Arabic · Unit 8 · Dialogue Reader

Unit 8 Dialogues

Three dialogues, line by line: two men comparing their jobs, six students saying what they will work as, and two women teachers. Then the book's own questions on each, three short portraits, the two reading passages (a pilot and a teacher), and the 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 8, book pp.190–210 and p.255 (the book PDF in your library) · translations match Lesson 8 · one printing slip and one mismatched listening script are marked where they fall

1. عُثْمان وعَلِيّ: two men and their work

• عثمانأَعْمَلُ طَبيباً، ماذا تَعْمَلُ أَنْتَ؟🔊
  meaning

  I work as a doctor. What do you do? The unit's first frame: the job after أَعْمَلُ ends in ـاً, as it did after Unit 7's سَأَكونُ. See Lesson 8 §1.

• عليأَعْمَلُ مُهَنْدِساً.🔊
  meaning

  I work as an engineer. Unit 1's مُهَنْدِس, now with the ـاً a verb brings.

• عثمانأَيْنَ تَعْمَلُ؟🔊
  meaning

  Where do you work?

• عليأَعْمَلُ في شَرِكَةٍ، وأَيْنَ تَعْمَلُ أَنْتَ؟🔊
  meaning

  I work in a company. And where do you work? شَرِكَة is first “a sharing” in the dictionary, then a company.

• عثمانأَعْمَلُ في المُسْتَشْفى.🔊
  meaning

  I work in the hospital. المُسْتَشْفى ends in ى, so no ending is heard after في. The root شفى is “to heal”.

• عليكَمْ ساعَةً تَعْمَلُ في اليَوْمِ؟🔊
  meaning

  How many hours do you work a day? كَمْ + one of it, ending -an: ساعَةً. Here ساعَة is a length of time, not o'clock.

• عثمانأَعْمَلُ ثَماني ساعاتٍ في اليَوْمِ. وكَمْ ساعَةً تَعْمَلُ أَنْتَ؟🔊
  meaning

  I work eight hours a day. And how many hours do you work? ثَماني: eight before a she-noun drops its ة but keeps its ي. The page prints it without the final fatḥa; the question on p.191 prints ثَمانِيَ, and the audio says ثَمانِيَ.

• عليأَعْمَلُ سَبْعَ ساعاتٍ.🔊
  meaning

  I work seven hours. سَبْعَ without ة, because ساعَة is a she-noun.

• عثمانهَلْ تُحِبُّ عَمَلَكَ؟🔊
  meaning

  Do you like your work? تُحِبُّ: the doubled ب, and a present that opens on ـُ.

• علينَعَمْ، أُحِبُّ عَمَلي.🔊
  meaning

  Yes, I like my work.

• عثمانوأَنا أُحِبُّ عَمَلي أَيْضاً.🔊
  meaning

  And I like my work too.

The book's seven questions on dialogue 1 (p.191)

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

• ١مَنِ المُهَنْدِسُ؟🔊
  answer

  عَلِيٌّ.

  Who is the engineer? مَنْ joins with -i before الـ: مَنِ.

• ٢مَنِ الطَّبيبُ؟🔊
  answer

  عُثْمانُ.

  Who is the doctor? عُثْمانُ ends -u with no tanwīn, like رَمَضانُ.

• ٣أَيْنَ يَعْمَلُ عُثْمانُ؟🔊
  answer

  في المُسْتَشْفى.

  Where does Uthman work?

• ٤أَيْنَ يَعْمَلُ عَلِيٌّ؟🔊
  answer

  في شَرِكَةٍ.

  Where does Ali work?

• ٥مَنْ يَعْمَلُ سَبْعَ ساعاتٍ؟🔊
  answer

  عَلِيٌّ.

  Who works seven hours?

• ٦مَنْ يَعْمَلُ ثَمانِيَ ساعاتٍ؟🔊
  answer

  عُثْمانُ.

  Who works eight hours? This time the book prints ثَمانِيَ with its fatḥa.

• ٧مَنْ يُحِبُّ عَمَلَهُ؟🔊
  answer

  عُثْمانُ وعَلِيٌّ.

  Who likes his work? Both of them: each says أُحِبُّ عَمَلي.

2. Six students: what will you work as?

The speakers are numbered with Unit 7's ranking words: the first student asks, five answer, and the first answers last.

• الأولماذا سَتَعْمَلُ بَعْدَ الدِّراسَةِ؟🔊
  meaning

  What will you do after your studies? سَـ on تَعْمَلُ, and بَعْدَ with its noun ending -i (Prepositions §5).

• الثانيأَنا أَدْرُسُ الطِّبَّ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطِّبِّ، سَأَعْمَلُ طَبيباً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I study medicine at the faculty of medicine. I'll work as a doctor, God willing. The same word twice, with two endings: الطِّبَّ (what is studied, -a) and الطِّبِّ (after كُلِّيَّةِ, -i).

• الثالثأَنا أَدْرُسُ الصَّيْدَلَةَ في كُلِّيَّةِ الصَّيْدَلَةِ، سَأَعْمَلُ صَيْدَلِيّاً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I study pharmacy at the faculty of pharmacy. I'll work as a pharmacist, God willing. صَيْدَلِيّ is a nisba on صَيْدَلَة, built as مِصْرِيّ is built on مِصْر.

• الرابعأَنا أَدْرُسُ التَّمْريضَ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّمْريضِ، سَأَعْمَلُ مُمَرِّضاً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I study nursing at the faculty of nursing. I'll work as a nurse, God willing. Unit 7 had مُمَرِّضَة; this is the man.

• الخامسأَنا أَدْرُسُ الهَنْدَسَةَ في كُلِّيَّةِ الهَنْدَسَةِ، سَأَعْمَلُ مُهَنْدِساً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I study engineering at the faculty of engineering. I'll work as an engineer, God willing. The dictionary's first sense of هَنْدَسَة is geometry.

• السادسأَنا أَدْرُسُ الطَّيَرانَ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطَّيَرانِ، سَأَعْمَلُ طَيّاراً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I study aviation at the faculty of aviation. I'll work as a pilot, God willing. طَيَران (flying) and طَيّار (the flyer) share the root of Unit 6's طائِرَة.

• الأولأَنا أَدْرُسُ التَّرْبِيَةَ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّرْبِيَةِ، سَأَعْمَلُ مُدَرِّساً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  I study education at the faculty of education. I'll work as a teacher, God willing. The one pair with no shared root: التَّرْبِيَة gives a مُدَرِّس.

The book's seven questions on dialogue 2 (p.193)

• ١مَنْ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّمْريضِ؟🔊
  answer

  الطّالِبُ الرّابِعُ.

  Who studies at the faculty of nursing? The fourth student.

• ٢مَنْ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّرْبِيَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  الطّالِبُ الأَوَّلُ.

  The first student, who asked the question and answered it last.

• ٣مَنْ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطِّبِّ؟🔊
  answer

  الطّالِبُ الثّاني.

  The second student.

• ٤مَنْ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطَّيَرانِ؟🔊
  answer

  الطّالِبُ السّادِسُ.

  The sixth student.

• ٥مَنْ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الصَّيْدَلَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  الطّالِبُ الثّالِثُ.

  The third student.

• ٦مَنْ يَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الهَنْدَسَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  الطّالِبُ الخامِسُ.

  The fifth student.

• ٧أَيْنَ هَذا الحِوارُ؟🔊
  answer

  في الجامِعَةِ.

  Where is this dialogue? The page never says: six students from six faculties put it at a university.

3. مَرْيَم وزَيْنَب: two teachers

• مريمأَنا مُدَرِّسَةٌ. ما مِهْنَتُك؟🔊
  meaning

  I'm a teacher. What's your profession? The page leaves the last kāf bare, a pause form. One woman is asking another, so in full it is مِهْنَتُكِ, and that is what the audio says.

• زينبأَنا مُدَرِّسَةٌ أَيْضاً.🔊
  meaning

  I'm a teacher too. No verb, so ـٌ: Unit 1's frame.

• مريمفي أَيِّ مَرْحَلَةٍ تُدَرِّسينَ؟🔊
  meaning

  Which stage do you teach in? تُدَرِّسينَ “you teach”, with the shadda and the ـُ. Unit 7's تَدْرُسينَ is “you study”. Lesson 8 §4.

• زينبأُدَرِّسُ في المَرْحَلَةِ الابْتَدائِيَّةِ. وفي أَيِّ مَرْحَلَةٍ تُدَرِّسينَ أَنْتِ؟🔊
  meaning

  I teach in the primary stage. And which stage do you teach in? A printing slip: the page puts a fatḥa on the tāʾ, الابْتَدائِيَّة. The word is اِبْتِدائِيَّة, with a kasra; the next page prints it with no mark there at all. The text is left as printed and the audio says it correctly.

• مريمأُدَرِّسُ في المَرْحَلَةِ المُتَوَسِّطَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  I teach in the intermediate stage. The middle school years, between primary and secondary.

• زينبهَلْ لَكِ أَطْفالٌ؟🔊
  meaning

  Do you have children? Literally “are there to you children?”. لِـ + you turns to لَكِ. The unit's second new frame: Lesson 8 §6.

• مريمنَعَمْ، لي أَطْفالٌ.🔊
  meaning

  Yes, I have children. لي is the one form that keeps the -i of لِـ.

• زينبكَمْ طِفْلاً لَكِ؟🔊
  meaning

  How many children do you have? كَمْ + one child, ending -an.

• مريملي خَمْسَةُ أَطْفالٍ.🔊
  meaning

  I have five children. خَمْسَةُ keeps its ة: طِفْل is a he-noun. Compare سَبْعَ ساعاتٍ in dialogue 1.

• زينبهَلْ تُحِبّينَ عَمَلَكِ؟🔊
  meaning

  Do you like your work? To a woman: تُحِبّينَ and عَمَلَكِ, two marks of “you (f)” in one line.

• مريمنَعَمْ، أُحِبُّ عَمَلي.🔊
  meaning

  Yes, I like my work.

• زينبوأَنا أُحِبُّ عَمَلي أَيْضاً.🔊
  meaning

  And I like my work too. Dialogue 1's last line, word for word, from a woman.

The book's seven questions on dialogue 3 (p.195)

• ١ما مِهْنَةُ زَيْنَبَ؟🔊
  answer

  مُدَرِّسَةٌ.

  What is Zaynab's profession? زَيْنَبَ takes a fatḥa where -i is due, as بَيْتُ أَحْمَدَ did in Unit 7.

• ٢ما مِهْنَةُ مَرْيَمَ؟🔊
  answer

  مُدَرِّسَةٌ.

  What is Maryam's profession?

• ٣مَنْ تُدَرِّسُ في المَرْحَلَةِ الاِبْتِدائِيَّةِ؟🔊
  answer

  زَيْنَبُ.

  Who teaches in primary school? مَنْ takes a she-verb, تُدَرِّسُ, because the answer is a woman.

• ٤مَنْ تُدَرِّسُ في المَرْحَلَةِ المُتَوَسِّطَةِ؟🔊
  answer

  مَرْيَمُ.

  Who teaches in the intermediate stage?

• ٥مَنْ لَها أَطْفالٌ؟🔊
  answer

  مَرْيَمُ.

  Who has children? لَها “she has”: the ending ـها, her, is new in this unit.

• ٦كَمْ طِفْلاً لَها؟🔊
  answer

  خَمْسَةُ أَطْفالٍ.

  How many children does she have?

• ٧مَنْ تُحِبُّ عَمَلَها؟🔊
  answer

  مَرْيَمُ وزَيْنَبُ.

  Who likes her work? Both. (The page prints عملها without vowels.)

4. Three short portraits (p.209)

The book asks you to match each paragraph to a picture: an engineer, a doctor, a teacher. Read each aloud and say who it is before you open it.

• ١مَحْمودٌ مُهَنْدِسٌ، يَعْمَلُ في شَرِكَةٍ كَبيرَةٍ. مَحْمودٌ يَذْهَبُ إِلى الشَّرِكَةِ بِالحافِلَةِ، ويَعْمَلُ سَبْعَ ساعاتٍ في اليَوْمِ، ويُحِبُّ عَمَلَهُ.🔊
  meaning

  Mahmoud is an engineer; he works in a big company. Mahmoud goes to the company by bus, works seven hours a day, and likes his work. The engineer. مَحْمودٌ takes tanwīn, unlike عُثْمانُ and أَحْمَدُ.

• ٢أَحْمَدُ طَبيبٌ، يَعْمَلُ في مُسْتَشْفى الجامِعَةِ. يَذْهَبُ أَحْمَدُ إِلى المُسْتَشْفى بِالسَّيّارَةِ، ويَعْمَلُ سِتَّ ساعاتٍ في اليَوْمِ، ويُحِبُّ عَمَلَهُ.🔊
  meaning

  Ahmad is a doctor; he works in the university hospital. Ahmad goes to the hospital by car, works six hours a day, and likes his work. The doctor. مُسْتَشْفى الجامِعَةِ: the hospital of the university, two nouns in a row like غُرْفَةُ النَّوْمِ.

• ٣شاكِرٌ مُدَرِّسٌ في المَرْحَلَةِ الاِبْتِدائِيَّةِ. يَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ في الصَّباحِ. شاكِرٌ يُدَرِّسُ خَمْسَ ساعاتٍ في اليَوْمِ، ويُحِبُّ عَمَلَهُ.🔊
  meaning

  Shakir is a teacher in the primary stage. He goes to school in the morning. Shakir teaches five hours a day, and likes his work. The teacher. يُدَرِّسُ, teach, not يَدْرُسُ.

5. Two reading passages (p.210)

عُمَر, the pilot

Read a sentence at a time, then open it.

• ١عُمَرُ طَيّارٌ، دَرَسَ الطَّيَرانَ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطَّيَرانِ، وهُوَ يَعْمَلُ في شَرِكَةِ الطَّيَرانِ.🔊
  meaning

  Omar is a pilot. He studied aviation at the faculty of aviation, and he works for the airline. دَرَسَ, the he-past of Unit 7. شَرِكَةُ الطَّيَرانِ, “the flying company”, is an airline.

• ٢يَذْهَبُ عُمَرُ مُبَكِّراً إِلى الشَّرِكَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  Omar goes to the company early.

• ٣يَبْدَأُ العَمَلُ السّاعَةَ السّادِسَةَ صَباحاً، ويَنْتَهي السّاعَةَ الواحِدَةَ ظُهْراً.🔊
  meaning

  Work starts at six in the morning and ends at one in the afternoon.

• ٤يَعْمَلُ عُمَرُ سَبْعَ ساعاتٍ في اليَوْمِ، ويَعْمَلُ خَمْسَةَ أَيّامٍ في الأُسْبوعِ.🔊
  meaning

  Omar works seven hours a day, and five days a week. The unit's best sentence for counting. سَبْعَ ساعاتٍ drops the ة (a she-noun), خَمْسَةَ أَيّامٍ keeps it (a he-noun), one clause apart. Six to one is seven hours: the arithmetic holds.

• ٥العُطْلَةُ يَوْمَ الخَميسِ، ويَوْمَ الجُمُعَةِ. يَذْهَبُ عُمَرُ إِلى الشَّرِكَةِ بِالسَّيّارَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  The weekend is Thursday and Friday. Omar goes to the company by car. Unit 7's timetable line, now about a job.

The book's ten questions: ما مِهْنَةُ عُمَرَ؟ · ماذا دَرَسَ؟ · أَيْنَ دَرَسَ؟ · أَيْنَ يَعْمَلُ؟ · مَتى يَذْهَبُ إِلى الشَّرِكَةِ؟ · مَتى يَبْدَأُ العَمَلُ؟ · مَتى يَنْتَهي العَمَلُ؟ · كَمْ ساعَةً يَعْمَلُ في اليَوْمِ؟ · كَمْ يَوْماً يَعْمَلُ في الأُسْبوعِ؟ · مَتى العُطْلَةُ؟ 🔊 Answer them aloud in full sentences. Two of them ask in the past: ماذا دَرَسَ؟ دَرَسَ الطَّيَرانَ.

فاطِمَة, the teacher

• ١فاطِمَةُ مُدَرِّسَةٌ في المَرْحَلَةِ الاِبْتِدائِيَّةِ.🔊
  meaning

  Fatima is a primary school teacher.

• ٢تَسْتَيْقِظُ السّاعَةَ الخامِسَةَ فَجْراً، وتَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ السّاعَةَ السّادِسَةَ صَباحاً.🔊
  meaning

  She wakes at five before dawn, and goes to school at six in the morning. فَجْراً: a new part of the day to put after a clock time.

• ٣يَبْدَأُ اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ السّاعَةَ السّابِعَةَ صَباحاً، ويَنْتَهي السّاعَةَ الثّانِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ ظُهْراً.🔊
  meaning

  The school day starts at seven in the morning and ends at twelve noon. الثّانِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ: p.197's new hour, two words, both ending -a.

• ٤تُدَرِّسُ فاطِمَةُ خَمْسَ حِصَصٍ في اليَوْمِ.🔊
  meaning

  Fatima teaches five periods a day. Unit 7's حِصَص, a she-noun, so خَمْسَ.

• ٥تُدَرِّسُ اللُّغَةَ العَرَبِيَّةَ والثَّقافَةَ الإِسْلامِيَّةَ والعُلومَ.🔊
  meaning

  She teaches Arabic, Islamic studies and science. Three of Unit 7's timetable subjects, each ending -a because they are what she teaches.

• ٦تَذْهَبُ فاطِمَةُ في الاِسْتِراحَةِ إِلى المَكْتَبَةِ، وتَقْرَأُ كِتاباً أَوْ صَحيفَةً.🔊
  meaning

  In the break Fatima goes to the library and reads a book or a newspaper.

The book's ten questions: ما مِهْنَةُ فاطِمَةَ؟ · في أَيِّ مَرْحَلَةٍ تُدَرِّسُ؟ · مَتى تَسْتَيْقِظُ مِنَ النَّوْمِ؟ · مَتى تَذْهَبُ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ؟ · مَتى يَبْدَأُ اليَوْمُ الدِّراسِيُّ؟ · مَتى يَنْتَهي؟ · كَمْ حِصَّةً تُدَرِّسُ فاطِمَةُ في اليَوْمِ؟ · ماذا تُدَرِّسُ؟ · أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ في الاِسْتِراحَةِ؟ · ماذا تَفْعَلُ في المَكْتَبَةِ؟ 🔊 Note مِنَ النَّوْمِ, waking from sleep, with the joining vowel before الـ.

6. The listening scripts (p.255)

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 more dialogues.

Drill 1: four students, four faculties

• ١أَيْنَ تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الهَنْدَسَةِ. ماذا تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ الهَنْدَسَةَ. لِماذا تَدْرُسُ الهَنْدَسَةَ؟ سَأَكونُ مُهَنْدِساً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  Where do you study? At the faculty of engineering. What do you study? Engineering. Why do you study engineering? I'll be an engineer, God willing. Three questions, three answers: where, what, why. The script answers with Unit 7's سَأَكونُ where the unit's dialogue says سَأَعْمَلُ; both put the job in ـاً.

• ٢أَيْنَ تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الطَّيَرانِ. ماذا تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ الطَّيَرانَ. لِماذا تَدْرُسُ الطَّيَرانَ؟ سَأَكونُ طَيّاراً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  The same three questions to a student of aviation: he'll be a pilot.

• ٣أَيْنَ تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّرْبِيَةِ. ماذا تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ التَّرْبِيَةَ. لِماذا تَدْرُسُ التَّرْبِيَةَ؟ سَأَكونُ مُدَرِّساً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  A student of education: he'll be a teacher.

• ٤أَيْنَ تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ الصَّيْدَلَةِ. ماذا تَدْرُسُ؟ أَدْرُسُ الصَّيْدَلَةَ. لِماذا تَدْرُسُ الصَّيْدَلَةَ؟ سَأَكونُ صَيْدَلِيّاً، إِنْ شاءَ اللهُ.🔊
  meaning

  A student of pharmacy: he'll be a pharmacist.

Drill 2: six questions

ماذا تَعْمَلُ؟ · كَمْ ساعَةً تَعْمَلُ في اليَوْمِ؟ · كَمْ طِفْلاً لَكَ؟ · أَيْنَ تَعْمَلُ؟ · ماذا تُدَرِّسُ؟ · ما مِهْنَتُكَ؟ 🔊

What do you do? How many hours do you work a day? How many children do you have? Where do you work? What do you teach? What is your profession? Answer each one about yourself. The first and the last ask the same thing two ways, the verb and the noun.

Drill 3: آدَم asks, أَحْمَد answers

• ١ماذا تَعْمَلُ؟ أَعْمَلُ مُدَرِّساً.🔊
  meaning

  What do you do? I work as a teacher.

• ٢أَيْنَ تُدَرِّسُ؟ أُدَرِّسُ في الجامِعَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  Where do you teach? I teach at the university. The script carries the shadda in every line: he teaches.

• ٣في أَيِّ كُلِّيَّةٍ تُدَرِّسُ؟ أُدَرِّسُ في كُلِّيَّةِ التَّرْبِيَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  Which faculty do you teach in? In the faculty of education.

• ٤ماذا تُدَرِّسُ؟ أُدَرِّسُ الثَّقافَةَ الإِسْلامِيَّةَ.🔊
  meaning

  What do you teach? I teach Islamic studies.

• ٥كَمْ ساعَةً تُدَرِّسُ في اليَوْمِ؟ أَرْبَعَ ساعاتٍ.🔊
  meaning

  How many hours do you teach a day? Four hours. أَرْبَعَ without ة, and ending -a: it is the answer to “how many hours do you teach”, so it keeps the object's ending even standing alone.

Drill 4: a script that does not fit its drill

• الأبإِلى أَيْنَ أَنْتَ ذاهِبٌ يا أَحْمَدُ؟🔊
  meaning

  Where are you going, Ahmad? Unit 6's إِلى أَيْنَ and ذاهِب.

• الابنأَنا ذاهِبٌ إِلى المَكْتَبَةِ.🔊
  meaning

  I'm going to the bookshop. المَكْتَبَة is both library and bookshop; here he is buying, so a shop.

• الأبلِماذا أَنْتَ ذاهِبٌ إِلى المَكْتَبَةِ؟🔊
  meaning

  Why are you going to the bookshop?

• الابنأُريدُ دَفْتَراً وقَلَماً.🔊
  meaning

  I want a notebook and a pen.

Done speaking? Test yourself in Lesson 8, drill the Unit 8 flashcards, or answer the thirteen questions about yourself in Lesson 8 §9. Anything unclear? Bring it to your teacher, in class.