada is Syrian. ✓

• ٢إِلْهامُ سُعودِيَّةٌ.🔊
  answer

  Ilham is Saudi. ✓ إِلْهامُ ends -u with no tanwīn: a woman's name, and names of that shape never take one.

• ٣تَدْرُسُ نَدى في جامِعَةِ أُمِّ القُرى.🔊
  answer

  Nada studies at Umm al-Qura. X She is at Damascus. Here تَدْرُسُ is “she studies”, the same form that is “you study” to a man.

• ٤تَدْرُسُ إِلْهامُ في جامِعَةِ دِمَشْقَ.🔊
  answer

  Ilham studies at Damascus. X The mirror of ٣.

• ٥دِمَشْقُ في سوريا.🔊
  answer

  Damascus is in Syria. ✓ The dialogue implies it (Nada is Syrian and studies there); the reading passage on p.184 states it outright.

• ٦تَدْرُسُ نَدى في كُلِّيَّةِ العُلومِ.🔊
  answer

  Nada studies at the faculty of science. X Medicine.

• ٧تَدْرُسُ إِلْهامُ في كُلِّيَّةِ اللُّغَةِ العَرَبِيَّةِ.🔊
  answer

  Ilham studies at the faculty of Arabic. X Education. That faculty does exist, in drill 3's list.

• ٨إِلْهامُ سَتَكونُ مُدَرِّسَةً.🔊
  answer

  Ilham will be a teacher. ✓ سَتَكونُ, the she-form of سَأَكونُ.

• ٩نَدى سَتَكونُ طَبيبَةً.🔊
  answer

  Nada will be a doctor. ✓

3. قاسِم وغَسّان: leaving before six

• قاسمأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ يا غَسّانُ؟🔊
  meaning

  Where are you going, Ghassan? Unit 5's opening line, with a different name.

• غسانأَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  I'm going to school.

• قاسمالوَقْتُ مُبَكِّرٌ. السّاعَةُ الآنَ السّادِسَةُ صَباحاً.🔊
  meaning

  It's early. It's six o'clock in the morning. Unit 4's مُبَكِّراً was an adverb; مُبَكِّرٌ here describes الوَقْت. And صَباحاً tells you which six.

• غسانالمَدْرَسَةُ بَعيدَةٌ عَنِ البَيْتِ.🔊
  meaning

  The school is far from the house. This exact sentence was a planted error on the Units 5–6 paper, with بَعيدَةٌ against المَسْجِد. Here it is correct, because المَدْرَسَة is feminine. عَنْ is now the book's, not just the exam's.

• قاسممَتى يَبْدَأُ اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟🔊
  meaning

  When does the school day start?

• غسانيَبْدَأُ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ صَباحاً.🔊
  meaning

  It starts at seven in the morning. السّاعَةَ with a fatḥa and no preposition: Unit 4's clock, unchanged.

• قاسمهَلْ تَذْهَبُ بِالحافِلَةِ؟🔊
  meaning

  Do you go by bus?

• غسانلا، أَذْهَبُ بِالسَّيّارَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  No, I go by car. بِـ for the means, as in Unit 4.

• قاسممَتى يَنْتَهي اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟🔊
  meaning

  When does the school day end?

• غسانيَنْتَهي السّاعَةَ الواحِدَةَ ظُهْراً.🔊
  meaning

  It ends at one in the afternoon. ظُهْراً from Unit 6's الظُّهْر, the noon prayer, now as a time marker.

• قاسمكَمْ حِصَّةً تَدْرُسُ في اليَوْمِ؟🔊
  meaning

  How many periods do you study a day? كَمْ + one thing with ـةً, Unit 3's rule.

• غسانأَدْرُسُ سِتَّ حِصَصٍ في اليَوْمِ.🔊
  meaning

  I study six periods a day. سِتَّ drops its ة because حِصَّة is a she-noun; the answer goes plural, حِصَصٍ.

• قاسمماذا تَفْعَلُ في الاِسْتِراحَةِ؟🔊
  meaning

  What do you do in the break? Unit 4's ماذا تَفْعَلُ, with a new place.

• غسانأَذْهَبُ إِلى المَكْتَبَةِ، أَوْ إِلى المُخْتَبَرِ.🔊
  meaning

  I go to the library, or to the lab. المَكْتَبَة is the place of books (كَتَبَ); المُخْتَبَر the place of testing (اِخْتِبار).

The book's seven questions on dialogue 3 (p.169)

• ١مَنْ ذَهَبَ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  غَسّانُ.

  Who went to school? The question is in the past although the dialogue is in the present: ذَهَبَ, the verb Unit 6 showed you once.

• ٢مَتى يَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  السّاعَةَ السّادِسَةَ صَباحاً.

  When does he go to school? He is leaving as the dialogue opens.

• ٣مَتى تَبْدَأُ الحِصَّةُ الأولى؟🔊
  answer

  السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ صَباحاً.

  When does the first period start? الأولى is the feminine of الأَوَّل, and the odd one of the ranking set.

• ٤مَتى يَنْتَهي اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟🔊
  answer

  السّاعَةَ الواحِدَةَ ظُهْراً.

• ٥كَيْفَ يَذْهَبُ غَسّانُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  بِالسَّيّارَةِ.

• ٦كَمْ حِصَّةً يَدْرُسُ في اليَوْمِ؟🔊
  answer

  سِتَّ حِصَصٍ.

• ٧أَيْنَ يَذْهَبُ في الاِسْتِراحَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  إِلى المَكْتَبَةِ، أَوْ إِلى المُخْتَبَرِ.

4. Two reading passages (p.184)

مَرْيَم

Read a sentence at a time, then open it.

• ١أُخْتي مَرْيَمُ طالِبَةٌ في جامِعَةِ دِمَشْقَ. جامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ في سوريا.🔊
  meaning

  My sister Maryam is a student at Damascus University. Damascus University is in Syria. مَرْيَمُ ends -u with no tanwīn, like إِلْهامُ.

• ٢مَرْيَمُ تَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطِّبِّ، وسَتَكونُ طَبيبَةً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  Maryam studies at the faculty of medicine, and she will be a doctor, God willing.

• ٣تَسْكُنُ مَرْيَمُ مَعَ الأُسْرَةِ في شَقَّةٍ.🔊
  meaning

  Maryam lives with the family in a flat. Unit 6 set مَعَ free; here it is with a noun rather than a suffix.

• ٤الشَّقَّةُ بَعيدَةٌ عَنِ الجامِعَةِ، وتَذْهَبُ إِلى الجامِعَةِ بِالحافِلَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  The flat is far from the university, and she goes to the university by bus.

• ٥مَرْيَمُ تَدْرُسُ في الصَّباحِ والمَساءِ، وتَذْهَبُ إِلى المَكْتَبَةِ والمُخْتَبَرِ.🔊
  meaning

  Maryam studies in the morning and the evening, and goes to the library and the lab. المَساء completes الصَّباح (Unit 4) and اللَّيْل (Unit 6).

The book's seven questions: أَيْنَ تَدْرُسُ مَرْيَمُ؟ · في أَيِّ كُلِّيَّةٍ تَدْرُسُ؟ · أَيْنَ تَسْكُنُ مَرْيَمُ؟ · هَلِ الشَّقَّةُ بَعيدَةٌ عَنِ الجامِعَةِ؟ · كَيْفَ تَذْهَبُ إِلى الجامِعَةِ؟ · هَلْ تَدْرُسُ مَرْيَمُ في الصَّباحِ؟ · هَلْ تَذْهَبُ مَرْيَمُ إِلى المُخْتَبَرِ؟ 🔊 Answer them aloud in full sentences. Note هَلِ in the fourth: even هَلْ takes the joining vowel before الـ.

أَحْمَد

• ١صَديقي أَحْمَدُ طالِبٌ في جامِعَةِ أُمِّ القُرى. جامِعَةُ أُمِّ القُرى في مَكَّةَ.🔊
  meaning

  My friend Ahmad is a student at Umm al-Qura University. Umm al-Qura University is in Mecca.

• ٢أَحْمَدُ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّرْبِيَةِ. وسَيَكونُ مُدَرِّساً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  Ahmad studies at the faculty of education. And he will be a teacher, God willing. سَيَكونُ, the he-form. مُدَرِّساً with the ـاً ending that كانَ brings.

• ٣يَسْكُنُ أَحْمَدُ في بَيْتٍ. البَيْتُ قَريبٌ مِنَ الجامِعَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  Ahmad lives in a house. The house is near the university. قَريب takes مِنْ where بَعيد takes عَنْ. Both join with -i before الـ.

• ٤ويَذْهَبُ إِلى الجامِعَةِ بِالسَّيّارَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  And he goes to the university by car.

• ٥أَحْمَدُ يُصَلّي الفَجْرَ والعِشاءَ في المَسْجِدِ الحَرامِ.🔊
  meaning

  Ahmad prays fajr and ʿishāʾ in the Sacred Mosque. Unit 6's two prayer names and its mosque, back again.

The book's seven ✓ / X items: أَحْمَدُ مُدَرِّسٌ في جامِعَةِ أُمِّ القُرى (X) · أَحْمَدُ سَيَكونُ مُدَرِّساً (✓) · يَسْكُنُ أَحْمَدُ في شَقَّةٍ (X) · بَيْتُ أَحْمَدَ قَريبٌ مِنَ الجامِعَةِ (✓) · يَذْهَبُ أَحْمَدُ إِلى الجامِعَةِ بِالسَّيّارَةِ (✓) · أَحْمَدُ يُصَلّي الفَجْرَ في المَسْجِدِ الحَرامِ (✓) · أَحْمَدُ يُصَلّي العِشاءَ في المَسْجِدِ النَّبَوِيِّ (X). The first turns on مُدَرِّسٌ against سَيَكونُ مُدَرِّساً: he is not one yet. Note بَيْتُ أَحْمَدَ, where the name takes a fatḥa.

5. The listening scripts (p.254)

The book prints these at the back, unvocalised, because in class you only hear them. Vowels are added here from the unit's own pages. Read them as a fourth and fifth dialogue.

• ١أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ؟ أَذْهَبُ إِلى الجامِعَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  Where are you going? I'm going to the university.

• ٢مَتى يَبْدَأُ اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟ يَبْدَأُ السّاعَةَ الثّامِنَةَ.🔊
  meaning

  When does the school day start? It starts at eight. الثّامِنَة, a clock hour the course could not say until p.171 printed it.

• ٣مَتى يَنْتَهي اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟ يَنْتَهي في الثّالِثَةِ عَصْراً.🔊
  meaning

  When does the school day end? It ends at three in the afternoon. Here the clock takes في and so ends -i, beside the bare السّاعَةَ الثّامِنَةَ above. Both are the book's.

• ٤كَمْ حِصَّةً تَدْرُسُ في اليَوْمِ؟ أَدْرُسُ خَمْسَ حِصَصٍ في اليَوْمِ.🔊
  meaning

  How many periods do you study a day? I study five periods a day.

• ٥هَلْ أَنْتِ مُدَرِّسَةٌ؟ لا، أَنا طالِبَةٌ.🔊
  meaning

  Are you a teacher? No, I'm a student.

• ٦مَتى يَبْدَأُ العامُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟ في شَهْرِ مُحَرَّمٍ.🔊
  meaning

  When does the school year start? In the month of Muharram. Unlike شَعْبانَ and رَمَضانَ, مُحَرَّم takes an ordinary -in: not every month name refuses its ending.

• ٧كَمْ شَهْراً العُطْلَةُ؟ العُطْلَةُ ثَلاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ.🔊
  meaning

  How many months is the holiday? The holiday is three months.

• ٨يَسْتَيْقِظُ أَحْمَدُ مُبَكِّراً في الصَّباحِ. يُصَلّي الفَجْرَ، ويَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ صَباحاً. هُوَ يَذْهَبُ بِالحافِلَةِ. يَدْرُسُ أَحْمَدُ سِتَّةَ أَيّامٍ في الأُسْبوعِ. ويَدْرُسُ سَبْعَ حِصَصٍ في اليَوْمِ، ويَدْرُسُ اللُّغَةَ العَرَبِيَّةَ.🔊
  meaning

  Ahmad wakes up early in the morning. He prays fajr, and goes to school at seven in the morning. He goes by bus. Ahmad studies six days a week. And he studies seven periods a day, and he studies Arabic. The best sentence in the unit for counting. سِتَّةَ أَيّامٍ keeps the ة, سَبْعَ حِصَصٍ drops it, one clause apart, because يَوْم is a he-noun and حِصَّة a she-noun. See Lesson 7 §8.

Done speaking? Test yourself in Lesson 7, drill the Unit 7 flashcards, or see what this unit changed in the numbers and prepositions chapters. Anything unclear? Bring it to your teacher, in class.